Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Austin, TX: $2,704 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 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
129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Austin, TX

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,852 in Melbourne versus $2,704 in Austin, TX.

Melbourne $2,852
Austin, TX $2,704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,297 in Melbourne versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Melbourne $4,297
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,742 in Melbourne versus $5,562 in Austin, TX.

Melbourne $5,742
Austin, TX $5,562

Living in Melbourne is roughly 5% more expensive than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 113% above, Austin, TX 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.75 A$25.40

$20.22 $20.22

-12.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.8 A$121

$85.0 $85.0

-0.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 A$17.40

$12.35 $12.35

-1.54%

Cappuccino

$3.93 A$5.62

$5.47 $5.47

-28.15%

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

$3.14 A$4.49

$3.82 $3.82

-17.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.47

$2.50 $2.50

-2.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.90 A$14.17

$8.06 $8.06

22.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.29 A$11.86

$8.99 $8.99

-7.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.21

$1.13 $1.13

37.17%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 A$4.31

$3.78 $3.78

-20.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.12

$3.25 $3.25

-11.38%

Eggs

$5.44 A$7.79

$4.14 $4.14

31.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.59 A$15.16

$13.08 $13.08

-19.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 A$13.76

$14.31 $14.31

-32.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.99 A$21.46

$15.96 $15.96

-6.08%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 A$5.94

$4.38 $4.38

-5.25%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.37

$1.45 $1.45

110.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 A$4.72

$4.54 $4.54

-27.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.81

$4.19 $4.19

13.60%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.34

$2.63 $2.63

15.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.65

$2.36 $2.36

8.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.55

$1.76 $1.76

40.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.33

$2.16 $2.16

-24.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.1

$9.81 $9.81

349.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.43 A$17.79

$14.72 $14.72

-15.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.33 A$7.63

$2.78 $2.78

91.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.38

$3.48 $3.48

48.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.50

$1.49 $1.49

157.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$203

$40.51 $40.51

249.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 A$6.29

$2.67 $2.67

64.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.58 $1.58

-11.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.83 A$42.69

$35.29 $35.29

-15.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 A$2.09

$0.99 $0.99

47.47%

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

$28.1K A$40.3K

$35.8K $35.8K

-21.38%

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

$25.9K A$37.1K

$27.2K $27.2K

-4.53%

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

$233 A$333

$219 $219

6.10%

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

$27.28 A$39.04

$58.0 $58.0

-52.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$81.6

$68.4 $68.4

-16.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 A$75.4

$57.9 $57.9

-9.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.62 A$32.37

$14.82 $14.82

52.63%

Cinema Ticket

$17.10 A$24.48

$14.13 $14.13

21.02%

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

$2,373 A$3,397

$1,509 $1,509

57.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K A$43.6K

$21.5K $21.5K

41.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.2 A$112

$51.7 $51.7

51.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 A$72.2

$44.05 $44.05

14.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$172

$85.1 $85.1

41.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$191

$105 $105

26.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 A$2,451

$1,932 $1,932

-11.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 A$2,006

$1,272 $1,272

10.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,339 A$4,778

$3,670 $3,670

-9.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 A$3,619

$2,525 $2,525

0.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,018 A$10.0K

$7,617 $7,617

-7.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,767 A$9,685

$3,199 $3,199

111.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,228 A$6,051

$5,105 $5,105

-17.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

6.79

-13.11%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2% 9.2% $129

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$385 13.5%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 4.6% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.1%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 9% $29

Eating Out

Melbourne

$314 11%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 10.9% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 25.2% $43

Getting Around

Melbourne

$168 5.9%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 66.1% $111

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$87 3.1%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 0.8% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,713 in Melbourne and $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 21% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $403 per month, with Melbourne cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

17:23 5:23 PM

01:23 1:23 AM

16 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

974,447

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Austin, TX 14,280 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Austin, TX

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 Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Austin, TX wins on cost – living expenses run 5% lower than in Melbourne. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Austin, TX the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 21% lower in Austin, TX. 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: $1,713 in Melbourne versus $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,852 per month in Melbourne versus $2,704 in Austin, TX – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Austin, TX runs roughly 249% less than in Melbourne. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Austin, TX 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 Austin, TX 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 Austin, TX gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.