Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Bardwell Park, NSW

For one person, living is cheaper in Bardwell Park, NSW: $2,500 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 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
122

Cost of Living Index in Bardwell Park, NSW
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Bardwell Park, NSW Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Bardwell Park, NSW

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,500

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Bardwell Park, NSW

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 Bardwell Park, NSW actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $2,500 in Bardwell Park, NSW.

Melbourne $2,849
Bardwell Park, NSW $2,500

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $3,594 in Bardwell Park, NSW.

Melbourne $4,274
Bardwell Park, NSW $3,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $4,688 in Bardwell Park, NSW.

Melbourne $5,699
Bardwell Park, NSW $4,688

Living in Melbourne is roughly 14% more expensive than in Bardwell Park, NSW, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Bardwell Park, NSW 84% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.79

$17.22 A$24.39

1.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$119

$82.6 A$117

2.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.24

$10.64 A$15.07

14.38%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.77

$3.91 A$5.54

4.09%

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

$3.18 A$4.50

$2.94 A$4.16

8.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.54

$2.32 A$3.29

7.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.56

$7.49 A$10.61

27.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.69

$7.72 A$10.93

6.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.13

$1.58 A$2.23

-5.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.21

$2.67 A$3.79

11.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.80

$2.30 A$3.25

16.52%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.73

$5.08 A$7.20

7.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.18

$9.43 A$13.36

13.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.24

$9.18 A$13.01

9.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.25

$14.66 A$20.77

2.32%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.76

$3.72 A$5.27

9.41%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.44

$2.99 A$4.23

5.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.42

$3.27 A$4.63

-4.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.70

$4.62 A$6.55

2.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.22

$2.77 A$3.93

7.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.53

$2.37 A$3.36

5.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.52

$2.32 A$3.28

6.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.27

$1.54 A$2.19

3.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.3

$41.41 A$58.7

7.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$17.96

$14.28 A$20.23

-11.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.86

$4.59 A$6.50

20.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.35

$5.36 A$7.60

-3.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.44

$2.71 A$3.84

41.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$196

$88.5 A$125

56.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.17

$3.53 A$5.01

23.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$1.59 A$2.26

-13.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.11

$40.76 A$57.8

-27.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.10

$1.33 A$1.88

12.03%

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

$29.1K A$41.2K

$29.0K A$41.1K

0.19%

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

$25.7K A$36.4K

$26.3K A$37.2K

-2.29%

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

$236 A$334

$188 A$266

25.69%

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

$28.01 A$39.68

$27.38 A$38.79

2.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.1

$57.9 A$82.0

-1.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.6

$55.5 A$78.7

-12.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.41

$17.68 A$25.04

21.38%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.03

$13.82 A$19.58

27.86%

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

$2,461 A$3,486

$2,172 A$3,077

13.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.1K

$20.8K A$29.4K

43.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$115

$76.1 A$108

6.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$69.8

$54.2 A$76.8

-9.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$169

$110 A$155

8.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$124 A$176

5.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,412

$1,400 A$1,983

21.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$1,996

$1,212 A$1,717

16.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,952

$2,256 A$3,196

54.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,579

$1,789 A$2,535

41.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

$5,938 A$8,412

34.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,775

$5,025 A$7,118

37.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,030

$5,686 A$8,055

-25.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bardwell Park, NSW: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Bardwell Park, NSW

$1.2K 48.5% 13.9% $196

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Bardwell Park, NSW

$366 14.6% 5.3% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Bardwell Park, NSW

$273 10.9% 15% $48

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Bardwell Park, NSW

$291 11.6% 7% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Bardwell Park, NSW

$164 6.6% 4.4% $7.5

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Bardwell Park, NSW

$111 4.4% 33% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Bardwell Park, NSW

$83 3.3% 0.6% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $1,400 in Bardwell Park, NSW. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bardwell Park, NSW pays 34% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $83 in Bardwell Park, NSW for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $386 vs $366 per month, with Bardwell Park, NSW cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Bardwell Park, NSW

🕒 Local time

12:56 12:56 PM

Same time as Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

2,209

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.634 EUR

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.634 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Melbourne Bardwell Park, NSW 700 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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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 Bardwell Park, NSW: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bardwell Park, NSW wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Melbourne. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bardwell Park, NSW the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Melbourne. 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: $1,703 in Melbourne versus $1,400 in Bardwell Park, NSW. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,461 in Melbourne versus $2,172 in Bardwell Park, NSW. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Bardwell Park, NSW runs roughly 36% less than in Melbourne. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Bardwell Park, NSW 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 Bardwell Park, NSW are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.