Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Bowral Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Bowral

😐 Solo nomad: Melbourne is 22.4% more expensive than Bowral without rent, and 10.4% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Melbourne is 19.7% more expensive than Bowral without rent, and 15.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Melbourne
Bowral
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.21 A$27.09
$14.37 A$20.26
33.68%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$78.9 A$111
$92.7 A$131
-14.90%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.49 A$13.38
$8.22 A$11.59
15.45%
Cappuccino
$3.71 A$5.23
$2.57 A$3.63
44.36%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.62 A$3.70
$1.98 A$2.79
32.32%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.31 A$3.26
$1.33 A$1.88
73.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.18 A$10.13
$6.52 A$9.19
10.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.27 A$10.25
$6.53 A$9.21
11.33%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Melbourne
Bowral
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 A$2.12
$1.35 A$1.91
11.85%
White Bread (500g)
$2.67 A$3.77
$2.39 A$3.37
11.72%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.25 A$3.17
$2.12 A$2.99
6.13%
Eggs
$4.84 A$6.83
$3.77 A$5.32
28.38%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.91 A$12.56
$9.06 A$12.78
-1.66%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.17 A$12.93
$7.87 A$11.10
16.52%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.73 A$20.77
$14.35 A$20.23
2.65%
Apples (1kg)
$3.15 A$4.44
$3.25 A$4.58
-3.08%
Banana (1kg)
$2.83 A$3.99
$2.60 A$3.67
8.85%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.96 A$4.17
$2.62 A$3.70
12.98%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.10 A$5.78
$3.67 A$5.17
11.72%
Potato (1kg)
$2.69 A$3.80
$2.70 A$3.81
-0.37%
Onion (1kg)
$2.24 A$3.16
$2.16 A$3.04
3.70%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.22 A$3.13
$2.06 A$2.90
7.77%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.62 A$2.29
$1.08 A$1.53
50.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$33.12 A$46.70
$29.56 A$41.68
12.04%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.38 A$20.28
$14.62 A$20.61
-1.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.62 A$6.52
$4.15 A$5.85
11.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.19 A$7.32
$3.15 A$4.43
64.76%
🚌 Getting Around
Melbourne
Bowral
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.55 A$5.01
$2.54 A$3.58
39.76%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$121 A$171
$64.9 A$91.5
86.62%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.57 A$5.03
$2.34 A$3.30
52.56%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.40 A$1.98
$1.75 A$2.47
-20.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$27.13 A$38.25
$37.55 A$52.9
-27.75%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.14 A$1.60
$1.12 A$1.58
1.79%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.3K A$39.9K
$29.4K A$41.5K
-3.80%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.4K A$33.1K
$21.7K A$30.7K
7.86%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Melbourne
Bowral
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$153 A$215
$191 A$269
-20.04%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.87 A$29.43
$28.72 A$40.49
-27.33%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$50.3 A$71.0
$57.4 A$81.0
-12.35%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Melbourne
Bowral
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.13 A$69.3
$48.62 A$68.6
1.05%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.38 A$23.09
$15.43 A$21.76
6.16%
Cinema Ticket
$16.19 A$22.82
$12.77 A$18.00
26.78%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Melbourne
Bowral
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,756 A$2,476
$911 A$1,284
92.82%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$19.5K A$27.6K
$12.1K A$17.0K
61.78%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Melbourne
Bowral
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$66.9 A$94.3
$77.9 A$110
-14.08%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$52.9 A$74.7
$44.34 A$62.5
19.40%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 A$150
$92.2 A$130
15.41%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$103 A$146
$107 A$151
-3.14%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Melbourne
Bowral
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,548 A$2,183
$1,283 A$1,809
20.65%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,189 A$1,677
$1,068 A$1,506
11.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,019 A$4,257
$1,997 A$2,816
51.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,004 A$2,825
$1,656 A$2,335
20.99%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,402 A$10.4K
$6,558 A$9,247
12.86%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,518 A$9,190
$4,451 A$6,275
46.45%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Melbourne
Bowral
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,262 A$6,010
$3,197 A$4,508
33.31%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.19
6.75
-8.30%

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

Last update for Melbourne: March 2, 2026

Last update for Bowral: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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