Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Artem

For one person, living is cheaper in Artem: $1,095 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $21,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Artem
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Artem Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Artem

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,095

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Artem

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,852 in Melbourne versus $1,095 in Artem.

Melbourne $2,852
Artem $1,095

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,297 in Melbourne versus $1,729 in Artem.

Melbourne $4,297
Artem $1,729

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,742 in Melbourne versus $2,362 in Artem.

Melbourne $5,742
Artem $2,362

Living in Melbourne is roughly 160% more expensive than in Artem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 113% above, Artem is 18% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.75 A$25.40

$11.95 ₽1,017

48.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.8 A$121

$35.43 ₽3,015

139.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 A$17.40

$6.30 ₽536

93.02%

Cappuccino

$3.93 A$5.62

$3.02 ₽257

30.13%

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

$3.14 A$4.49

$1.04 ₽88.6

201.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.47

$0.69 ₽58.5

252.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.90 A$14.17

$1.45 ₽123

582.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.29 A$11.86

$2.30 ₽196

260.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.21

$1.68 ₽143

-7.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 A$4.31

$0.66 ₽56.0

356.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.12

$1.61 ₽137

78.88%

Eggs

$5.44 A$7.79

$2.34 ₽199

132.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.59 A$15.16

$13.16 ₽1,120

-19.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 A$13.76

$6.23 ₽530

54.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.99 A$21.46

$11.07 ₽942

35.41%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 A$5.94

$2.90 ₽247

43.10%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.37

$2.08 ₽177

46.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 A$4.72

$2.69 ₽229

22.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.81

$4.12 ₽351

15.53%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.34

$0.98 ₽83.3

210.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.65

$1.03 ₽87.7

147.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.55

$1.29 ₽110

92.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.33

$1.05 ₽89.3

55.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.1

$2.91 ₽248

1414.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.43 A$17.79

$7.61 ₽648

63.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.33 A$7.63

$1.16 ₽98.6

359.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.38

$2.30 ₽196

124.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.50

$0.56 ₽47.30

585.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$203

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 A$6.29

$2.40 ₽204

83.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.34 ₽29.07

311.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.83 A$42.69

$5.89 ₽501

406.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 A$2.09

$0.86 ₽72.8

69.77%

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

$28.1K A$40.3K

$44.8K ₽3.8M

-37.23%

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

$25.9K A$37.1K

$35.2K ₽3.0M

-26.30%

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

$233 A$333

$153 ₽13.0K

52.00%

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

$27.28 A$39.04

$8.22 ₽699

231.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$81.6

$9.21 ₽784

519.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 A$75.4

$37.85 ₽3,221

39.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.62 A$32.37

$20.31 ₽1,728

11.37%

Cinema Ticket

$17.10 A$24.48

$5.34 ₽454

220.22%

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

$2,373 A$3,397

$348 ₽29.6K

583.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K A$43.6K

$6,051 ₽514.9K

403.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.2 A$112

$78.1 ₽6,643

0.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 A$72.2

$51.6 ₽4,389

-2.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$172

$97.2 ₽8,270

24.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$191

$125 ₽10.6K

6.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 A$2,451

$387 ₽32.9K

342.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 A$2,006

$312 ₽26.5K

349.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,339 A$4,778

$983 ₽83.7K

239.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 A$3,619

$629 ₽53.5K

302.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,018 A$10.0K

$2,160 ₽183.8K

224.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,767 A$9,685

$1,297 ₽110.3K

421.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,228 A$6,051

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

23.6

-75.00%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Last update for Artem: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Artem

$312 28% 77.8% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$385 13.5%

Artem

$250 22.4% 35.2% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.1%

Artem

$170 15.3% 46.2% $146

Eating Out

Melbourne

$314 11%

Artem

$170 15.2% 46% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Artem

$158 14.2% 8% $14

Getting Around

Melbourne

$168 5.9%

Artem

$6.3 * 0.6% 96.2% $162

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$87 3.1%

Artem

$49 4.4% 44.1% $38

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,713 in Melbourne and $387 in Artem. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $35.00 in Artem for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $250 per month, with Artem cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇷🇺 Artem

🕒 Local time

19:11 7:11 PM

18:11 6:11 PM

1 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

104,926

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

100 RUB = 1.18 USD

100 RUB = 1.05 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 85.09 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.44 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Artem 9,120 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Artem

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 Artem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Artem wins on cost – living expenses run 160% lower than in Melbourne. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Artem the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $4,277 in Melbourne and $1,643 in Artem 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: $1,713 in Melbourne versus $387 in Artem. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,373 in Melbourne versus $348 in Artem. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Artem – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $85.0 in Melbourne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,095 in Artem versus $2,852 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Artem but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Artem 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 Artem 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 Artem gentler on the wallet – expenses run 160% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.