Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Castle Hill

For one person, living is cheaper in Castle Hill: $2,551 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 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
121

Cost of Living Index in Castle Hill
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Castle Hill Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Castle Hill

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,551

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Castle Hill

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

A single person spends $2,849 per month in Melbourne vs $2,551 in Castle Hill, rent included.

Melbourne $2,849
Castle Hill $2,551

A couple spends around $4,274 per month in Melbourne vs $3,579 in Castle Hill, rent included.

Melbourne $4,274
Castle Hill $3,579

A family of three spends $5,699 per month in Melbourne vs $4,606 in Castle Hill, rent included.

Melbourne $5,699
Castle Hill $4,606

Melbourne costs about 12% more than Castle Hill, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Melbourne and Castle Hill sit above the global median – Melbourne by 109%, Castle Hill by 87%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.86

$14.79 A$21.02

18.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$67.3 A$95.7

25.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.29

$10.51 A$14.93

15.79%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.79

$4.04 A$5.74

0.74%

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

$3.18 A$4.52

$2.82 A$4.01

12.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.55

$2.34 A$3.32

6.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.60

$7.52 A$10.69

27.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.72

$7.56 A$10.74

9.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.14

$1.57 A$2.23

-4.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.22

$2.42 A$3.43

22.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.81

$4.26 A$6.05

-37.09%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.75

$5.88 A$8.35

-7.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.22

$9.35 A$13.28

14.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.28

$9.20 A$13.08

9.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.31

$15.00 A$21.32

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.78

$3.89 A$5.53

4.63%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.46

$3.10 A$4.41

1.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.43

$3.18 A$4.51

-1.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.72

$4.70 A$6.67

0.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.23

$2.75 A$3.91

8.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.55

$2.40 A$3.42

3.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.53

$2.34 A$3.33

5.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.27

$1.50 A$2.14

6.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.4

$41.82 A$59.4

6.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.02

$14.55 A$20.68

-12.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.88

$4.81 A$6.84

15.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.37

$5.14 A$7.30

0.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.45

$2.81 A$4.00

36.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$197

$83.7 A$119

65.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.19

$3.26 A$4.63

33.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$1.54 A$2.19

-11.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.23

$43.75 A$62.2

-32.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.11

$1.23 A$1.75

21.14%

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

$29.1K A$41.3K

$31.3K A$44.5K

-7.08%

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

$25.7K A$36.5K

$26.4K A$37.4K

-2.61%

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

$236 A$335

$211 A$300

11.44%

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

$28.01 A$39.80

$28.13 A$39.97

-0.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.3

$56.3 A$80.0

1.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.8

$56.0 A$79.6

-13.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.50

$17.63 A$25.04

21.72%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.10

$14.07 A$19.99

25.59%

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

$2,461 A$3,497

$2,177 A$3,093

13.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.2K

$17.9K A$25.5K

65.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$115

$77.7 A$110

4.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.0

$54.1 A$76.8

-8.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$170

$109 A$155

9.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$122 A$174

6.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,419

$1,403 A$1,993

21.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,002

$1,253 A$1,780

12.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,967

$2,243 A$3,187

55.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,590

$1,786 A$2,538

41.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

$5,136 A$7,298

55.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,805

$4,537 A$6,447

52.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,049

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 Castle Hill: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Castle Hill

$1.3K 49.1% 11.1% $156

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Castle Hill

$378 14.8% 2.3% $8.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Castle Hill

$296 11.6% 7.8% $25

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Castle Hill

$272 10.7% 13.1% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Castle Hill

$163 6.4% 4.7% $8.1

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Castle Hill

$106 4.2% 35.9% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Castle Hill

$84 3.3% 0.5% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,703 in Melbourne versus $1,403 in Castle Hill. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84 in Melbourne versus $67 in Castle Hill. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $386 vs $378 – making Castle Hill the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Castle Hill

🕒 Local time

07:27 7:27 AM

Same time as Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

39,284

💱 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 Castle Hill 710 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Castle Hill

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 Castle Hill: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne, $2,551 in Castle Hill – Castle Hill comes out roughly 10% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,273 per month in Melbourne and $3,827 in Castle Hill. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Castle Hill, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,403 there versus $1,703 in Melbourne.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84 in Melbourne and $67 in Castle Hill. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 40% less in Castle Hill. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Families tend to lean toward Castle Hill – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.