Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Broken Hill

For one person, living is cheaper in Broken Hill: $2,371 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 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
122

Cost of Living Index in Broken Hill
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Broken Hill Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Broken Hill

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,371

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Broken Hill

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $2,371 in Broken Hill.

Melbourne $2,849
Broken Hill $2,371

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $3,506 in Broken Hill.

Melbourne $4,274
Broken Hill $3,506

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $4,641 in Broken Hill.

Melbourne $5,699
Broken Hill $4,641

Living in Melbourne is roughly 20% more expensive than in Broken Hill, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Broken Hill 74% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.99

$16.76 A$23.94

4.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$83.4 A$119

1.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.38

$9.11 A$13.01

33.59%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.82

$4.13 A$5.90

-1.45%

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

$3.18 A$4.54

$2.79 A$3.99

13.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.57

$2.33 A$3.33

7.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.67

$7.47 A$10.66

28.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.78

$7.00 A$10.00

17.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.15

$1.76 A$2.52

-14.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.24

$2.80 A$4.00

6.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.83

$2.04 A$2.91

31.37%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.79

$5.54 A$7.91

-1.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.30

$9.62 A$13.74

11.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.35

$10.18 A$14.54

-1.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.42

$16.35 A$23.35

-8.26%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.81

$4.25 A$6.07

-4.24%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.48

$2.85 A$4.06

10.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.45

$2.98 A$4.26

4.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.76

$4.72 A$6.74

0.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.26

$3.03 A$4.32

-1.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.56

$2.34 A$3.34

6.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.54

$2.23 A$3.19

11.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.28

$1.56 A$2.22

2.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.8

$48.29 A$69.0

-7.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.11

$15.24 A$21.76

-16.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.92

$4.21 A$6.01

31.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.40

$5.47 A$7.82

-5.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.48

$2.70 A$3.85

42.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$198

$76.7 A$109

80.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.22

$3.77 A$5.39

15.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.95

$1.80 A$2.57

-23.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.45

$44.58 A$63.7

-33.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.12

$1.52 A$2.17

-1.97%

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

$29.1K A$41.5K

$30.7K A$43.9K

-5.29%

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

$25.7K A$36.7K

$24.5K A$35.0K

4.75%

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

$236 A$337

$205 A$293

14.93%

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

$28.01 A$40.01

$25.11 A$35.87

11.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.7

$57.2 A$81.6

0.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$69.1

$63.6 A$90.9

-23.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.65

$15.15 A$21.63

41.65%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.23

$13.97 A$19.96

26.49%

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

$2,461 A$3,515

$2,372 A$3,388

3.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.4K

$21.7K A$30.9K

37.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$116

$69.0 A$98.5

17.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.4

$48.07 A$68.7

2.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$171

$106 A$151

13.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$187

$125 A$178

4.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,432

$1,594 A$2,277

6.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,012

$1,070 A$1,528

31.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,992

$2,252 A$3,216

55.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,608

$1,720 A$2,457

46.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.4K

$5,079 A$7,253

57.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,854

$4,926 A$7,035

40.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,079

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 Broken Hill: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Broken Hill

$1.1K 45.1% 24.1% $339

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Broken Hill

$383 16.1% 1% $4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Broken Hill

$287 12.1% 10.5% $34

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Broken Hill

$283 11.9% 9.5% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Broken Hill

$156 6.6% 8.8% $15

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Broken Hill

$100 4.2% 39.4% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Broken Hill

$92 3.9% 9.4% $7.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $1,594 in Broken Hill. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $83 in Broken Hill for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $386 vs $383 per month, with Broken Hill cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Broken Hill

🕒 Local time

20:17 8:17 PM

19:47 7:47 PM

30 min behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

17,456

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Melbourne Broken Hill 720 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Broken Hill

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 Broken Hill: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Broken Hill is about 17% cheaper overall, especially in transport, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $4,273 in Melbourne and $3,556 in Broken Hill 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 $1,594 in Broken Hill. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Broken Hill runs roughly 45% less than in Melbourne. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $2,461 in Melbourne versus $2,372 in Broken Hill. 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 Broken Hill are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.