Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Balga

For one person, living is cheaper in Balga: $2,762 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 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
126

Cost of Living Index in Balga
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Balga Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Balga

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,762

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Balga

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $2,762 in Balga.

Melbourne $2,849
Balga $2,762

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $3,828 in Balga.

Melbourne $4,274
Balga $3,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $4,893 in Balga.

Melbourne $5,699
Balga $4,893

Living in Melbourne is roughly 3% more expensive than in Balga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Balga 103% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.88

$20.97 A$29.81

-16.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$83.2 A$118

1.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.30

$11.13 A$15.83

9.34%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.79

$4.62 A$6.57

-11.90%

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

$3.18 A$4.52

$2.80 A$3.98

13.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.55

$2.30 A$3.27

8.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.61

$8.39 A$11.93

14.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.73

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.14

$1.74 A$2.47

-13.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.22

$3.14 A$4.47

-5.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.82

$1.97 A$2.80

36.04%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.75

$5.09 A$7.24

7.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.23

$9.27 A$13.17

15.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.29

$9.46 A$13.45

6.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.33

$13.74 A$19.53

9.17%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.78

$4.56 A$6.49

-10.75%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.46

$3.21 A$4.56

-2.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.43

$3.56 A$5.07

-12.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.73

$4.85 A$6.89

-2.47%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.24

$2.85 A$4.05

4.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.55

$1.93 A$2.74

29.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.53

$2.26 A$3.22

9.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.27

$1.34 A$1.90

19.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.5

$42.17 A$60.0

5.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.03

$12.46 A$17.71

1.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.88

$4.35 A$6.19

27.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.37

$3.52 A$5.00

47.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.46

$2.67 A$3.80

43.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$197

$78.5 A$112

76.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.20

$3.61 A$5.14

20.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$1.39 A$1.98

-1.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.26

$41.13 A$58.5

-27.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.11

$1.35 A$1.92

10.37%

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

$29.1K A$41.4K

$29.9K A$42.5K

-2.76%

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

$25.7K A$36.5K

$27.8K A$39.6K

-7.83%

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

$236 A$335

$207 A$294

14.10%

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

$28.01 A$39.83

$33.27 A$47.30

-15.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.4

$63.5 A$90.3

-9.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.8

$62.6 A$89.0

-22.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.52

$19.26 A$27.39

11.42%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.12

$17.26 A$24.54

2.38%

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

$2,461 A$3,499

$2,271 A$3,228

8.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.2K

$23.7K A$33.8K

25.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$115

$78.3 A$111

3.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.1

$63.5 A$90.2

-22.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$170

$123 A$175

-3.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$165 A$234

-20.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,421

$1,467 A$2,086

16.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,003

$1,368 A$1,945

2.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,970

$2,000 A$2,843

74.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,592

$1,781 A$2,532

41.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

$6,422 A$9,130

24.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,811

$4,389 A$6,240

57.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,053

$3,358 A$4,775

26.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.96

-1.01%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Last update for Balga: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Balga

$1.4K 49.5% 2.9% $41

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Balga

$365 13.2% 5.5% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Balga

$303 11% 5.5% $18

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Balga

$335 12.1% 7.4% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Balga

$193 7% 12.8% $22

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Balga

$100 3.6% 39.6% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Balga

$97 3.5% 16% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $1,467 in Balga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 27% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $83 in Balga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $386 vs $365 per month, with Balga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Balga

🕒 Local time

23:41 11:41 PM

20:41 8:41 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

12,685

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Melbourne Balga 2,730 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Balga

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 Balga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,849 in Melbourne and $2,762 in Balga, so Balga is about 3% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 27% 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: $1,703 in Melbourne versus $1,467 in Balga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,461 in Melbourne versus $2,271 in Balga. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Balga runs roughly 43% less than in Melbourne. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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 Balga are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Balga wins on affordability, Melbourne on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.