Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Berwick

For one person, living is cheaper in Berwick: $2,554 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 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 Berwick
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Berwick Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Berwick

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,554

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Berwick

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $2,554 in Berwick.

Melbourne $2,849
Berwick $2,554

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $3,747 in Berwick.

Melbourne $4,274
Berwick $3,747

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $4,941 in Berwick.

Melbourne $5,699
Berwick $4,941

Living in Melbourne is roughly 12% more expensive than in Berwick, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Berwick 88% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.86

$17.18 A$24.42

1.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$85.2 A$121

-1.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.29

$10.46 A$14.86

16.35%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.79

$4.28 A$6.09

-4.91%

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

$3.18 A$4.52

$2.84 A$4.03

11.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.55

$2.31 A$3.29

8.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.60

$7.88 A$11.20

21.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.72

$7.51 A$10.67

9.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.14

$1.34 A$1.90

11.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.22

$2.73 A$3.88

8.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.81

$2.25 A$3.20

19.11%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.75

$4.82 A$6.85

13.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.22

$10.00 A$14.21

7.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.28

$9.44 A$13.41

6.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.31

$13.09 A$18.61

14.59%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.78

$3.80 A$5.40

7.11%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.46

$3.38 A$4.80

-7.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.43

$2.79 A$3.97

11.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.72

$4.02 A$5.72

17.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.23

$2.76 A$3.92

7.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.55

$2.45 A$3.48

1.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.53

$2.30 A$3.27

7.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.27

$1.58 A$2.25

1.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.4

$38.06 A$54.1

17.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.02

$14.21 A$20.20

-10.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.88

$5.18 A$7.36

7.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.37

$5.90 A$8.39

-12.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.45

$2.75 A$3.91

39.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$197

$80.0 A$114

73.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.19

$3.14 A$4.46

38.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$1.70 A$2.41

-19.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.23

$37.45 A$53.2

-20.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.11

$1.39 A$1.97

7.19%

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

$29.1K A$41.3K

$25.9K A$36.9K

12.11%

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

$25.7K A$36.5K

$25.0K A$35.5K

2.67%

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

$236 A$335

$179 A$255

31.38%

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

$28.01 A$39.80

$28.59 A$40.63

-2.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.3

$48.84 A$69.4

17.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.8

$61.2 A$86.9

-20.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.50

$19.74 A$28.05

8.71%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.10

$12.78 A$18.15

38.26%

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

$2,461 A$3,497

$2,169 A$3,082

13.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.2K

$19.5K A$27.7K

52.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$115

$80.7 A$115

0.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.0

$62.6 A$88.9

-21.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$170

$94.6 A$134

26.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$112 A$159

16.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,419

$1,319 A$1,874

29.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,002

$1,291 A$1,835

9.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,967

$2,391 A$3,397

46.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,590

$2,067 A$2,937

22.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

$5,398 A$7,670

47.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,805

$5,260 A$7,474

31.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,049

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 Berwick: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Berwick

$1.3K 50.6% 8.3% $118

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Berwick

$363 14.2% 6% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Berwick

$257 10.1% 20% $64

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Berwick

$295 11.6% 5.5% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Berwick

$158 6.2% 8.1% $14

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Berwick

$103 4% 37.9% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Berwick

$87 3.4% 3.6% $3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $1,319 in Berwick. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $85 in Berwick. Groceries flip the comparison at $386 vs $363, with Berwick cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Berwick

🕒 Local time

08:49 8:49 AM

Same time as Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

47,674

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Berwick: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Berwick is about 10% cheaper overall, especially in transport, groceries, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $4,273 in Melbourne and $3,830 in Berwick to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,703 in Melbourne versus $1,319 in Berwick. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,461 in Melbourne versus $2,169 in Berwick. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Berwick runs roughly 42% less than in Melbourne. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Berwick 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 Berwick are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.