Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Ballarat Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Ballarat

😐 Solo nomad: Melbourne is 10.9% more expensive than Ballarat without rent, and 41% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Melbourne is 25.8% more expensive than Ballarat without rent, and 28.7% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.2 A$29.41

$14.19 A$21.74

35.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.6 A$120

$63.8 A$97.7

23.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 A$15.35

$10.03 A$15.37

-0.10%

Cappuccino

$3.67 A$5.62

$3.63 A$5.57

1.10%

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

$2.54 A$3.89

$2.61 A$4

-2.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 A$3.49

$2.11 A$3.24

8.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.28 A$11.15

$6 A$9.19

21.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.3 A$11.18

$6.84 A$10.48

6.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 A$2.2

$1.45 A$2.22

-0.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 A$4.02

$2.61 A$3.99

0.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.27 A$3.48

$1.53 A$2.35

48.37%

Eggs

$4.86 A$7.45

$4.18 A$6.4

16.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.74 A$13.39

$9.08 A$13.9

-3.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 A$14.07

$9.13 A$13.99

0.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.95 A$22.9

$14.85 A$22.75

0.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.33 A$5.1

$3.27 A$5.01

1.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.84 A$4.35

$2.8 A$4.28

1.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$3 A$4.6

$2.85 A$4.37

5.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 A$6.05

$3.72 A$5.7

6.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.67 A$4.09

$2.79 A$4.27

-4.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 A$3.58

$2.27 A$3.48

3.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.15 A$3.3

$2.2 A$3.37

-2.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 A$2.5

$1 A$1.53

64.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$32.11 A$49.19

$30.81 A$47.21

4.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.13 A$20.11

$13.4 A$20.52

-2.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.54 A$6.96

$2.13 A$3.26

113.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.05 A$7.74

$2.86 A$4.38

76.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.67 A$5.62

$1.7 A$2.61

115.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$118 A$180

$65.7 A$101

79.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.65 A$5.6

$2.35 A$3.61

55.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 A$2.05

$1.16 A$1.77

15.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.26 A$41.77

$25.06 A$38.39

8.78%

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

$27.8K A$42.6K

3.07%

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

$23.5K A$36K

$22.9K A$35.1K

2.52%

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

$150 A$230

$149 A$228

0.89%

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

$20.8 A$31.86

$21.35 A$32.71

-2.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51 A$78.2

$49.96 A$76.5

2.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.23 A$73.9

$31.61 A$48.43

52.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.91 A$24.38

$15.54 A$23.8

2.38%

Cinema Ticket

$16.53 A$25.32

$11.21 A$17.18

47.46%

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

$1,730 A$2,651

$327 A$501

429.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.1K A$29.3K

0.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 A$104

$64.6 A$98.9

5.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.7 A$82.2

$53 A$81.3

1.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 A$165

$86.8 A$133

23.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 A$162

$92.6 A$142

14.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,548 A$2,371

$839 A$1,285

84.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,228 A$1,881

$620 A$949

98.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,973 A$4,555

$2,007 A$3,075

48.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,956 A$2,997

$1,389 A$2,128

40.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,110 A$10.9K

$4,443 A$6,807

60.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,790 A$8,871

$3,312 A$5,074

74.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,045 A$6,198

$3,169 A$4,855

27.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.19

6.07

1.98%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 28, 2025

Last update for Ballarat: October 27, 2025

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