Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Blacktown

For one person, living is cheaper in Blacktown: $2,459 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
125

Cost of Living Index in Blacktown
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Blacktown Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Blacktown

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,459

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Blacktown

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $2,459 in Blacktown.

Melbourne $2,849
Blacktown $2,459

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $3,687 in Blacktown.

Melbourne $4,274
Blacktown $3,687

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $4,915 in Blacktown.

Melbourne $5,699
Blacktown $4,915

Living in Melbourne is roughly 16% more expensive than in Blacktown, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Blacktown 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.86

$20.72 A$29.45

-15.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$90.5 A$129

-6.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.29

$10.70 A$15.21

13.74%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.79

$4.02 A$5.71

1.24%

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

$3.18 A$4.52

$3.06 A$4.34

3.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.55

$2.54 A$3.60

-1.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.60

$8.47 A$12.04

12.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.72

$9.84 A$13.98

-16.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.14

$1.55 A$2.20

-3.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.22

$3.25 A$4.62

-8.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.81

$2.49 A$3.54

7.63%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.75

$5.39 A$7.66

1.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.22

$12.92 A$18.36

-17.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.28

$9.66 A$13.72

4.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.31

$15.16 A$21.54

-1.06%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.78

$4.02 A$5.71

1.24%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.46

$3.23 A$4.59

-2.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.43

$3.61 A$5.14

-13.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.72

$4.98 A$7.08

-5.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.23

$3.20 A$4.55

-6.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.55

$2.83 A$4.03

-12.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.53

$2.49 A$3.54

-0.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.27

$1.40 A$1.99

14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.4

$44.08 A$62.6

1.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.02

$14.13 A$20.07

-10.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.88

$4.83 A$6.87

14.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.37

$5.72 A$8.13

-9.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.45

$2.42 A$3.44

58.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$197

$84.2 A$120

64.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.19

$4.16 A$5.91

4.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$1.56 A$2.22

-12.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.23

$42.76 A$60.8

-30.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.11

$1.38 A$1.97

7.97%

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

$29.1K A$41.3K

$27.6K A$39.2K

5.41%

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

$25.7K A$36.5K

$26.0K A$37.0K

-1.35%

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

$236 A$335

$181 A$257

30.44%

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

$28.01 A$39.80

$27.34 A$38.85

2.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.3

$56.4 A$80.1

1.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.8

$64.2 A$91.2

-24.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.50

$19.91 A$28.30

7.79%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.10

$15.55 A$22.10

13.63%

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

$2,461 A$3,497

$2,531 A$3,596

-2.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.2K

$20.6K A$29.3K

44.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$115

$76.5 A$109

6.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.0

$57.6 A$81.9

-14.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$170

$110 A$156

9.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$134 A$190

-2.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,419

$1,483 A$2,107

14.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,002

$1,097 A$1,558

28.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,967

$2,191 A$3,114

59.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,590

$1,798 A$2,555

40.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

$6,217 A$8,834

28.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,805

$4,514 A$6,413

52.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,049

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.95

-0.84%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Last update for Blacktown: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Blacktown

$1.1K 44.6% 22.2% $312

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Blacktown

$397 16.1% 2.7% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Blacktown

$264 10.8% 17.6% $57

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Blacktown

$331 13.4% 5.8% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Blacktown

$170 6.9% 0.9% $1.5

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Blacktown

$106 4.3% 36% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Blacktown

$95 3.9% 13.8% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $1,483 in Blacktown. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $91 in Blacktown for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $386 vs $397 per month, with Melbourne cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Blacktown

🕒 Local time

08:12 8:12 AM

Same time as Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

46,942

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Blacktown 700 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Blacktown

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 Blacktown: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Blacktown is about 14% cheaper overall, especially in transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $4,273 in Melbourne and $3,689 in Blacktown 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 $1,483 in Blacktown. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Blacktown runs roughly 39% less than in Melbourne. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $2,461 in Melbourne versus $2,531 in Blacktown. 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.

Safety-wise, Melbourne and Blacktown are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.