Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Caboolture

For one person, living is cheaper in Caboolture: $1,935 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 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
93

Cost of Living Index in Caboolture
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Caboolture Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Caboolture

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Caboolture

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

A single person spends $2,849 per month in Melbourne vs $1,935 in Caboolture, rent included.

Melbourne $2,849
Caboolture $1,935

A couple spends around $4,274 per month in Melbourne vs $2,832 in Caboolture, rent included.

Melbourne $4,274
Caboolture $2,832

A family of three spends $5,699 per month in Melbourne vs $3,728 in Caboolture, rent included.

Melbourne $5,699
Caboolture $3,728

Melbourne costs about 47% more than Caboolture, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Melbourne and Caboolture sit above the global median – Melbourne by 109%, Caboolture by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.98

$10.79 A$15.40

62.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$49.52 A$70.7

70.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.37

$10.71 A$15.29

13.63%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.82

$2.82 A$4.03

44.33%

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

$3.18 A$4.54

$1.83 A$2.61

73.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.56

$1.55 A$2.21

61.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.66

$7.17 A$10.24

33.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.78

$7.66 A$10.93

7.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.15

$1.25 A$1.78

20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.24

$2.06 A$2.94

44.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.83

$1.97 A$2.81

36.04%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.78

$4.14 A$5.91

31.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.29

$8.67 A$12.37

23.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.34

$9.40 A$13.42

6.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.41

$12.58 A$17.95

19.24%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.81

$3.06 A$4.37

33.01%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.48

$2.64 A$3.76

18.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.45

$3.50 A$5.00

-10.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.75

$4.27 A$6.10

10.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.25

$1.95 A$2.78

52.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.56

$1.82 A$2.60

36.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.54

$2.08 A$2.98

19.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.28

$0.93 A$1.33

72.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.7

$29.84 A$42.59

49.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.10

$14.19 A$20.25

-10.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.91

$3.95 A$5.64

40.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.40

$6.82 A$9.73

-24.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.48

$1.62 A$2.31

137.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$198

$82.6 A$118

67.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.22

$2.13 A$3.04

104.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.95

$1.11 A$1.58

23.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.43

$34.32 A$48.99

-13.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.12

$1.32 A$1.89

12.88%

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

$29.1K A$41.5K

$24.5K A$35.0K

18.49%

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

$25.7K A$36.6K

$25.6K A$36.5K

0.25%

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

$236 A$336

$179 A$256

31.43%

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

$28.01 A$39.98

$11.76 A$16.78

138.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.7

$49.18 A$70.2

16.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$69.1

$22.54 A$32.18

114.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.64

$18.03 A$25.73

19.02%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.22

$13.43 A$19.17

31.57%

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

$2,461 A$3,513

$1,737 A$2,480

41.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.4K

$4,239 A$6,051

600.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$116

$34.16 A$48.75

137.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.3

$51.8 A$74.0

-4.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$171

$98.9 A$141

20.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$187

$74.0 A$106

77.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,430

$1,064 A$1,519

60.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,011

$890 A$1,270

58.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,989

$1,542 A$2,200

126.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,606

$1,494 A$2,133

69.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.4K

$5,973 A$8,525

33.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,849

$5,192 A$7,411

32.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,076

$1,819 A$2,596

134.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.69

3.69%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Last update for Caboolture: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Caboolture

$890 46% 36.8% $519

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Caboolture

$326 16.8% 15.8% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Caboolture

$240 12.4% 25.1% $81

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Caboolture

$217 11.2% 30.5% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Caboolture

$116 6% 32.1% $55

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Caboolture

$97 5% 41.4% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Caboolture

$49 2.6% 41% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,703 in Melbourne versus $1,064 in Caboolture. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Melbourne are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84 in Melbourne versus $50 in Caboolture. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $386 vs $326 – making Caboolture the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Caboolture

🕒 Local time

20:44 8:44 PM

19:44 7:44 PM

1 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

29,534

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.701 USD

1 AUD = 0.626 EUR

1 AUD = 0.701 USD

1 AUD = 0.626 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Caboolture 1,410 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Caboolture

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 Caboolture: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne costs about 47% more than Caboolture, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,273 per month in Melbourne and $2,903 in Caboolture. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Caboolture, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,064 there versus $1,703 in Melbourne.

Kindergarten costs $2,461 per month in Melbourne and $1,737 in Caboolture. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Melbourne, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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