Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Cairns Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Cairns

😐 Solo nomad: Melbourne is 6.4% more expensive than Cairns without rent, and 5.3% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Melbourne is 6.8% cheaper than Cairns without rent, and 5% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.2 A$29.41

$11.67 A$17.88

64.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.6 A$120

$81.9 A$125

-4.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 A$15.35

$10.66 A$16.33

-6.00%

Cappuccino

$3.67 A$5.62

$3.92 A$6.01

-6.38%

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

$2.54 A$3.89

$2.73 A$4.19

-6.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 A$3.49

$2.26 A$3.46

0.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.28 A$11.15

$6.58 A$10.09

10.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.3 A$11.18

$7.07 A$10.83

3.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 A$2.2

$1.7 A$2.61

-15.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 A$4.02

$2.51 A$3.85

4.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.27 A$3.48

$2.71 A$4.15

-16.24%

Eggs

$4.86 A$7.45

$3.93 A$6.02

23.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.74 A$13.39

$7.87 A$12.06

11.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 A$14.07

$9.19 A$14.08

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.95 A$22.9

$12.84 A$19.67

16.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.33 A$5.1

$2.99 A$4.58

11.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.84 A$4.35

$2.31 A$3.53

22.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$3 A$4.6

$2.66 A$4.07

12.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 A$6.05

$7.39 A$11.32

-46.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.67 A$4.09

$2.28 A$3.5

17.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 A$3.58

$2.23 A$3.42

4.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.15 A$3.3

$2.27 A$3.47

-5.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 A$2.5

$2.88 A$4.42

-43.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$32.11 A$49.19

$29.83 A$45.69

7.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.13 A$20.11

$11.03 A$16.89

19.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.54 A$6.96

$3.39 A$5.2

33.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.05 A$7.74

$3.52 A$5.39

43.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.67 A$5.62

$3.22 A$4.94

13.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$118 A$180

$65.4 A$100

80.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.65 A$5.6

$6.44 A$9.86

-43.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 A$2.05

$3.13 A$4.8

-57.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.26 A$41.77

$33.86 A$51.9

-19.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 A$1.82

$1.15 A$1.77

3.48%

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

$28.6K A$43.9K

$22.7K A$34.8K

26.15%

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

$23.5K A$36K

$19.2K A$29.4K

22.52%

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

$150 A$230

$153 A$234

-1.65%

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

$20.8 A$31.86

$37.09 A$56.8

-43.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51 A$78.2

$59 A$90.3

-13.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.23 A$73.9

$38.89 A$59.6

24.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.91 A$24.38

$15.92 A$24.39

-0.06%

Cinema Ticket

$16.53 A$25.32

$12.98 A$19.88

27.35%

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

$1,730 A$2,651

$1,628 A$2,494

6.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.1K A$29.3K

$12.1K A$18.5K

58.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 A$104

$83 A$127

-18.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.7 A$82.2

$66.2 A$101

-18.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 A$165

$98.2 A$150

9.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 A$162

$135 A$206

-21.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,548 A$2,371

$1,193 A$1,828

29.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,228 A$1,881

$1,110 A$1,701

10.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,973 A$4,555

$2,042 A$3,128

45.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,956 A$2,997

$1,858 A$2,847

5.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,110 A$10.9K

$6,035 A$9,246

17.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,790 A$8,871

$4,795 A$7,346

20.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,045 A$6,198

$2,813 A$4,310

43.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.19

6.96

-11.06%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 28, 2025

Last update for Cairns: October 27, 2025

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