Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Alice Springs

For one person, living is cheaper in Alice Springs: $1,798 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Alice Springs
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Alice Springs Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Alice Springs

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,798

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Alice Springs

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 Alice Springs actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,853 in Melbourne versus $1,798 in Alice Springs.

Melbourne $2,853
Alice Springs $1,798

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,275 in Melbourne versus $2,720 in Alice Springs.

Melbourne $4,275
Alice Springs $2,720

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,697 in Melbourne versus $3,641 in Alice Springs.

Melbourne $5,697
Alice Springs $3,641

Living in Melbourne is roughly 59% more expensive than in Alice Springs, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 111% above, Alice Springs 33% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.20 A$24.75

$17.27 A$24.85

-0.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 A$120

$83.0 A$119

0.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 A$17.88

$10.70 A$15.40

16.17%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.82

$4.28 A$6.16

-5.37%

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

$3.12 A$4.50

$2.87 A$4.13

8.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.54

$2.82 A$4.06

-12.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.52 A$13.71

$6.48 A$9.33

46.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.74

$9.54 A$13.72

-14.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.25

$1.43 A$2.05

9.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.18

$2.10 A$3.03

38.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.78 A$2.57

49.44%

Eggs

$5.37 A$7.72

$5.10 A$7.33

5.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 A$15.36

$10.17 A$14.63

4.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 A$14.17

$8.29 A$11.94

18.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 A$22.11

$14.50 A$20.87

5.93%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$6.00

$3.84 A$5.53

8.59%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$3.00 A$4.32

5.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 A$4.69

$2.63 A$3.78

23.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.85

$6.85 A$9.86

-30.51%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.41

$2.49 A$3.58

22.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.55

$2.28 A$3.28

8.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.52

$2.43 A$3.50

0.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$2.36 A$3.40

-30.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.17 A$65.0

$28.22 A$40.60

60.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.25

$13.77 A$19.82

-7.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.69 A$8.18

$3.22 A$4.64

76.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.53

$5.59 A$8.04

-6.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 A$5.57

$2.79 A$4.02

38.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$204

$68.9 A$99.1

106.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 A$6.53

$4.84 A$6.97

-6.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.04

$1.55 A$2.24

-8.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.59 A$44.01

$27.74 A$39.92

10.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.35 A$1.94

8.89%

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

$28.9K A$41.5K

$37.6K A$54.1K

-23.26%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$23.0K A$33.0K

12.85%

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

$235 A$338

$213 A$306

10.62%

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

$27.45 A$39.51

$28.21 A$40.59

-2.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$80.8

$45.86 A$66.0

22.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 A$72.1

$56.9 A$81.9

-11.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.49 A$30.93

$17.95 A$25.83

19.72%

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 A$25.56

$13.94 A$20.06

27.40%

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

$2,385 A$3,432

$1,941 A$2,793

22.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.7K

$20.6K A$29.6K

44.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 A$114

$73.1 A$105

8.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.49 A$71.2

$12.03 A$17.31

311.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$170

$138 A$198

-13.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$120 A$173

10.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 A$2,537

$1,405 A$2,022

25.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 A$2,031

$518 A$746

172.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,522 A$5,069

$1,267 A$1,823

178.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 A$3,634

$765 A$1,101

230.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,136 A$10.3K

$4,502 A$6,478

58.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,355 A$9,144

$4,696 A$6,757

35.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,258 A$6,128

$4,301 A$6,189

-1.00%

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 Melbourne: October 17, 2026

Last update for Alice Springs: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5%

Alice Springs

$518 28.8% 63.3% $893

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$388 13.6%

Alice Springs

$365 20.3% 6% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$319 11.2%

Alice Springs

$287 15.9% 10.1% $32

Eating Out

Melbourne

$310 10.9%

Alice Springs

$296 16.5% 4.5% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Alice Springs

$154 8.6% 9.6% $16

Getting Around

Melbourne

$169 5.9%

Alice Springs

$93 5.2% 45.2% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$86 3%

Alice Springs

$85 4.7% 1% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,763 in Melbourne and $1,405 in Alice Springs. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alice Springs pays 1% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $83.0 in Melbourne vs $83.0 in Alice Springs. Groceries flip the comparison at $388 vs $365, with Alice Springs cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Alice Springs

🕒 Local time

12:46 12:46 PM

11:16 11:16 AM

1 h 30 min behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

24,855

💱 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

Melbourne Alice Springs 1,890 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Alice Springs

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 Alice Springs: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alice Springs wins on cost – living expenses run 59% lower than in Melbourne. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Alice Springs the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 1% lower in Alice Springs. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,763 in Melbourne versus $1,405 in Alice Springs. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Alice Springs – a meal for two runs $83.0 versus $83.0 in Melbourne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,798 in Alice Springs versus $2,853 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Alice Springs but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Alice Springs the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Alice Springs 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 Alice Springs gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.