Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Latrobe Valley and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Latrobe Valley: $2,543 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Latrobe Valley
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Latrobe Valley Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Latrobe Valley

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,543

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,543 in Latrobe Valley versus $2,849 in Melbourne.

Latrobe Valley $2,543
Melbourne $2,849

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,558 in Latrobe Valley versus $4,274 in Melbourne.

Latrobe Valley $3,558
Melbourne $4,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,573 in Latrobe Valley versus $5,699 in Melbourne.

Latrobe Valley $4,573
Melbourne $5,699

Living in Latrobe Valley costs roughly 11% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Latrobe Valley 87% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.11 A$23.01

$17.50 A$24.99

-7.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.9 A$131

$84.3 A$120

8.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.48 A$14.97

$12.17 A$17.38

-13.89%

Cappuccino

$3.58 A$5.11

$4.07 A$5.82

-12.04%

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

$2.68 A$3.83

$3.18 A$4.54

-15.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 A$2.76

$2.50 A$3.57

-22.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.63 A$9.46

$9.57 A$13.67

-30.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.29 A$10.41

$8.25 A$11.78

-11.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 A$2.16

$1.50 A$2.15

1.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 A$3.76

$2.97 A$4.24

-11.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.95 A$2.79

$2.68 A$3.83

-27.24%

Eggs

$5.07 A$7.24

$5.45 A$7.79

-6.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.14 A$13.06

$10.71 A$15.30

-14.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.45 A$12.07

$10.05 A$14.35

-15.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.47 A$23.52

$15.00 A$21.42

9.80%

Apples (1kg)

$4.25 A$6.07

$4.07 A$5.81

4.42%

Banana (1kg)

$3.49 A$4.98

$3.14 A$4.48

11.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 A$4.82

$3.12 A$4.45

8.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.06 A$5.80

$4.73 A$6.76

-14.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.62 A$3.75

$2.98 A$4.26

-12.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 A$3.54

$2.49 A$3.56

-0.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.53 A$3.61

$2.48 A$3.54

2.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 A$2.42

$1.60 A$2.28

6.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$46.65 A$66.6

$44.65 A$63.8

4.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.67 A$18.10

$12.68 A$18.11

-0.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.39 A$6.26

$5.55 A$7.92

-20.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.27 A$7.53

$5.18 A$7.40

1.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.83 A$4.04

$3.84 A$5.48

-26.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.0 A$113

$139 A$198

-43.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 A$5.49

$4.36 A$6.22

-11.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.73 A$2.48

$1.37 A$1.95

26.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.72 A$53.9

$29.72 A$42.45

26.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 A$1.77

$1.49 A$2.12

-16.78%

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

$33.1K A$47.2K

$29.1K A$41.5K

13.64%

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

$29.2K A$41.7K

$25.7K A$36.7K

13.75%

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

$179 A$256

$236 A$337

-24.00%

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

$29.92 A$42.73

$28.01 A$40.01

6.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.2 A$74.5

$57.2 A$81.7

-8.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 A$82.9

$48.39 A$69.1

19.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.18 A$25.97

$21.46 A$30.65

-15.28%

Cinema Ticket

$15.88 A$22.67

$17.67 A$25.23

-10.13%

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

$2,028 A$2,897

$2,461 A$3,515

-17.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.4K A$27.8K

$29.7K A$42.4K

-34.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.6 A$112

$81.2 A$116

-3.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 A$83.2

$49.28 A$70.4

18.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 A$147

$120 A$171

-13.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 A$181

$131 A$187

-3.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,315 A$1,877

$1,703 A$2,432

-22.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,289 A$1,841

$1,409 A$2,012

-8.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,319 A$3,312

$3,496 A$4,992

-33.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 A$2,387

$2,527 A$3,608

-33.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,990 A$7,126

$7,978 A$11.4K

-37.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,950 A$7,069

$6,900 A$9,854

-28.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,079

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

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

Last update for Latrobe Valley: October 26, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Latrobe Valley

$1.3K 50.7%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4% 9.3% $120

Groceries & Markets

Latrobe Valley

$366 14.4%

Melbourne

$386 13.6% 5.7% $21

Eating Out

Latrobe Valley

$269 10.6%

Melbourne

$312 11% 16% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Latrobe Valley

$261 10.3%

Melbourne

$321 11.3% 22.9% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Latrobe Valley

$165 6.5%

Melbourne

$171 6% 3.9% $6.4

Getting Around

Latrobe Valley

$103 4.1%

Melbourne

$165 5.8% 60.6% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Latrobe Valley

$90 3.5%

Melbourne

$84 2.9% 6.8% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,315 in Latrobe Valley and $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $92 in Latrobe Valley vs $84 in Melbourne. Groceries flip the comparison at $366 vs $386, with Latrobe Valley cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Latrobe Valley

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

16:58 4:58 PM

Same time as Latrobe Valley

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,492

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Latrobe Valley vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,543 in Latrobe Valley and $2,849 in Melbourne, so Latrobe Valley is about 11% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,815 in Latrobe Valley and $4,273 in Melbourne to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,315 in Latrobe Valley versus $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Latrobe Valley runs roughly 43% less than in Melbourne. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $2,028 in Latrobe Valley versus $2,461 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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, Latrobe Valley and Melbourne are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.