Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Adelaide

For one person, living is cheaper in Adelaide: $2,640 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Adelaide
Learn more

Adelaide Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Adelaide

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,640

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Adelaide

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,853 in Melbourne versus $2,640 in Adelaide.

Melbourne $2,853
Adelaide $2,640

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,275 in Melbourne versus $3,759 in Adelaide.

Melbourne $4,275
Adelaide $3,759

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,697 in Melbourne versus $4,878 in Adelaide.

Melbourne $5,697
Adelaide $4,878

Living in Melbourne is roughly 8% more expensive than in Adelaide, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 111% above, Adelaide 95% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.20 A$24.75

$17.10 A$24.61

0.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 A$120

$80.5 A$116

3.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 A$17.88

$11.64 A$16.75

6.79%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.82

$4.05 A$5.83

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

$3.12 A$4.50

$2.78 A$4.00

12.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.54

$2.55 A$3.68

-3.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.52 A$13.71

$7.79 A$11.20

22.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.74

$8.26 A$11.89

-1.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.25

$1.98 A$2.85

-21.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.18

$2.78 A$4.00

4.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$2.24 A$3.23

18.75%

Eggs

$5.37 A$7.72

$5.69 A$8.19

-5.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 A$15.36

$11.77 A$16.94

-9.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 A$14.17

$9.20 A$13.24

7.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 A$22.11

$18.97 A$27.29

-19.03%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$6.00

$3.94 A$5.67

5.84%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$3.03 A$4.36

3.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 A$4.69

$3.63 A$5.22

-10.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.85

$5.06 A$7.28

-5.93%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.41

$3.20 A$4.60

-4.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.55

$2.47 A$3.56

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.52

$2.49 A$3.58

-1.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$2.31 A$3.33

-29.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.17 A$65.0

$45.26 A$65.1

-0.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.25

$13.93 A$20.05

-8.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.69 A$8.18

$5.52 A$7.94

3.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.53

$5.91 A$8.51

-11.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 A$5.57

$3.20 A$4.61

20.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$204

$83.6 A$120

69.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 A$6.53

$3.53 A$5.07

28.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.04

$1.98 A$2.85

-28.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.59 A$44.01

$31.11 A$44.77

-1.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.41 A$2.03

4.26%

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

$28.9K A$41.5K

$29.3K A$42.2K

-1.59%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$25.7K A$36.9K

0.94%

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

$235 A$338

$192 A$276

22.50%

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

$27.45 A$39.51

$25.71 A$36.99

6.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$80.8

$56.7 A$81.6

-0.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 A$72.1

$63.0 A$90.6

-20.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.49 A$30.93

$14.06 A$20.24

52.84%

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 A$25.56

$17.14 A$24.67

3.62%

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

$2,385 A$3,432

$2,072 A$2,982

15.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.7K

$14.3K A$20.5K

107.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 A$114

$70.3 A$101

12.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.49 A$71.2

$54.9 A$78.9

-9.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$170

$115 A$165

3.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$135 A$195

-2.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 A$2,537

$1,713 A$2,466

2.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 A$2,031

$1,278 A$1,839

10.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,522 A$5,069

$2,431 A$3,498

44.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 A$3,634

$1,833 A$2,637

37.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,136 A$10.3K

$10.1K A$14.5K

-29.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,355 A$9,144

$6,880 A$9,901

-7.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,258 A$6,128

$3,830 A$5,511

11.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.92

-0.34%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 17, 2026

Last update for Adelaide: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5%

Adelaide

$1.3K 48.4% 9.4% $133

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$388 13.6%

Adelaide

$415 15.7% 6.8% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$319 11.2%

Adelaide

$274 10.4% 13.9% $44

Eating Out

Melbourne

$310 10.9%

Adelaide

$297 11.3% 4% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Adelaide

$169 6.4% 1.1% $1.9

Getting Around

Melbourne

$169 5.9%

Adelaide

$110 4.2% 35% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$86 3%

Adelaide

$97 3.7% 13.5% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,763 in Melbourne and $1,713 in Adelaide. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 11% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $83.0 in Melbourne vs $81.0 in Adelaide. Groceries flip the comparison at $388 vs $415, with Melbourne cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Adelaide

🕒 Local time

01:13 1:13 AM

00:43 12:43 AM

30 min behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

1,245,011

💱 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

Melbourne Adelaide 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Adelaide

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

Melbourne vs Adelaide: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Adelaide differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($2,853 vs $2,640 including rent). Adelaide is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 11% higher in Melbourne, 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: $1,763 in Melbourne versus $1,713 in Adelaide. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,385 in Melbourne versus $2,072 in Adelaide. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Melbourne pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Adelaide 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, Melbourne and Adelaide 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 Adelaide gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.