Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Chattanooga, TN

For one person, living is cheaper in Chattanooga, TN: $2,611 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Chattanooga, TN
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Chattanooga, TN Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Chattanooga, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,611

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Chattanooga, TN

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

A single person spends $2,853 per month in Melbourne vs $2,611 in Chattanooga, TN, rent included.

Melbourne $2,853
Chattanooga, TN $2,611

A couple spends around $4,275 per month in Melbourne vs $3,850 in Chattanooga, TN, rent included.

Melbourne $4,275
Chattanooga, TN $3,850

A family of three spends $5,697 per month in Melbourne vs $5,089 in Chattanooga, TN, rent included.

Melbourne $5,697
Chattanooga, TN $5,089

Melbourne costs about 9% more than Chattanooga, TN, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Melbourne and Chattanooga, TN sit above the global median – Melbourne by 111%, Chattanooga, TN by 93%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.20 A$24.75

$19.63 $19.63

-12.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 A$120

$99.2 $99.2

-16.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 A$17.88

$11.15 $11.15

11.48%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.82

$5.35 $5.35

-24.30%

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

$3.12 A$4.50

$2.34 $2.34

33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.54

$2.08 $2.08

18.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.52 A$13.71

$6.14 $6.14

55.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.74

$7.49 $7.49

8.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.25

$1.12 $1.12

39.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.18

$3.60 $3.60

-19.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$3.98 $3.98

-33.17%

Eggs

$5.37 A$7.72

$4.19 $4.19

28.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 A$15.36

$14.24 $14.24

-25.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 A$14.17

$14.91 $14.91

-33.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 A$22.11

$13.45 $13.45

14.20%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$6.00

$6.41 $6.41

-34.95%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$1.66 $1.66

89.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 A$4.69

$4.24 $4.24

-23.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.85

$4.26 $4.26

11.74%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.41

$2.76 $2.76

10.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.55

$3.60 $3.60

-31.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.52

$2.69 $2.69

-8.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$2.72 $2.72

-40.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.17 A$65.0

$9.27 $9.27

387.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.25

$17.64 $17.64

-28.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.69 A$8.18

$2.01 $2.01

183.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.53

$3.25 $3.25

60.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 A$5.57

$1.94 $1.94

99.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$204

$49.71 $49.71

185.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 A$6.53

$5.14 $5.14

-11.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.04

$1.92 $1.92

-26.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.59 A$44.01

$30.07 $30.07

1.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$0.96 $0.96

53.13%

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

$28.9K A$41.5K

$27.6K $27.6K

4.65%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$26.6K $26.6K

-2.40%

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

$235 A$338

$159 $159

48.01%

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

$27.45 A$39.51

$82.9 $82.9

-66.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$80.8

$75.2 $75.2

-25.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 A$72.1

$39.22 $39.22

27.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.49 A$30.93

$3.95 $3.95

444.05%

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 A$25.56

$15.02 $15.02

18.24%

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

$2,385 A$3,432

$1,086 $1,086

119.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.7K

$24.7K $24.7K

20.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 A$114

$41.44 $41.44

91.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.49 A$71.2

$38.80 $38.80

27.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$170

$99.9 $99.9

18.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$118 $118

11.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 A$2,537

$1,707 $1,707

3.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 A$2,031

$1,272 $1,272

10.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,522 A$5,069

$3,190 $3,190

10.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 A$3,634

$1,984 $1,984

27.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,136 A$10.3K

$2,249 $2,249

217.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,355 A$9,144

$2,273 $2,273

179.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,258 A$6,128

$3,984 $3,984

6.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

6.63

-11.01%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 17, 2026

Last update for Chattanooga, TN: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5%

Chattanooga, TN

$1.3K 48.7% 9.9% $139

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$388 13.6%

Chattanooga, TN

$429 16.4% 10.3% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$319 11.2%

Chattanooga, TN

$317 12.1% 0.6% $1.8

Eating Out

Melbourne

$310 10.9%

Chattanooga, TN

$318 12.2% 2.7% $8.4

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Chattanooga, TN

$134 5.2% 21.3% $36

Getting Around

Melbourne

$169 5.9%

Chattanooga, TN

$72 2.8% 57.3% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$86 3%

Chattanooga, TN

$69 2.7% 19.1% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,763 in Melbourne versus $1,707 in Chattanooga, TN. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 7% higher in Melbourne, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83.0 in Melbourne versus $99.0 in Chattanooga, TN. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $388 vs $429 – making Melbourne the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇺🇸 Chattanooga, TN

🕒 Local time

23:31 11:31 PM

08:31 8:31 AM

15 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

176,588

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Chattanooga, TN 15,560 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Chattanooga, TN

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 Chattanooga, TN: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne costs about 9% more than Chattanooga, TN, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,280 per month in Melbourne and $3,917 in Chattanooga, TN. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chattanooga, TN, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,853 in Melbourne and $2,611 in Chattanooga, TN. That's a gap of about 9%.

Public transport costs about 186% less in Chattanooga, TN. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,853 in Melbourne and $2,611 in Chattanooga, TN. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chattanooga, TN. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Melbourne makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.