Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Ashburton

For one person, living is cheaper in Ashburton: $1,806 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 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
92

Cost of Living Index in Ashburton
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Ashburton Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Ashburton

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Ashburton

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $1,806 in Ashburton, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Ashburton $1,806

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $2,897 in Ashburton, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Ashburton $2,897

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $3,987 in Ashburton, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Ashburton $3,987

Melbourne costs about 56% more than Ashburton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Melbourne and Ashburton sit above the global median – Melbourne by 109%, Ashburton by 34%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$13.93 NZ$24.63

25.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$67.8 NZ$120

24.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$8.85 NZ$15.65

40.79%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$3.26 NZ$5.77

26.07%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$2.32 NZ$4.10

31.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$1.81 NZ$3.21

39.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$6.89 NZ$12.19

42.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$6.77 NZ$11.97

26.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.67 NZ$2.95

-11.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.88 NZ$3.32

56.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.50 NZ$2.64

77.33%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$5.80 NZ$10.26

-4.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$7.48 NZ$13.23

40.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$9.35 NZ$16.53

3.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$13.55 NZ$23.96

12.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.46 NZ$4.35

62.20%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.98 NZ$3.51

52.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.73 NZ$4.82

13.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$3.04 NZ$5.37

58.55%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.50 NZ$2.65

102.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.46 NZ$2.59

67.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$2.17 NZ$3.83

13.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$1.32 NZ$2.33

23.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$24.15 NZ$42.70

82.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$8.45 NZ$14.94

50.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$3.52 NZ$6.23

57.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$4.26 NZ$7.53

22.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$1.62 NZ$2.86

130.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$74.4 NZ$132

84.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$2.48 NZ$4.38

81.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$1.66 NZ$2.93

-18.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$27.91 NZ$49.35

9.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.93 NZ$3.41

-23.83%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$24.7K NZ$43.7K

17.35%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$23.9K NZ$42.3K

10.70%

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

$234 A$336

$156 NZ$276

49.99%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$22.75 NZ$40.23

22.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$44.32 NZ$78.4

25.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$40.15 NZ$71.0

23.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$11.12 NZ$19.66

35.70%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$659 NZ$1,165

260.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$21.9K NZ$38.8K

37.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$57.9 NZ$102

38.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$39.80 NZ$70.4

27.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$99.6 NZ$176

21.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$121 NZ$214

7.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$1,013 NZ$1,792

73.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$745 NZ$1,317

86.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,417 NZ$2,506

146.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$1,600 NZ$2,830

55.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$4,546 NZ$8,039

52.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$3,098 NZ$5,479

108.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.91

-0.17%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ashburton: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Ashburton

$745 41.2% 46.4% $645

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Ashburton

$300 16.6% 21.9% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Ashburton

$223 12.3% 29.8% $94

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Ashburton

$242 13.4% 23.2% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Ashburton

$143 7.9% 16.6% $28

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Ashburton

$92 5.1% 44% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Ashburton

$62 3.5% 21.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in Melbourne versus $1,013 in Ashburton. 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 $85.0 in Melbourne versus $68.0 in Ashburton. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $300 – making Ashburton the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇳🇿 Ashburton

🕒 Local time

12:34 12:34 PM

14:34 2:34 PM

2 h ahead of Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

20,500

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Ashburton 2,340 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Ashburton

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 Ashburton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne, $1,806 in Ashburton – roughly 56% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,231 per month in Melbourne and $2,710 in Ashburton. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 28% more in Melbourne, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Melbourne and $68.0 in Ashburton. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Ashburton, where all-in costs run around $1,806, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Ashburton it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ashburton – 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 Ashburton. 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.