Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Charleville

For one person, living is cheaper in Charleville: $2,667 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Melbourne, Australia
Charleville, Australia
Melbourne
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,849
/mo nomad
Charleville
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,667
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Charleville

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $2,667 in Charleville.

  • Melbourne $2,849
  • Charleville $2,667

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $3,579 in Charleville.

  • Melbourne $4,274
  • Charleville $3,579

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $4,492 in Charleville.

  • Melbourne $5,699
  • Charleville $4,492

Living in Melbourne is roughly 7% more expensive than in Charleville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Charleville 96% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Melbourne
Charleville
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.50 A$24.99
$15.93 A$22.75
9.86%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$84.3 A$120
$75.9 A$108
11.01%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.17 A$17.38
$9.62 A$13.74
26.51%
Cappuccino
$4.07 A$5.82
$3.77 A$5.39
7.96%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.18 A$4.54
$2.81 A$4.01
13.17%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.50 A$3.57
$2.23 A$3.19
12.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.57 A$13.67
$8.37 A$11.96
14.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.25 A$11.78
$7.18 A$10.26
14.90%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Melbourne
Charleville
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.50 A$2.15
$1.46 A$2.09
2.74%
White Bread (500g)
$2.97 A$4.24
$2.81 A$4.02
5.69%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.68 A$3.83
$2.12 A$3.03
26.42%
Eggs
$5.45 A$7.79
$4.65 A$6.64
17.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.71 A$15.30
$8.74 A$12.48
22.54%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.05 A$14.35
$10.52 A$15.02
-4.47%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.00 A$21.42
$15.35 A$21.92
-2.28%
Apples (1kg)
$4.07 A$5.81
$3.54 A$5.05
14.97%
Banana (1kg)
$3.14 A$4.48
$3.34 A$4.78
-5.99%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.12 A$4.45
$3.61 A$5.16
-13.57%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.73 A$6.76
$5.02 A$7.17
-5.78%
Potato (1kg)
$2.98 A$4.26
$2.63 A$3.76
13.31%
Onion (1kg)
$2.49 A$3.56
$2.79 A$3.99
-10.75%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.48 A$3.54
$2.68 A$3.83
-7.46%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.60 A$2.28
$1.65 A$2.35
-3.03%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$44.65 A$63.8
$47.11 A$67.3
-5.22%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.68 A$18.11
$13.54 A$19.34
-6.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$5.55 A$7.92
$5.34 A$7.62
3.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.18 A$7.40
$5.72 A$8.16
-9.44%
🚌 Getting Around
Melbourne
Charleville
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.84 A$5.48
$2.44 A$3.49
57.38%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$139 A$198
$84.6 A$121
63.88%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.36 A$6.22
$3.06 A$4.36
42.48%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.37 A$1.95
$1.42 A$2.03
-3.52%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.72 A$42.45
$42.01 A$60.0
-29.25%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.49 A$2.12
$1.50 A$2.14
-0.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.1K A$41.5K
$31.7K A$45.3K
-8.26%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.7K A$36.7K
$25.1K A$35.9K
2.18%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Melbourne
Charleville
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$236 A$337
$210 A$300
12.17%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.01 A$40.01
$26.08 A$37.25
7.40%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$57.2 A$81.7
$49.76 A$71.1
15.01%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Melbourne
Charleville
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.39 A$69.1
$57.4 A$82.0
-15.68%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.46 A$30.65
$16.05 A$22.92
33.71%
Cinema Ticket
$17.67 A$25.23
$14.95 A$21.35
18.19%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Melbourne
Charleville
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,461 A$3,515
$2,123 A$3,032
15.92%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$29.7K A$42.4K
$20.8K A$29.7K
42.96%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Melbourne
Charleville
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$81.2 A$116
$80.0 A$114
1.46%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.28 A$70.4
$57.8 A$82.5
-14.67%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$120 A$171
$98.8 A$141
20.90%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$131 A$187
$113 A$161
16.05%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Melbourne
Charleville
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,703 A$2,432
$1,435 A$2,049
18.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,409 A$2,012
$1,372 A$1,960
2.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,496 A$4,992
$2,550 A$3,642
37.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,527 A$3,608
$1,631 A$2,330
54.87%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,978 A$11.4K
$5,919 A$8,453
34.79%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,900 A$9,854
$5,396 A$7,706
27.88%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Melbourne
Charleville
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,257 A$6,079
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.9
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 Charleville: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Melbourne
$1.4K
Charleville
$1.4K 2.6% $36
Groceries & Markets
Melbourne
$386
Charleville
$381 1.4% $5.4
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Melbourne
$321
Charleville
$286 10.9% $35
Eating Out
Melbourne
$312
Charleville
$278 11% $34
Clothing & Footwear
Melbourne
$171
Charleville
$157 8.3% $14
Getting Around
Melbourne
$165
Charleville
$105 36.7% $61
Sport & Entertainment
Melbourne
$84
Charleville
$87 4.3% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $1,435 in Charleville. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $76 in Charleville for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $386 vs $381 per month, with Charleville cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇦🇺 Melbourne
🇦🇺 Charleville
🕒 Local time
20:30 8:30 PM
19:30 7:30 PM
1 h behind Melbourne
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
5,031,195
3,300
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.7 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Melbourne Charleville 1,270 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Melbourne
  • Charleville

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 Charleville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Charleville cheaper than Melbourne?
Charleville is about 6% cheaper overall, especially in transport, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $4,273 in Melbourne and $4,000 in Charleville to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Melbourne and Charleville?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,703 in Melbourne versus $1,435 in Charleville. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $2,461 in Melbourne versus $2,123 in Charleville. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Melbourne or in Charleville?
Dining out is cheaper in Charleville – a meal for two runs $76 versus $84 in Melbourne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $2,500 enough to cover costs in Melbourne or in Charleville?
Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Charleville is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Is it better to live in Melbourne or in Charleville?
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.
Which city is safer, Melbourne or Charleville?
Safety-wise, Melbourne and Charleville are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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