Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Bendigo Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Bendigo

😐 Solo nomad: Melbourne is 7.9% more expensive than Bendigo without rent, and 46% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Melbourne is 1.7% cheaper than Bendigo without rent, and 48.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Melbourne
Bendigo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.2 A$29.41
$19.84 A$30.39
-3.23%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$78.6 A$120
$59 A$90.3
33.24%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.02 A$15.35
$9.54 A$14.62
5.03%
Cappuccino
$3.67 A$5.62
$3.54 A$5.43
3.67%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.54 A$3.89
$2.5 A$3.83
1.60%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.28 A$3.49
$2.23 A$3.41
2.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.28 A$11.15
$7.16 A$10.97
1.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.3 A$11.18
$4.54 A$6.95
60.79%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Melbourne
Bendigo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.44 A$2.2
$1.06 A$1.63
35.85%
White Bread (500g)
$2.63 A$4.02
$2.57 A$3.94
2.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.27 A$3.48
$2.35 A$3.59
-3.40%
Eggs
$4.86 A$7.45
$4.2 A$6.44
15.71%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.74 A$13.39
$8.86 A$13.57
-1.35%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.19 A$14.07
$8.9 A$13.63
3.26%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.95 A$22.9
$14.68 A$22.48
1.84%
Apples (1kg)
$3.33 A$5.1
$3.22 A$4.94
3.42%
Banana (1kg)
$2.84 A$4.35
$2.82 A$4.32
0.71%
Oranges (1kg)
$3 A$4.6
$2.97 A$4.55
1.01%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.95 A$6.05
$4.09 A$6.27
-3.42%
Potato (1kg)
$2.67 A$4.09
$2.3 A$3.52
16.09%
Onion (1kg)
$2.34 A$3.58
$1.98 A$3.04
18.18%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.15 A$3.3
$2.15 A$3.29
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.64 A$2.5
$1.58 A$2.43
3.80%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$32.11 A$49.19
$23.63 A$36.2
35.89%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.13 A$20.11
$8.68 A$13.3
51.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.54 A$6.96
$4.66 A$7.13
-2.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.05 A$7.74
$5.21 A$7.99
-3.07%
🚌 Getting Around
Melbourne
Bendigo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.67 A$5.62
$4.27 A$6.54
-14.05%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$118 A$180
$53.9 A$82.6
118.37%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.65 A$5.6
$3.53 A$5.41
3.40%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.34 A$2.05
$1.36 A$2.08
-1.47%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$27.26 A$41.77
$12.75 A$19.54
113.80%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.19 A$1.82
$1.1 A$1.69
8.18%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.6K A$43.9K
$24.8K A$38K
15.58%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K A$36K
$18K A$27.6K
30.51%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Melbourne
Bendigo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$150 A$230
$150 A$230
0.39%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.8 A$31.86
$19.22 A$29.45
8.22%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$51 A$78.2
$47.37 A$72.6
7.75%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Melbourne
Bendigo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.23 A$73.9
$58.4 A$89.4
-17.36%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.91 A$24.38
$18.32 A$28.07
-13.16%
Cinema Ticket
$16.53 A$25.32
$10.25 A$15.7
61.27%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Melbourne
Bendigo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,730 A$2,651
$1,160 A$1,777
49.17%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$19.1K A$29.3K
$19K A$29.2K
0.55%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Melbourne
Bendigo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$67.8 A$104
$66.2 A$101
2.40%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.7 A$82.2
$52.8 A$80.9
1.69%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 A$165
$107 A$164
0.40%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$106 A$162
$104 A$159
1.83%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Melbourne
Bendigo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,548 A$2,371
$646 A$989
139.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,228 A$1,881
$487 A$747
151.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,973 A$4,555
$978 A$1,498
203.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,956 A$2,997
$657 A$1,007
197.61%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,110 A$10.9K
$4,101 A$6,282
73.38%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,790 A$8,871
$3,696 A$5,663
56.65%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Melbourne
Bendigo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,045 A$6,198
$3,121 A$4,781
29.63%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.19
6.19
-

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 28, 2025

Last update for Bendigo: October 28, 2025

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