Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Carlton Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Carlton

😐 Solo nomad: Melbourne is 21.3% more expensive than Carlton without rent, and 12.6% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Melbourne is 4.3% more expensive than Carlton without rent, and 19.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Melbourne
Carlton
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.2 A$29.41
$19.36 A$29.66
-0.83%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$78.6 A$120
$65.2 A$100
20.43%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.02 A$15.35
$9.55 A$14.63
4.92%
Cappuccino
$3.67 A$5.62
$2.69 A$4.13
36.43%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.54 A$3.89
$2.48 A$3.8
2.42%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.28 A$3.49
$1.97 A$3.02
15.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.28 A$11.15
$6.14 A$9.4
18.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.3 A$11.18
$6.25 A$9.57
16.80%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Melbourne
Carlton
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.44 A$2.2
$1.06 A$1.62
35.85%
White Bread (500g)
$2.63 A$4.02
$1.69 A$2.59
55.62%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.27 A$3.48
$1.62 A$2.48
40.12%
Eggs
$4.86 A$7.45
$3.12 A$4.78
55.77%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.74 A$13.39
$8.89 A$13.62
-1.69%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.19 A$14.07
$9.22 A$14.12
-0.33%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.95 A$22.9
$14.44 A$22.12
3.53%
Apples (1kg)
$3.33 A$5.1
$3.3 A$5.05
0.91%
Banana (1kg)
$2.84 A$4.35
$2.63 A$4.03
7.98%
Oranges (1kg)
$3 A$4.6
$3.01 A$4.62
-0.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.95 A$6.05
$3.91 A$5.98
1.02%
Potato (1kg)
$2.67 A$4.09
$2.21 A$3.39
20.81%
Onion (1kg)
$2.34 A$3.58
$2 A$3.07
17.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.15 A$3.3
$2.2 A$3.37
-2.27%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.64 A$2.5
$1.32 A$2.02
24.24%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$32.11 A$49.19
$28.28 A$43.32
13.54%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.13 A$20.11
$10 A$15.32
31.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.54 A$6.96
$4.57 A$7.01
-0.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.05 A$7.74
$5.01 A$7.67
0.80%
🚌 Getting Around
Melbourne
Carlton
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.67 A$5.62
$2.89 A$4.43
26.99%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$118 A$180
$51.1 A$78.2
130.73%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.65 A$5.6
$3.66 A$5.6
-0.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.34 A$2.05
$1.32 A$2.02
1.52%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$27.26 A$41.77
$24.68 A$37.82
10.45%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.19 A$1.82
$1.13 A$1.73
5.31%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.6K A$43.9K
$23.4K A$35.9K
22.31%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K A$36K
$13.1K A$20K
79.86%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Melbourne
Carlton
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$150 A$230
$74.5 A$114
101.80%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.8 A$31.86
$21 A$32.17
-0.95%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$51 A$78.2
$44.26 A$67.8
15.32%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Melbourne
Carlton
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.23 A$73.9
$46.03 A$70.5
4.78%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.91 A$24.38
$18.14 A$27.8
-12.29%
Cinema Ticket
$16.53 A$25.32
$11.66 A$17.86
41.77%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Melbourne
Carlton
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,730 A$2,651
$1,206 A$1,848
43.43%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$19.1K A$29.3K
$11.8K A$18K
62.54%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Melbourne
Carlton
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$67.8 A$104
$67.5 A$103
0.49%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.7 A$82.2
$53.9 A$82.5
-0.35%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 A$165
$76 A$116
41.61%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$106 A$162
$106 A$163
-0.09%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Melbourne
Carlton
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,548 A$2,371
$1,285 A$1,969
20.40%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,228 A$1,881
$1,130 A$1,732
8.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,973 A$4,555
$1,983 A$3,039
49.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,956 A$2,997
$1,603 A$2,456
22.01%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,110 A$10.9K
$4,621 A$7,080
53.84%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,790 A$8,871
$4,207 A$6,445
37.63%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Melbourne
Carlton
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,045 A$6,198
$5,605 A$8,587
-27.82%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.19
6.19
-

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 28, 2025

Last update for Carlton: October 29, 2025

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