Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Canberra Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Canberra

😐 Solo nomad: Melbourne is 2.1% more expensive than Canberra without rent, and 2.1% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Melbourne is 4.1% cheaper than Canberra without rent, and 1.1% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.2 A$29.41

$16.19 A$24.8

18.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.6 A$120

$88.8 A$136

-11.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 A$15.35

$9.72 A$14.89

3.09%

Cappuccino

$3.67 A$5.62

$3.46 A$5.3

6.07%

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

$2.54 A$3.89

$2.61 A$4

-2.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 A$3.49

$2.31 A$3.53

-1.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.28 A$11.15

$6.39 A$9.78

13.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.3 A$11.18

$7.66 A$11.74

-4.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 A$2.2

$1.38 A$2.11

4.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 A$4.02

$2.65 A$4.06

-0.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.27 A$3.48

$1.82 A$2.79

24.73%

Eggs

$4.86 A$7.45

$4.24 A$6.49

14.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.74 A$13.39

$9.7 A$14.86

-9.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 A$14.07

$9.28 A$14.22

-0.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.95 A$22.9

$14.54 A$22.27

2.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.33 A$5.1

$3.24 A$4.96

2.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.84 A$4.35

$2.97 A$4.55

-4.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$3 A$4.6

$3.05 A$4.67

-1.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 A$6.05

$4.66 A$7.13

-15.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.67 A$4.09

$2.3 A$3.52

16.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 A$3.58

$2.17 A$3.32

7.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.15 A$3.3

$2.35 A$3.6

-8.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 A$2.5

$1.28 A$1.95

28.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$32.11 A$49.19

$31.15 A$47.73

3.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.13 A$20.11

$12.94 A$19.82

1.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.54 A$6.96

$5.03 A$7.71

-9.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.05 A$7.74

$5.82 A$8.91

-13.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.67 A$5.62

$3.2 A$4.9

14.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$118 A$180

$120 A$184

-1.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.65 A$5.6

$3.89 A$5.96

-6.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 A$2.05

$1.72 A$2.64

-22.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.26 A$41.77

$41.45 A$63.5

-34.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 A$1.82

$1.18 A$1.8

0.85%

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

$28.6K A$43.9K

$29.3K A$44.8K

-2.12%

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

$23.5K A$36K

$22.6K A$34.6K

4.04%

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

$150 A$230

$219 A$336

-31.38%

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

$20.8 A$31.86

$29.78 A$45.63

-30.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51 A$78.2

$51.7 A$79.2

-1.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.23 A$73.9

$60.5 A$92.7

-20.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.91 A$24.38

$20.35 A$31.17

-21.82%

Cinema Ticket

$16.53 A$25.32

$13.79 A$21.13

19.87%

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

$1,730 A$2,651

$1,765 A$2,704

-1.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.1K A$29.3K

$13.4K A$20.5K

43.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 A$104

$72 A$110

-5.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.7 A$82.2

$56.4 A$86.3

-4.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 A$165

$99.9 A$153

7.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 A$162

$115 A$177

-8.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,548 A$2,371

$1,587 A$2,431

-2.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,228 A$1,881

$1,167 A$1,788

5.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,973 A$4,555

$2,777 A$4,255

7.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,956 A$2,997

$1,737 A$2,660

12.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,110 A$10.9K

$7,525 A$11.5K

-5.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,790 A$8,871

$4,945 A$7,575

17.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,045 A$6,198

$3,636 A$5,570

11.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.19

6.29

-1.59%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 28, 2025

Last update for Canberra: October 27, 2025

Similar cities

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

Munich

🇩🇪 Germany

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

Vienna

🇦🇹 Austria

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia