Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Cairns

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairns: $2,501 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Cairns
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Cairns Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Cairns

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,501

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Cairns

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $2,501 in Cairns, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Cairns $2,501

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $3,716 in Cairns, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Cairns $3,716

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $4,931 in Cairns, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Cairns $4,931

Melbourne costs about 13% more than Cairns, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Melbourne and Cairns sit above the global median – Melbourne by 109%, Cairns by 85%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$17.37 A$25.00

0.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$95.6 A$138

-11.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$12.62 A$18.15

-1.27%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$4.23 A$6.08

-2.84%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$3.27 A$4.70

-6.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$2.75 A$3.95

-8.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$7.13 A$10.25

37.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$8.39 A$12.07

2.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.83 A$2.64

-19.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$2.69 A$3.87

9.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$2.52 A$3.62

5.56%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$5.33 A$7.68

3.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$9.06 A$13.04

16.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$13.54 A$19.49

-28.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$14.90 A$21.44

2.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$4.18 A$6.02

-4.55%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$2.84 A$4.09

6.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$3.70 A$5.32

-16.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$5.91 A$8.50

-18.44%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.46 A$3.54

23.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$2.57 A$3.70

-5.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$2.84 A$4.09

-13.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$2.51 A$3.61

-35.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$44.51 A$64.1

-0.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$13.87 A$19.95

-8.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$3.65 A$5.25

51.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$5.25 A$7.55

-0.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$3.56 A$5.13

5.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$15.08 A$21.70

811.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$2.51 A$3.61

79.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$1.97 A$2.83

-30.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$41.45 A$59.7

-26.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.23 A$1.77

19.51%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$30.8K A$44.3K

-5.82%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$40.7K A$58.6K

-35.02%

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

$234 A$336

$165 A$238

41.26%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$34.27 A$49.32

-18.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$64.9 A$93.4

-14.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$43.80 A$63.0

12.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$27.43 A$39.48

-21.69%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$13.75 A$19.79

9.75%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$2,100 A$3,022

12.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$14.1K A$20.3K

114.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$90.4 A$130

-11.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$71.4 A$103

-28.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$124 A$179

-2.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$130 A$187

0.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$1,439 A$2,071

22.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$1,223 A$1,760

13.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$2,270 A$3,267

53.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$1,940 A$2,791

28.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$6,429 A$9,251

7.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$4,919 A$7,078

31.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$4,424 A$6,366

-0.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

6.32

-6.65%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cairns: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Cairns

$1.2K 48.9% 12% $166

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Cairns

$409 16.4% 6.5% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Cairns

$265 10.6% 16.6% $53

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Cairns

$304 12.2% 3.3% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Cairns

$187 7.5% 8.9% $15

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Cairns

$42 1.7% 74.6% $122

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Cairns

$71 2.9% 10.4% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in Melbourne versus $1,439 in Cairns. 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 1% higher in Cairns, 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 $85.0 in Melbourne versus $96.0 in Cairns. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $409 – making Melbourne the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Cairns

🕒 Local time

21:15 9:15 PM

20:15 8:15 PM

1 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

153,181

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Melbourne Cairns 2,320 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

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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 Cairns: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne costs about 13% more than Cairns, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,231 per month in Melbourne and $3,751 in Cairns. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Interestingly, groceries are about 7% cheaper in Melbourne – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Melbourne and $96.0 in Cairns. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,821 in Melbourne and $2,501 in Cairns. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Cairns – 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 Cairns. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Melbourne makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.