Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Katoomba and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Katoomba: $2,409 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Katoomba
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Katoomba Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Katoomba

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,409

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Katoomba 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 Katoomba and in Melbourne actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,409 per month in Katoomba vs $2,849 in Melbourne, rent included.

Katoomba $2,409
Melbourne $2,849

A couple spends around $3,467 per month in Katoomba vs $4,274 in Melbourne, rent included.

Katoomba $3,467
Melbourne $4,274

A family of three spends $4,526 per month in Katoomba vs $5,699 in Melbourne, rent included.

Katoomba $4,526
Melbourne $5,699

Katoomba is about 15% cheaper than Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Katoomba and Melbourne sit above the global median – Katoomba by 77%, Melbourne by 109%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.30 A$24.60

$17.50 A$24.88

-1.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.8 A$122

$84.3 A$120

1.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.49 A$14.92

$12.17 A$17.30

-13.80%

Cappuccino

$3.15 A$4.47

$4.07 A$5.79

-22.60%

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

$2.72 A$3.87

$3.18 A$4.52

-14.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 A$2.93

$2.50 A$3.55

-17.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.44 A$9.15

$9.57 A$13.61

-32.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.65 A$12.30

$8.25 A$11.73

4.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.21

$1.50 A$2.14

4.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.26 A$4.64

$2.97 A$4.22

9.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.54 A$3.61

$2.68 A$3.82

-5.22%

Eggs

$5.26 A$7.47

$5.45 A$7.75

-3.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.18 A$18.74

$10.71 A$15.23

23.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.72

$10.05 A$14.29

-3.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.42 A$21.93

$15.00 A$21.33

2.80%

Apples (1kg)

$4.09 A$5.82

$4.07 A$5.78

0.49%

Banana (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.40

$3.14 A$4.46

-1.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.53 A$5.03

$3.12 A$4.43

13.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.13 A$7.29

$4.73 A$6.73

8.46%

Potato (1kg)

$3.21 A$4.56

$2.98 A$4.24

7.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.87 A$4.08

$2.49 A$3.55

15.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.54 A$3.61

$2.48 A$3.53

2.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 A$1.93

$1.60 A$2.27

-15.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.57 A$64.8

$44.65 A$63.5

2.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.79 A$19.60

$12.68 A$18.03

8.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.65 A$6.61

$5.55 A$7.88

-16.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.63 A$8.01

$5.18 A$7.37

8.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 A$3.51

$3.84 A$5.46

-35.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.8 A$111

$139 A$197

-43.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.00 A$5.69

$4.36 A$6.20

-8.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 A$2.35

$1.37 A$1.94

21.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.48 A$60.4

$29.72 A$42.26

42.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 A$1.89

$1.49 A$2.11

-10.74%

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

$28.6K A$40.7K

$29.1K A$41.4K

-1.70%

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

$26.4K A$37.5K

$25.7K A$36.5K

2.71%

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

$186 A$265

$236 A$335

-20.94%

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

$26.42 A$37.57

$28.01 A$39.83

-5.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.3 A$80.1

$57.2 A$81.4

-1.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.7 A$87.7

$48.39 A$68.8

27.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.36 A$24.69

$21.46 A$30.52

-19.11%

Cinema Ticket

$15.98 A$22.72

$17.67 A$25.12

-9.56%

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

$2,503 A$3,559

$2,461 A$3,499

1.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.3K A$28.9K

$29.7K A$42.2K

-31.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.1 A$108

$81.2 A$115

-6.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 A$79.3

$49.28 A$70.1

13.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 A$154

$120 A$170

-9.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$189

$131 A$186

1.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,604 A$2,280

$1,703 A$2,421

-5.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 A$1,572

$1,409 A$2,003

-21.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,208 A$3,139

$3,496 A$4,970

-36.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,560 A$2,218

$2,527 A$3,592

-38.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,535 A$7,869

$7,978 A$11.3K

-30.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,242 A$7,453

$6,900 A$9,811

-24.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,053

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.95

5.9

0.85%

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

Last update for Katoomba: October 24, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Katoomba

$1.1K 45.9%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4% 27.4% $303

Groceries & Markets

Katoomba

$396 16.5%

Melbourne

$386 13.6% 2.4% $9.7

Eating Out

Katoomba

$276 11.5%

Melbourne

$312 11% 13.1% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Katoomba

$269 11.2%

Melbourne

$321 11.3% 19.3% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Katoomba

$168 7%

Melbourne

$171 6% 2% $3.4

Getting Around

Katoomba

$100 4.2%

Melbourne

$165 5.8% 65.3% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Katoomba

$94 3.9%

Melbourne

$84 2.9% 10.6% $9.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,604 in Katoomba versus $1,703 in Melbourne. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $86 in Katoomba versus $84 in Melbourne. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $396 vs $386 – making Melbourne the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Katoomba

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

00:56 12:56 AM

Same time as Katoomba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Katoomba Melbourne 660 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Katoomba
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

Katoomba vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,409 in Katoomba, $2,849 in Melbourne – Katoomba comes out roughly 15% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,613 per month in Katoomba and $4,273 in Melbourne. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,604 in Katoomba and $1,703 in Melbourne. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $2,503 per month in Katoomba and $2,461 in Melbourne. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,409 in Katoomba and $2,849 in Melbourne. That makes Katoomba about 15% cheaper.

It depends on your priorities. Melbourne has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,409 in Katoomba to $2,849 in Melbourne. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.