Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Bray

For one person, living is cheaper in Melbourne: $2,853 a month against $3,126 in Bray, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bray outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
151

Cost of Living Index in Bray
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Bray Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Bray

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,126

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Bray

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

A single person spends $2,853 per month in Melbourne vs $3,126 in Bray, rent included.

Melbourne $2,853
Bray $3,126

A couple spends around $4,275 per month in Melbourne vs $4,556 in Bray, rent included.

Melbourne $4,275
Bray $4,556

A family of three spends $5,697 per month in Melbourne vs $5,986 in Bray, rent included.

Melbourne $5,697
Bray $5,986

Melbourne is about 9% cheaper than Bray, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Melbourne and Bray sit above the global median – Melbourne by 111%, Bray by 131%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.20 A$24.75

$23.73 €21.11

-27.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 A$120

$101 €90.2

-18.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 A$17.88

$13.57 €12.07

-8.40%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.82

$4.83 €4.30

-16.15%

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

$3.12 A$4.50

$2.99 €2.66

4.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.54

$2.20 €1.96

11.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.52 A$13.71

$7.94 €7.06

19.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.74

$7.02 €6.25

16.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.25

$1.62 €1.44

-3.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.18

$2.29 €2.04

26.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$2.07 €1.84

28.50%

Eggs

$5.37 A$7.72

$4.40 €3.92

22.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 A$15.36

$10.04 €8.93

6.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 A$14.17

$11.01 €9.79

-10.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 A$22.11

$13.34 €11.87

15.14%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$6.00

$2.76 €2.46

51.09%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$2.24 €1.99

40.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 A$4.69

$2.77 €2.46

17.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.85

$4.02 €3.58

18.41%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.41

$1.91 €1.70

60.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.55

$1.55 €1.37

59.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.52

$1.26 €1.12

94.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$1.83 €1.63

-10.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.17 A$65.0

$20.38 €18.13

121.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.25

$13.72 €12.20

-7.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.69 A$8.18

$3.51 €3.12

62.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.53

$3.46 €3.08

51.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 A$5.57

$2.54 €2.26

52.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$204

$110 €97.9

28.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 A$6.53

$5.25 €4.67

-13.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.04

$1.44 €1.28

-1.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.59 A$44.01

$38.24 €34.01

-20.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$2.06 €1.84

-28.64%

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

$28.9K A$41.5K

$39.5K €35.1K

-26.84%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$38.4K €34.1K

-32.42%

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

$235 A$338

$271 €241

-13.19%

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

$27.45 A$39.51

$20.64 €18.36

32.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$80.8

$50.8 €45.20

10.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 A$72.1

$65.5 €58.3

-23.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.49 A$30.93

$17.04 €15.15

26.12%

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 A$25.56

$15.76 €14.01

12.69%

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

$2,385 A$3,432

$1,004 €893

137.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.7K

$14.5K €12.9K

103.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 A$114

$99.0 €88.1

-20.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.49 A$71.2

$48.70 €43.32

1.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$170

$109 €96.7

8.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$113 €101

16.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 A$2,537

$2,222 €1,977

-20.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 A$2,031

$1,689 €1,502

-16.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,522 A$5,069

$3,799 €3,379

-7.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 A$3,634

$2,766 €2,460

-8.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,136 A$10.3K

$10.2K €9,101

-30.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,355 A$9,144

$6,718 €5,976

-5.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,258 A$6,128

$3,150 €2,802

35.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.82

54.45%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 17, 2026

Last update for Bray: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5%

Bray

$1.7K 54% 19.7% $277

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$388 13.6%

Bray

$336 10.8% 13.4% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$319 11.2%

Bray

$342 11% 7.4% $24

Eating Out

Melbourne

$310 10.9%

Bray

$363 11.6% 17.2% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Bray

$166 5.3% 2.5% $4.3

Getting Around

Melbourne

$169 5.9%

Bray

$133 4.2% 21.5% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$86 3%

Bray

$97 3.1% 13.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,763 in Melbourne versus $2,222 in Bray. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 35% higher in Melbourne, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83.0 in Melbourne versus $101 in Bray. Groceries tell a different story – $388 in Melbourne vs $336 in Bray – so Bray wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇮🇪 Bray

🕒 Local time

19:29 7:29 PM

08:29 8:29 AM

11 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

33,512

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Bray 17,220 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Bray

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 Bray: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Bray is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,280 per month in Melbourne and $4,690 in Bray. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Melbourne, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,853 in Melbourne and $3,126 in Bray. That's a gap of about 10%.

Public transport costs about 29% less in Melbourne. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,853 in Melbourne and $3,126 in Bray. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Melbourne – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Melbourne. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bray makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.