Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Carlton

For one person, living is cheaper in Carlton: $2,328 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 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
112

Cost of Living Index in Carlton
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Carlton Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Carlton

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,328

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Carlton

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $2,328 in Carlton.

Melbourne $2,849
Carlton $2,328

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $3,353 in Carlton.

Melbourne $4,274
Carlton $3,353

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $4,379 in Carlton.

Melbourne $5,699
Carlton $4,379

Living in Melbourne is roughly 22% more expensive than in Carlton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Carlton 71% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.89

$17.33 A$24.65

0.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$69.1 A$98.3

22.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.31

$10.28 A$14.62

18.39%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.79

$3.03 A$4.31

34.32%

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

$3.18 A$4.52

$2.70 A$3.84

17.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.55

$2.05 A$2.91

21.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.61

$6.69 A$9.51

43.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.73

$6.60 A$9.39

25.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.14

$1.30 A$1.85

15.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.22

$2.08 A$2.96

42.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.82

$1.39 A$1.98

92.81%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.76

$3.41 A$4.84

59.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.24

$10.40 A$14.79

2.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.29

$9.96 A$14.17

0.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.33

$14.94 A$21.25

0.40%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.79

$3.31 A$4.71

22.96%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.46

$2.76 A$3.93

13.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.44

$3.27 A$4.66

-4.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.73

$4.77 A$6.79

-0.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.24

$2.41 A$3.42

23.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.55

$2.17 A$3.09

14.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.53

$2.25 A$3.20

10.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.28

$0.90 A$1.28

77.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.5

$25.30 A$35.98

76.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.04

$10.61 A$15.09

19.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.89

$5.57 A$7.92

-0.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.37

$5.28 A$7.51

-1.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.46

$3.08 A$4.38

24.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$197

$82.7 A$118

67.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.20

$3.67 A$5.22

18.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$1.24 A$1.76

10.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.28

$26.46 A$37.64

12.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.11

$1.29 A$1.84

15.50%

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

$29.1K A$41.4K

$18.2K A$25.9K

59.50%

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

$25.7K A$36.5K

$14.0K A$20.0K

82.74%

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

$236 A$335

$93.2 A$133

152.94%

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

$28.01 A$39.84

$28.34 A$40.30

-1.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.4

$46.79 A$66.6

22.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.8

$31.85 A$45.30

51.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.53

$17.90 A$25.46

19.89%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.13

$13.46 A$19.14

31.28%

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

$2,461 A$3,500

$2,108 A$2,998

16.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.2K

$12.4K A$17.6K

139.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$116

$80.0 A$114

1.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.1

$51.0 A$72.5

-3.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$170

$69.7 A$99.1

71.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$132 A$187

-0.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,422

$1,409 A$2,005

20.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,004

$1,235 A$1,756

14.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,972

$2,220 A$3,158

57.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,594

$1,837 A$2,612

37.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

$5,665 A$8,057

40.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,814

$4,619 A$6,569

49.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,055

$5,904 A$8,398

-27.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Last update for Carlton: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Carlton

$1.2K 53.1% 12.3% $174

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Carlton

$340 14.6% 12.1% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Carlton

$168 7.2% 47.6% $153

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Carlton

$272 11.7% 13.1% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Carlton

$150 6.4% 12.8% $22

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Carlton

$105 4.5% 36.5% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Carlton

$59 2.5% 29.8% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $1,409 in Carlton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Carlton pays 39% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $69 in Carlton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $386 vs $340 per month, with Carlton cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Carlton

🕒 Local time

15:40 3:40 PM

Same time as Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

19,001

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Carlton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,849 in Melbourne and $2,328 in Carlton, so Carlton is about 18% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 28% lower in Melbourne. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,703 in Melbourne versus $1,409 in Carlton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,461 in Melbourne versus $2,108 in Carlton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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

Expats usually find Carlton gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.