Comparación del coste de vida entre Melbourne y Carlton Comparación del coste de vida entre Melbourne y Carlton

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,465 in Melbourne versus $2,166 in Carlton.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,636 in Melbourne versus $3,100 in Carlton.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,806 in Melbourne versus $4,034 in Carlton.

Living in Melbourne is roughly 14% more expensive than Carlton, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 84% above, Carlton 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.34 A$27.07

$19.76 A$27.67

-2.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.4 A$110

$65.7 A$92.0

19.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.03 A$14.04

$9.48 A$13.28

5.80%

Cappuccino

$3.62 A$5.07

$2.75 A$3.84

31.64%

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

$2.61 A$3.66

$2.46 A$3.44

6.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 A$3.23

$1.89 A$2.65

22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.43 A$10.40

$6.11 A$8.55

21.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 A$10.07

$6.25 A$8.74

15.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 A$2.04

$1.06 A$1.49

37.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.66 A$3.72

$1.76 A$2.47

51.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.25

$1.59 A$2.22

45.91%

Eggs

$4.68 A$6.56

$2.98 A$4.17

57.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 A$12.87

$9.01 A$12.62

2.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 A$13.10

$9.53 A$13.34

-1.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 A$20.56

$14.61 A$20.46

0.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.21 A$4.49

$3.32 A$4.65

-3.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.78 A$3.90

$2.57 A$3.59

8.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 A$4.14

$2.99 A$4.19

-1.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.09 A$5.73

$3.94 A$5.52

3.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.70 A$3.78

$2.29 A$3.21

17.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 A$3.29

$2.12 A$2.96

10.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 A$3.10

$2.16 A$3.02

2.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 A$2.32

$1.33 A$1.87

24.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$32.79 A$45.91

$28.38 A$39.74

15.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.59 A$20.42

$10.72 A$15.01

36.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.72 A$6.61

$4.50 A$6.30

4.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 A$7.13

$5.08 A$7.11

0.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.61 A$5.05

$2.86 A$4.01

26.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$118 A$165

$51.7 A$72.4

127.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.68 A$5.15

$3.66 A$5.12

0.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 A$1.95

$1.33 A$1.86

4.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.58 A$38.61

$24.30 A$34.02

13.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 A$1.66

$1.18 A$1.65

0.85%

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

$29.3K A$41.0K

$23.4K A$32.8K

25.17%

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

$23.7K A$33.2K

$13.0K A$18.2K

81.80%

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

$152 A$212

$74.5 A$104

103.53%

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

$21.15 A$29.62

$20.74 A$29.04

1.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.94 A$69.9

$43.22 A$60.5

15.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.19 A$68.9

$45.79 A$64.1

7.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.15 A$22.62

$17.87 A$25.02

-9.63%

Cinema Ticket

$15.99 A$22.38

$11.51 A$16.11

38.92%

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

$1,756 A$2,458

$1,209 A$1,693

45.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.2K A$26.9K

$11.6K A$16.2K

66.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.9 A$93.6

$68.2 A$95.5

-1.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.9 A$75.5

$53.3 A$74.6

1.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 A$148

$75.1 A$105

41.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 A$144

$104 A$146

-1.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,568 A$2,196

$1,303 A$1,824

20.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,183 A$1,656

$1,119 A$1,566

5.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,038 A$4,254

$1,970 A$2,758

54.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,022 A$2,831

$1,619 A$2,267

24.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,557 A$10.6K

$6,695 A$9,373

12.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,527 A$9,138

$4,849 A$6,789

34.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,490 A$6,287

$5,923 A$8,292

-24.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.19

Los datos de CityCost se basan en IA y aportaciones de usuarios. Puede haber pequeñas variaciones.

Última actualización para Melbourne: April 25, 2026

Última actualización para Carlton: April 28, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,568 in Melbourne and $1,303 in Carlton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Carlton pays 32% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $78.0 in Melbourne vs $66.0 in Carlton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $357 vs $319 per month, with Carlton cheaper across the board.

Comparación de velocidades medias de internet por ciudad (actualizado April 2026)

El gráfico resalta el umbral de precisión para velocidades de internet móvil y fija, actualizado trimestralmente.

Índice del coste de vida para nómadas digitales

Melbourne vs Carlton: Coste de vida - preguntas frecuentes

Melbourne and Carlton differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($2,465 vs $2,166 including rent). Carlton is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, Carlton earns 32% less. 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: $1,568 in Melbourne versus $1,303 in Carlton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,756 in Melbourne versus $1,209 in Carlton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,166 in Carlton versus $2,465 in Melbourne, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Carlton but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Carlton the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Carlton gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.