Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Canterbury-Bankstown

For one person, living is cheaper in Canterbury-Bankstown: $2,714 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 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
123

Cost of Living Index in Canterbury-Bankstown
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Canterbury-Bankstown Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Canterbury-Bankstown

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,714

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Canterbury-Bankstown

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 Canterbury-Bankstown actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $2,714 in Canterbury-Bankstown.

Melbourne $2,849
Canterbury-Bankstown $2,714

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $3,798 in Canterbury-Bankstown.

Melbourne $4,274
Canterbury-Bankstown $3,798

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $4,882 in Canterbury-Bankstown.

Melbourne $5,699
Canterbury-Bankstown $4,882

Living in Melbourne is roughly 5% more expensive than in Canterbury-Bankstown, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Canterbury-Bankstown 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.86

$17.21 A$24.46

1.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$88.7 A$126

-4.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.29

$10.32 A$14.66

17.93%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.79

$3.92 A$5.57

3.83%

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

$3.18 A$4.52

$2.79 A$3.97

13.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.55

$2.19 A$3.11

14.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.60

$8.25 A$11.73

16.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.72

$7.47 A$10.61

10.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.14

$1.72 A$2.44

-12.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.22

$3.16 A$4.49

-6.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.81

$2.50 A$3.55

7.20%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.75

$5.62 A$7.98

-3.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.22

$12.05 A$17.12

-11.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.28

$9.44 A$13.42

6.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.31

$16.86 A$23.95

-11.03%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.78

$3.92 A$5.57

3.83%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.46

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.43

$3.51 A$4.99

-11.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.72

$5.03 A$7.14

-5.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.23

$3.06 A$4.35

-2.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.55

$2.52 A$3.58

-1.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.53

$2.39 A$3.39

3.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.27

$1.16 A$1.65

37.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.4

$45.21 A$64.3

-1.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.02

$14.28 A$20.29

-11.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.88

$4.74 A$6.73

17.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.37

$5.53 A$7.85

-6.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.45

$3.05 A$4.33

25.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$197

$88.7 A$126

56.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.19

$3.42 A$4.86

27.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$1.63 A$2.31

-15.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.23

$40.96 A$58.2

-27.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.11

$1.44 A$2.04

3.47%

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

$29.1K A$41.3K

$28.5K A$40.5K

2.03%

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

$25.7K A$36.5K

$26.2K A$37.2K

-1.85%

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

$236 A$335

$182 A$258

29.63%

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

$28.01 A$39.80

$27.52 A$39.10

1.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.3

$56.1 A$79.7

2.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.8

$55.9 A$79.4

-13.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.50

$17.63 A$25.05

21.72%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.10

$17.23 A$24.48

2.55%

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

$2,461 A$3,497

$2,401 A$3,412

2.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.2K

$20.0K A$28.4K

48.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$115

$77.0 A$109

5.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.0

$70.8 A$101

-30.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$170

$111 A$158

7.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$135 A$192

-3.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,419

$1,321 A$1,877

28.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,002

$1,383 A$1,965

1.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,967

$2,263 A$3,215

54.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,590

$1,840 A$2,614

37.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

$5,114 A$7,267

56.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,805

$5,147 A$7,314

34.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,049

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.92

-0.34%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Last update for Canterbury-Bankstown: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Canterbury-Bankstown

$1.4K 51% 1.8% $26

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Canterbury-Bankstown

$394 14.5% 1.9% $7.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Canterbury-Bankstown

$265 9.8% 17.3% $56

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Canterbury-Bankstown

$292 10.8% 6.6% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Canterbury-Bankstown

$177 6.5% 3.5% $6

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Canterbury-Bankstown

$112 4.1% 32% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Canterbury-Bankstown

$90 3.3% 7.9% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $1,321 in Canterbury-Bankstown. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $89 in Canterbury-Bankstown for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $386 vs $394 per month, with Melbourne cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Canterbury-Bankstown

🕒 Local time

07:01 7:01 AM

Same time as Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

350,983

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Canterbury-Bankstown 700 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Canterbury-Bankstown

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 Canterbury-Bankstown: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,849 in Melbourne and $2,714 in Canterbury-Bankstown, so Canterbury-Bankstown is about 5% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $4,273 in Melbourne and $4,071 in Canterbury-Bankstown 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 $1,321 in Canterbury-Bankstown. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,461 in Melbourne versus $2,401 in Canterbury-Bankstown. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Melbourne – a meal for two runs $84 versus $89 in Canterbury-Bankstown. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 Canterbury-Bankstown are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.