Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Margaret River and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Margaret River: $2,566 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Margaret River
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Margaret River Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Margaret River

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,566

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,566 per month in Margaret River vs $2,821 in Melbourne, rent included.

Margaret River $2,566
Melbourne $2,821

A couple spends around $3,723 per month in Margaret River vs $4,235 in Melbourne, rent included.

Margaret River $3,723
Melbourne $4,235

A family of three spends $4,880 per month in Margaret River vs $5,650 in Melbourne, rent included.

Margaret River $4,880
Melbourne $5,650

Margaret River is about 9% cheaper than Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Margaret River and Melbourne sit above the global median – Margaret River by 90%, Melbourne by 109%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.82 A$28.52

$17.43 A$25.08

13.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.0 A$118

$84.6 A$122

-3.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.56 A$15.20

$12.46 A$17.92

-15.25%

Cappuccino

$4.42 A$6.36

$4.11 A$5.91

7.54%

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

$2.92 A$4.20

$3.06 A$4.40

-4.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 A$3.14

$2.52 A$3.62

-13.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.31 A$11.95

$9.80 A$14.10

-15.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.52 A$12.27

$8.57 A$12.33

-0.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 A$2.47

$1.48 A$2.14

16.22%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 A$4.55

$2.94 A$4.23

7.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 A$2.85

$2.66 A$3.82

-25.56%

Eggs

$5.26 A$7.57

$5.54 A$7.97

-5.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.03 A$13.00

$10.51 A$15.13

-14.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.00 A$12.96

$9.65 A$13.89

-6.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.70 A$19.71

$15.22 A$21.91

-9.99%

Apples (1kg)

$4.45 A$6.40

$3.99 A$5.75

11.53%

Banana (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$3.02 A$4.34

2.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 A$4.92

$3.10 A$4.46

10.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.03 A$7.23

$4.82 A$6.93

4.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.15

$3.03 A$4.36

-4.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 A$2.76

$2.44 A$3.52

-21.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.32 A$3.33

$2.46 A$3.54

-5.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 A$1.96

$1.63 A$2.34

-16.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.56 A$61.2

$44.07 A$63.4

-3.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 A$18.14

$12.70 A$18.28

-0.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.22 A$6.07

$5.54 A$7.97

-23.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 A$4.93

$5.23 A$7.52

-34.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 A$4.24

$3.74 A$5.38

-21.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.2 A$118

$138 A$198

-40.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 A$5.15

$4.51 A$6.50

-20.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 A$2.08

$1.36 A$1.96

5.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.63 A$58.5

$30.45 A$43.81

33.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 A$1.94

$1.47 A$2.12

-8.16%

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

$27.7K A$39.8K

$29.0K A$41.7K

-4.54%

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

$29.1K A$41.8K

$26.5K A$38.1K

9.82%

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

$197 A$283

$234 A$336

-15.78%

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

$32.94 A$47.40

$27.93 A$40.19

17.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.3 A$92.5

$55.7 A$80.2

15.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.0 A$80.6

$49.40 A$71.1

13.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.38 A$25.01

$21.48 A$30.91

-19.09%

Cinema Ticket

$17.17 A$24.71

$15.09 A$21.72

13.78%

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

$2,306 A$3,319

$2,371 A$3,412

-2.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K A$32.9K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-24.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.3 A$111

$80.0 A$115

-3.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.4 A$94.1

$50.7 A$73.0

28.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 A$177

$121 A$174

2.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$164 A$235

$130 A$188

25.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,387 A$1,996

$1,759 A$2,531

-21.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,199 A$1,726

$1,390 A$2,000

-13.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,170 A$3,123

$3,494 A$5,027

-37.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,825 A$2,626

$2,493 A$3,588

-26.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,036 A$7,246

$6,926 A$9,967

-27.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,814 A$6,928

$6,445 A$9,274

-25.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,954 A$4,251

$4,383 A$6,307

-32.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.91

5.9

0.17%

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

Last update for Margaret River: October 12, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Margaret River

$1.2K 46.8%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 15.9% $190

Groceries & Markets

Margaret River

$362 14.1%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 6.1% $22

Eating Out

Margaret River

$322 12.6%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 2.4% $7.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Margaret River

$294 11.5%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 7.9% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Margaret River

$193 7.5%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 11.1% $21

Getting Around

Margaret River

$105 4.1%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 56.3% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Margaret River

$90 3.5%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 11.9% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,387 in Margaret River 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.

Salaries run about 48% higher in Melbourne, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82.0 in Margaret River versus $85.0 in Melbourne. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $362 vs $384 – making Margaret River the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Margaret River

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

19:20 7:20 PM

22:20 10:20 PM

3 h ahead of Margaret River

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

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

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Between locations

Margaret River Melbourne 2,710 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Margaret River
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

Margaret River vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Melbourne is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,849 per month in Margaret River 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 Margaret River, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82.0 in Margaret River and $85.0 in Melbourne. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,566 in Margaret River and $2,821 in Melbourne. That's a gap of about 10%.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,566 in Margaret River and $2,821 in Melbourne. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Margaret River – 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 Margaret River. 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.