Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Canterbury

For one person, living is cheaper in Canterbury: $899 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $23,100 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Canterbury
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Canterbury Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Canterbury

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$899

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Canterbury

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $899 in Canterbury, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Canterbury $899

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $1,491 in Canterbury, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Canterbury $1,491

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $2,083 in Canterbury, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Canterbury $2,083

Melbourne costs about 214% more than Canterbury, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Melbourne sits 109% above the global median, while Canterbury is 33% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$14.25 NZ$25.20

22.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$60.4 NZ$107

40.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$11.29 NZ$19.97

10.36%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.99 NZ$5.29

37.46%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$2.11 NZ$3.74

45.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$2.04 NZ$3.61

23.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$3.88 NZ$6.87

152.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$6.29 NZ$11.12

36.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$2.16 NZ$3.82

-31.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.99 NZ$3.52

47.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.74 NZ$3.07

52.87%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$5.43 NZ$9.61

2.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$8.55 NZ$15.12

22.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$8.96 NZ$15.84

7.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$15.90 NZ$28.12

-4.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$3.01 NZ$5.33

32.56%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$2.26 NZ$3.99

33.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$3.20 NZ$5.66

-3.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$5.14 NZ$9.09

-6.23%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.81 NZ$3.19

67.40%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.77 NZ$3.13

37.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$2.27 NZ$4.01

8.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.55 NZ$0.96

196.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$21.04 NZ$37.20

109.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$8.82 NZ$15.60

43.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$3.09 NZ$5.46

79.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.19 NZ$2.11

339.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$5.66 NZ$10.00

-20.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$27.93 NZ$49.39

9.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.61 NZ$2.84

-8.70%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$24.7K NZ$43.7K

17.50%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$25.4K NZ$45.0K

4.09%

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

$234 A$336

$109 NZ$192

114.80%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$28.43 NZ$50.3

-1.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$51.1 NZ$90.3

9.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$10.13 NZ$17.92

48.96%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$570 NZ$1,008

316.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$58.6 NZ$104

36.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$21.87 NZ$38.67

131.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$90.3 NZ$160

33.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$134 NZ$238

-2.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$902 NZ$1,595

95.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$2,721 NZ$4,813

61.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

47.50%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Canterbury: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Canterbury

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Canterbury

$315 35.1% 17.8% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Canterbury

$188 20.9% 40.7% $129

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Canterbury

$232 25.8% 26.1% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Canterbury

$137 15.3% 20.1% $34

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Canterbury

$5.7 * 0.6% 96.5% $158

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Canterbury

$20 * 2.3% 74.5% $59

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in Melbourne versus $902 in Canterbury. 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 61% higher in Melbourne, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Melbourne versus $60.0 in Canterbury. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $315 – making Canterbury the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇳🇿 Canterbury

🕒 Local time

20:31 8:31 PM

22:31 10:31 PM

2 h ahead of Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Canterbury 2,350 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Canterbury

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: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne, $899 in Canterbury – roughly 214% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,231 per month in Melbourne and $1,349 in Canterbury. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Melbourne and $60.0 in Canterbury. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Melbourne, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Canterbury, where all-in costs run around $899, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Canterbury it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Canterbury – 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 Canterbury. 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.