Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Ashkelon

For one person, living is cheaper in Ashkelon: $2,394 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Melbourne outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Ashkelon
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Ashkelon Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Ashkelon

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,394

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Ashkelon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $2,394 in Ashkelon.

Melbourne $2,821
Ashkelon $2,394

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $3,551 in Ashkelon.

Melbourne $4,235
Ashkelon $3,551

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $4,708 in Ashkelon.

Melbourne $5,650
Ashkelon $4,708

Living in Melbourne is roughly 18% more expensive than in Ashkelon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Ashkelon 77% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$23.07 ₪71.8

-24.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$81.0 ₪252

4.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$17.60 ₪54.8

-29.20%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$4.58 ₪14.25

-10.26%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$3.26 ₪10.15

-6.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$2.80 ₪8.71

-10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$12.10 ₪37.63

-19.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$7.69 ₪23.93

11.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$2.35 ₪7.32

-37.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$2.68 ₪8.34

9.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$3.01 ₪9.35

-11.63%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$4.57 ₪14.21

21.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$21.56 ₪67.1

-51.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$12.94 ₪40.26

-25.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$25.38 ₪79.0

-40.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$4.13 ₪12.86

-3.39%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$3.18 ₪9.91

-5.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.27 ₪7.05

36.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$3.22 ₪10.03

49.69%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.60 ₪4.99

89.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.99 ₪6.20

22.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$2.66 ₪8.27

-7.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.94 ₪2.93

73.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$13.77 ₪42.84

220.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$11.65 ₪36.23

9.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.58 ₪8.02

114.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.97 ₪6.12

165.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$2.53 ₪7.88

47.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$44.33 ₪138

210.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$11.17 ₪34.76

-59.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$1.67 ₪5.20

-18.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$39.23 ₪122

-22.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$2.64 ₪8.20

-44.32%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$57.8K ₪179.8K

-49.81%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$56.8K ₪176.7K

-53.40%

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

$234 A$336

$214 ₪667

9.07%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$11.73 ₪36.49

138.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$41.41 ₪129

34.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$45.93 ₪143

7.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$32.25 ₪100

-33.40%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$16.56 ₪51.5

-8.88%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$1,220 ₪3,797

94.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$107 ₪334

-25.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$75.6 ₪235

-32.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$113 ₪352

6.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$146 ₪453

-10.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$1,144 ₪3,560

53.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$961 ₪2,989

44.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,798 ₪5,595

94.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$1,470 ₪4,575

69.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$5,741 ₪17.9K

20.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$5,602 ₪17.4K

15.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$2,977 ₪9,263

47.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

4.98

18.47%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ashkelon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Ashkelon

$961 40.1% 30.9% $429

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Ashkelon

$422 17.6% 9.9% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Ashkelon

$267 11.2% 15.7% $50

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Ashkelon

$392 16.4% 24.8% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Ashkelon

$199 8.3% 15.6% $27

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Ashkelon

$74 3.1% 54.8% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Ashkelon

$79 3.3% 0.7% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $1,144 in Ashkelon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 47% 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: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $81.0 in Ashkelon. Groceries flip the comparison at $384 vs $422, with Melbourne cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇮🇱 Ashkelon

🕒 Local time

15:15 3:15 PM

07:15 7:15 AM

8 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

152,439

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 ILS = 0.321 USD

1 ILS = 0.286 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ILS, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.11 ILS (1 ILS = 0.321 USD). 1 EUR = 3.5 ILS (1 ILS = 0.286 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Ashkelon 13,760 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Ashkelon

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 Ashkelon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ashkelon wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Melbourne. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ashkelon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 47% 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: $1,759 in Melbourne versus $1,144 in Ashkelon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Ashkelon – a meal for two runs $81.0 versus $85.0 in Melbourne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,821 per month in Melbourne versus $2,394 in Ashkelon – a 18% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,394 in Ashkelon versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ashkelon but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Ashkelon 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 Ashkelon 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 Ashkelon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.