Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Balga Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Balga

😐 Solo nomad: Melbourne is 22.9% more expensive than Balga without rent, and 7.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Melbourne is 19.3% more expensive than Balga without rent, and 8.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Melbourne
Balga
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.2 A$29.41
$16.31 A$24.98
17.72%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$78.6 A$120
$76.8 A$118
2.33%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.02 A$15.35
$10.49 A$16.08
-4.48%
Cappuccino
$3.67 A$5.62
$3.58 A$5.48
2.51%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.54 A$3.89
$2.5 A$3.82
1.60%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.28 A$3.49
$1.93 A$2.95
18.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.28 A$11.15
$7.98 A$12.22
-8.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.3 A$11.18
$6.53 A$10.01
11.79%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Melbourne
Balga
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.44 A$2.2
$1.39 A$2.13
3.60%
White Bread (500g)
$2.63 A$4.02
$2.33 A$3.58
12.88%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.27 A$3.48
$1.94 A$2.98
17.01%
Eggs
$4.86 A$7.45
$4.61 A$7.06
5.42%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.74 A$13.39
$8.49 A$13.01
2.94%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.19 A$14.07
$8.56 A$13.11
7.36%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.95 A$22.9
$13.99 A$21.43
6.86%
Apples (1kg)
$3.33 A$5.1
$3.39 A$5.2
-1.77%
Banana (1kg)
$2.84 A$4.35
$3.04 A$4.66
-6.58%
Oranges (1kg)
$3 A$4.6
$2.92 A$4.47
2.74%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.95 A$6.05
$4.56 A$6.99
-13.38%
Potato (1kg)
$2.67 A$4.09
$2.46 A$3.77
8.54%
Onion (1kg)
$2.34 A$3.58
$1.78 A$2.72
31.46%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.15 A$3.3
$1.98 A$3.03
8.59%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.64 A$2.5
$1.49 A$2.28
10.07%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$32.11 A$49.19
$32.17 A$49.29
-0.19%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.13 A$20.11
$10.06 A$15.41
30.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.54 A$6.96
$3.81 A$5.84
19.16%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.05 A$7.74
$4.22 A$6.47
19.67%
🚌 Getting Around
Melbourne
Balga
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.67 A$5.62
$2.58 A$3.95
42.25%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$118 A$180
$64.6 A$99
82.28%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.65 A$5.6
$4.07 A$6.23
-10.32%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.34 A$2.05
$2.19 A$3.35
-38.81%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$27.26 A$41.77
$50.3 A$77.1
-45.85%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.19 A$1.82
$1.12 A$1.71
6.25%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.6K A$43.9K
$28.5K A$43.6K
0.53%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K A$36K
$24.8K A$37.9K
-5.08%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Melbourne
Balga
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$150 A$230
$157 A$241
-4.49%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.8 A$31.86
$27.88 A$42.72
-25.39%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$51 A$78.2
$55.8 A$85.5
-8.51%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Melbourne
Balga
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.23 A$73.9
$49.63 A$76
-2.82%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.91 A$24.38
$15.6 A$23.9
1.99%
Cinema Ticket
$16.53 A$25.32
$16.42 A$25.16
0.67%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Melbourne
Balga
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,730 A$2,651
$1,806 A$2,767
-4.20%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$19.1K A$29.3K
$11.9K A$18.2K
60.84%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Melbourne
Balga
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$67.8 A$104
$69.1 A$106
-1.80%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.7 A$82.2
$47.25 A$72.4
13.59%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 A$165
$101 A$154
6.83%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$106 A$162
$107 A$163
-0.46%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Melbourne
Balga
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,548 A$2,371
$1,240 A$1,899
24.86%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,228 A$1,881
$1,085 A$1,663
13.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,973 A$4,555
$1,983 A$3,037
49.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,956 A$2,997
$1,687 A$2,585
15.93%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,110 A$10.9K
$4,994 A$7,650
42.37%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,790 A$8,871
$4,597 A$7,043
25.95%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Melbourne
Balga
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,045 A$6,198
$3,102 A$4,752
30.42%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.19
6.42
-3.58%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 28, 2025

Last update for Balga: October 28, 2025

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.