Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kalgoorlie and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Kalgoorlie: $1,929 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in Kalgoorlie
Learn more

Kalgoorlie Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index

Jump to prices

Kalgoorlie

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,929

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kalgoorlie and in Melbourne

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Kalgoorlie and in Melbourne actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,929 in Kalgoorlie versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Kalgoorlie $1,929
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,287 in Kalgoorlie versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Kalgoorlie $3,287
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,645 in Kalgoorlie versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Kalgoorlie $4,645
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Kalgoorlie costs roughly 32% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kalgoorlie 43% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.55 A$25.25

$17.43 A$25.08

0.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$121

$84.6 A$122

-0.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 A$15.29

$12.46 A$17.92

-14.69%

Cappuccino

$4.42 A$6.36

$4.11 A$5.91

7.54%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 A$5.35

$3.06 A$4.40

21.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 A$5.15

$2.52 A$3.62

42.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.37 A$9.16

$9.80 A$14.10

-35.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.24 A$10.42

$8.57 A$12.33

-15.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 A$2.20

$1.48 A$2.14

3.38%

White Bread (500g)

$3.46 A$4.99

$2.94 A$4.23

17.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 A$3.28

$2.66 A$3.82

-14.29%

Eggs

$4.52 A$6.50

$5.54 A$7.97

-18.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.34 A$13.44

$10.51 A$15.13

-11.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.09 A$13.08

$9.65 A$13.89

-5.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.84 A$21.35

$15.22 A$21.91

-2.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.80 A$5.46

$3.99 A$5.75

-4.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.99 A$4.30

$3.02 A$4.34

-0.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.34 A$4.80

$3.10 A$4.46

7.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.72 A$6.78

$4.82 A$6.93

-2.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.86

$3.03 A$4.36

-11.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.33 A$3.36

$2.44 A$3.52

-4.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 A$3.08

$2.46 A$3.54

-13.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 A$2.15

$1.63 A$2.34

-8.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$40.93 A$58.9

$44.07 A$63.4

-7.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.69 A$19.70

$12.70 A$18.28

7.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.82 A$6.94

$5.54 A$7.97

-13.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.43

$5.23 A$7.52

-1.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.94 A$4.23

$3.74 A$5.38

-21.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.8 A$118

$138 A$198

-40.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.51 A$5.05

$4.51 A$6.50

-22.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.36 A$1.96

8.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.13 A$62.1

$30.45 A$43.81

41.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 A$1.95

$1.47 A$2.12

-7.48%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$23.0K A$33.2K

$29.0K A$41.7K

-20.53%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$33.7K A$48.5K

$26.5K A$38.1K

27.33%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$310 A$446

$234 A$336

32.56%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$27.93 A$40.19

99.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.5 A$98.6

$55.7 A$80.2

22.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.87 A$54.5

$49.40 A$71.1

-23.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.04 A$28.83

$21.48 A$30.91

-6.70%

Cinema Ticket

$17.75 A$25.54

$15.09 A$21.72

17.63%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,839 A$2,646

$2,371 A$3,412

-22.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K A$26.3K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-39.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.2 A$113

$80.0 A$115

-2.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 A$79.5

$50.7 A$73.0

8.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 A$155

$121 A$174

-10.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$189

$130 A$188

0.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,387 A$1,996

$1,759 A$2,531

-21.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$479 A$689

$1,390 A$2,000

-65.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,659 A$2,387

$3,494 A$5,027

-52.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,543 A$2,221

$2,493 A$3,588

-38.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,435 A$7,821

$6,926 A$9,967

-21.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,339 A$7,683

$6,445 A$9,274

-17.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,038 A$8,688

$4,383 A$6,307

37.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.25

5.9

5.93%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Kalgoorlie: October 10, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Kalgoorlie

$479 24.8%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 190% $911

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kalgoorlie

$434 22.5%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 26.9% $117

Groceries & Markets

Kalgoorlie

$370 19.2%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 3.8% $14

Eating Out

Kalgoorlie

$301 15.6%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 4.6% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Kalgoorlie

$168 8.7%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 2.5% $4.1

Getting Around

Kalgoorlie

$104 5.4%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 56.8% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Kalgoorlie

$73 3.8%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 8.5% $6.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,387 in Kalgoorlie and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kalgoorlie pays 38% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $84.0 in Kalgoorlie vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $370 vs $384 per month, with Kalgoorlie cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Kalgoorlie

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

17:29 5:29 PM

20:29 8:29 PM

3 h ahead of Kalgoorlie

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,068

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kalgoorlie Melbourne 2,290 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Kalgoorlie
Melbourne

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Kalgoorlie vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kalgoorlie wins on cost – living expenses run 46% lower than in Melbourne. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kalgoorlie the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 38% higher in Kalgoorlie, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,387 in Kalgoorlie versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kalgoorlie runs roughly 68% less than in Melbourne. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,839 in Kalgoorlie versus $2,371 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Kalgoorlie is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Kalgoorlie and Melbourne are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Kalgoorlie gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.