Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Levin and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Levin: $1,859 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Levin
Learn more

Levin Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index

Jump to prices

Levin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,859

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,859 per month in Levin vs $2,821 in Melbourne, rent included.

Levin $1,859
Melbourne $2,821

A couple spends around $2,784 per month in Levin vs $4,235 in Melbourne, rent included.

Levin $2,784
Melbourne $4,235

A family of three spends $3,710 per month in Levin vs $5,650 in Melbourne, rent included.

Levin $3,710
Melbourne $5,650

Levin is about 34% cheaper than Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Levin and Melbourne sit above the global median – Levin by 38%, Melbourne by 109%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.55 NZ$23.97

$17.43 A$25.08

-22.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.9 NZ$115

$84.6 A$122

-23.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.89 NZ$15.72

$12.46 A$17.92

-28.65%

Cappuccino

$2.87 NZ$5.08

$4.11 A$5.91

-30.17%

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

$2.46 NZ$4.35

$3.06 A$4.40

-19.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 NZ$2.93

$2.52 A$3.62

-34.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.09 NZ$12.54

$9.80 A$14.10

-27.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.58 NZ$11.63

$8.57 A$12.33

-23.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 NZ$3.28

$1.48 A$2.14

25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.90 NZ$1.60

$2.94 A$4.23

-69.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 NZ$3.05

$2.66 A$3.82

-35.34%

Eggs

$6.99 NZ$12.37

$5.54 A$7.97

26.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.37 NZ$11.27

$10.51 A$15.13

-39.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.00 NZ$12.38

$9.65 A$13.89

-27.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.46 NZ$16.73

$15.22 A$21.91

-37.84%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 NZ$2.95

$3.99 A$5.75

-58.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 NZ$3.78

$3.02 A$4.34

-29.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 NZ$5.29

$3.10 A$4.46

-3.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.75 NZ$3.09

$4.82 A$6.93

-63.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 NZ$3.36

$3.03 A$4.36

-37.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 NZ$2.17

$2.44 A$3.52

-49.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 NZ$3.30

$2.46 A$3.54

-24.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 NZ$0.94

$1.63 A$2.34

-67.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.98 NZ$31.80

$44.07 A$63.4

-59.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.36 NZ$20.10

$12.70 A$18.28

-10.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 NZ$5.69

$5.54 A$7.97

-41.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 NZ$4.91

$5.23 A$7.52

-46.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 NZ$3.04

$3.74 A$5.38

-54.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.0 NZ$143

$138 A$198

-41.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 NZ$3.28

$4.51 A$6.50

-58.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 NZ$3.11

$1.36 A$1.96

29.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.04 NZ$58.4

$30.45 A$43.81

8.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 NZ$2.82

$1.47 A$2.12

8.84%

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

$25.5K NZ$45.1K

$29.0K A$41.7K

-12.13%

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

$24.9K NZ$44.1K

$26.5K A$38.1K

-5.83%

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

$198 NZ$349

$234 A$336

-15.48%

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

$21.86 NZ$38.65

$27.93 A$40.19

-21.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.4 NZ$92.6

$55.7 A$80.2

-6.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.09 NZ$67.4

$49.40 A$71.1

-22.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$10.01 NZ$17.70

$15.09 A$21.72

-33.66%

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

$1,036 NZ$1,832

$2,371 A$3,412

-56.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K NZ$23.1K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-56.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.7 NZ$136

$80.0 A$115

-4.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.97 NZ$38.85

$50.7 A$73.0

-56.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.0 NZ$90.2

$121 A$174

-57.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 NZ$200

$130 A$188

-13.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$993 NZ$1,756

$1,759 A$2,531

-43.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$824 NZ$1,457

$1,390 A$2,000

-40.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,192 NZ$2,109

$3,494 A$5,027

-65.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,463 NZ$2,587

$2,493 A$3,588

-41.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,974 NZ$8,796

$6,926 A$9,967

-28.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,415 NZ$6,039

$6,445 A$9,274

-47.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

5.9

-8.64%

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

Last update for Levin: October 11, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Levin

$824 44.3%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 68.7% $566

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Levin

$272 14.6%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 16.8% $46

Groceries & Markets

Levin

$253 13.6%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 51.6% $131

Eating Out

Levin

$235 12.6%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 34% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Levin

$118 6.4%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 45.2% $53

Getting Around

Levin

$99 5.3%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 66.2% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Levin

$58 3.1%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 37% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $993 in Levin versus $1,759 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 $65.0 in Levin versus $85.0 in Melbourne. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $253 vs $384 – making Levin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Levin

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

06:54 6:54 AM

04:54 4:54 AM

2 h behind Levin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,800

5,031,195

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Levin Melbourne 2,620 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Levin
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

Levin vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,859 in Levin, $2,821 in Melbourne – roughly 52% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,788 per month in Levin and $4,231 in Melbourne. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Levin, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 70% less in Levin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,036 per month in Levin and $2,371 in Melbourne. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Levin, where all-in costs run around $1,859, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Levin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Levin – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Levin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Melbourne makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.