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

😐 Solo nomad: Melbourne is 7.9% more expensive than Ballarat without rent, and 47.7% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Melbourne is 4.2% more expensive than Ballarat without rent, and 26.5% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.40 A$26.96

$14.02 A$19.49

38.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.5 A$106

$63.8 A$88.7

19.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.99 A$13.89

$9.62 A$13.37

3.85%

Cappuccino

$3.71 A$5.16

$3.49 A$4.85

6.30%

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

$2.59 A$3.60

$2.50 A$3.47

3.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 A$3.33

$2.03 A$2.82

18.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.13 A$9.92

$6.14 A$8.54

16.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.21 A$10.02

$6.76 A$9.40

6.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 A$2.03

$1.51 A$2.10

-3.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 A$3.63

$2.49 A$3.47

4.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.29 A$3.18

$1.59 A$2.22

44.03%

Eggs

$4.79 A$6.66

$4.11 A$5.71

16.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.13 A$12.69

$8.93 A$12.42

2.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 A$12.59

$9.14 A$12.71

-0.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.98 A$20.82

$14.53 A$20.20

3.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.27 A$4.54

$3.21 A$4.46

1.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.87 A$3.99

$2.80 A$3.89

2.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 A$3.96

$2.76 A$3.84

3.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 A$5.48

$3.86 A$5.36

2.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.73

$2.72 A$3.78

-1.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 A$3.25

$2.31 A$3.21

1.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 A$3.09

$2.20 A$3.06

0.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 A$2.30

$1.04 A$1.44

58.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$32.72 A$45.48

$30.62 A$42.56

6.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.40 A$20.01

$13.99 A$19.44

2.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.52 A$6.29

$2.18 A$3.03

107.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.27 A$7.33

$2.99 A$4.16

76.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.63 A$5.05

$1.73 A$2.40

109.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$119 A$165

$64.8 A$90.1

82.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 A$4.84

$2.38 A$3.31

46.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 A$1.92

$1.17 A$1.62

17.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.42 A$38.12

$24.48 A$34.02

12.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 A$1.64

$1.16 A$1.61

1.72%

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

$28.4K A$39.5K

$27.5K A$38.2K

3.38%

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

$23.2K A$32.3K

$23.3K A$32.4K

-0.19%

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

$149 A$207

$150 A$209

-0.98%

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

$20.91 A$29.06

$21.39 A$29.73

-2.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.2 A$71.2

$51.7 A$71.9

-0.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.92 A$68.0

$32.69 A$45.45

49.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.03 A$22.29

$15.68 A$21.79

2.23%

Cinema Ticket

$16.18 A$22.49

$10.87 A$15.12

48.85%

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

$1,733 A$2,409

$322 A$448

438.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.0K A$26.4K

$19.4K A$27.0K

-2.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.3 A$96.3

$64.1 A$89.1

8.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 A$75.5

$52.4 A$72.8

3.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 A$145

$85.6 A$119

21.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 A$143

$92.0 A$128

11.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,571 A$2,183

$862 A$1,197

82.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 A$1,647

$623 A$866

90.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,055 A$4,247

$1,984 A$2,758

54.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,946 A$2,704

$1,371 A$1,906

41.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,396 A$10.3K

$4,815 A$6,692

53.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,684 A$9,291

$3,550 A$4,934

88.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,242 A$5,897

$3,310 A$4,601

28.16%

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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Ballarat: April 13, 2026

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

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