Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Barrie

For one person, living is cheaper in Barrie: $2,524 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Other living expenses 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 Barrie
Learn more

Barrie Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Barrie

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,524

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Barrie

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $2,524 in Barrie.

Melbourne $2,849
Barrie $2,524

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $3,461 in Barrie.

Melbourne $4,274
Barrie $3,461

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $4,399 in Barrie.

Melbourne $5,699
Barrie $4,399

Living in Melbourne is roughly 13% more expensive than in Barrie, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Barrie 85% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.87

$14.47 CA$20.22

20.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$56.1 CA$78.4

50.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.30

$11.27 CA$15.75

7.99%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.79

$3.75 CA$5.24

8.53%

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

$3.18 A$4.52

$1.91 CA$2.67

66.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.55

$1.44 CA$2.01

73.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.60

$4.92 CA$6.87

94.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.73

$5.62 CA$7.85

46.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.14

$2.08 CA$2.90

-27.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.22

$2.45 CA$3.43

21.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.81

$2.69 CA$3.76

-0.37%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.75

$3.12 CA$4.36

74.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.23

$10.00 CA$13.97

7.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.28

$14.19 CA$19.83

-29.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.32

$22.64 CA$31.64

-33.75%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.78

$3.98 CA$5.56

2.26%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.46

$1.19 CA$1.66

163.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.43

$3.18 CA$4.44

-1.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.73

$3.86 CA$5.39

22.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.24

$1.11 CA$1.56

168.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.55

$1.37 CA$1.91

81.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.53

$2.09 CA$2.92

18.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.27

$1.63 CA$2.27

-1.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.5

$11.46 CA$16.02

289.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.02

$10.20 CA$14.26

24.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.88

$2.53 CA$3.53

119.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.37

$2.16 CA$3.02

139.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.45

$2.45 CA$3.42

56.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$197

$63.6 CA$88.9

117.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.19

$3.64 CA$5.09

19.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$1.05 CA$1.46

30.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.25

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.11

$1.14 CA$1.59

30.70%

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

$29.1K A$41.3K

$26.0K CA$36.3K

11.86%

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

$25.7K A$36.5K

$23.0K CA$32.1K

11.64%

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

$236 A$335

$234 CA$327

0.74%

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

$28.01 A$39.82

$35.10 CA$49.04

-20.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.4

$77.8 CA$109

-26.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.8

$30.88 CA$43.16

56.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.51

$35.49 CA$49.59

-39.53%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.11

$12.70 CA$17.74

39.13%

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

$2,461 A$3,498

$1,434 CA$2,004

71.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$115

$63.0 CA$88.0

28.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.0

$45.09 CA$63.0

9.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$170

$150 CA$210

-20.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$85.8 CA$120

52.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,420

$1,459 CA$2,039

16.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,002

$1,272 CA$1,777

10.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,969

$2,034 CA$2,842

71.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,591

$1,731 CA$2,419

45.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

$5,201 CA$7,268

53.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,808

$4,101 CA$5,731

68.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,051

$3,071 CA$4,291

38.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

4.68

26.07%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Last update for Barrie: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Barrie

$1.3K 50.4% 9.7% $137

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Barrie

$368 14.6% 4.8% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Barrie

$347 13.7% 8.1% $26

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Barrie

$244 9.7% 22% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Barrie

$155 6.1% 9.6% $17

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Barrie

$82 3.3% 50.2% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Barrie

$56 2.2% 32.8% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $1,459 in Barrie. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 39% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $56 in Barrie for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $386 vs $368 per month, with Barrie cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇦 Barrie

🕒 Local time

00:59 12:59 AM

08:59 8:59 AM

16 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

141,434

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Barrie 16,250 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Barrie

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 Barrie: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,849 in Melbourne and $2,524 in Barrie, so Barrie is about 11% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 39% 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 $1,459 in Barrie. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Barrie runs roughly 54% less than in Melbourne. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $2,461 in Melbourne versus $1,434 in Barrie. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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.

Expats usually find Barrie gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.