Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Coffs Harbour

For one person, living is cheaper in Coffs Harbour: $2,468 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
118

Cost of Living Index in Coffs Harbour
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Coffs Harbour Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Coffs Harbour

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,468

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Coffs Harbour

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $2,468 in Coffs Harbour.

Melbourne $2,849
Coffs Harbour $2,468

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

Melbourne $4,274
Coffs Harbour $3,579

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $4,690 in Coffs Harbour.

Melbourne $5,699
Coffs Harbour $4,690

Living in Melbourne is roughly 15% more expensive than in Coffs Harbour, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Coffs Harbour 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.98

$14.25 A$20.34

22.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$104 A$148

-18.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.37

$8.87 A$12.67

37.20%

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

$2.86 A$4.09

11.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.56

$1.95 A$2.78

28.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.66

$5.37 A$7.67

78.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.78

$5.48 A$7.83

50.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.15

$1.52 A$2.17

-1.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.24

$2.64 A$3.76

12.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.83

$2.40 A$3.42

11.67%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.78

$3.36 A$4.80

62.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.29

$8.69 A$12.41

23.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.34

$7.11 A$10.15

41.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.41

$13.76 A$19.65

9.01%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.81

$3.98 A$5.68

2.26%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.48

$3.09 A$4.41

1.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.45

$3.47 A$4.96

-10.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.75

$4.16 A$5.93

13.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.25

$1.43 A$2.04

108.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.56

$2.44 A$3.49

2.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.54

$2.52 A$3.60

-1.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.28

$2.37 A$3.38

-32.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.7

$32.01 A$45.68

39.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.10

$14.22 A$20.29

-10.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.91

$6.05 A$8.63

-8.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.40

$6.63 A$9.46

-21.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.48

$4.72 A$6.74

-18.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.22

$2.11 A$3.01

106.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.95

$1.59 A$2.27

-13.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.43

$35.69 A$50.9

-16.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.12

$1.32 A$1.88

12.88%

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

$29.1K A$41.5K

$28.9K A$41.3K

0.49%

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

$25.7K A$36.6K

$26.7K A$38.1K

-3.84%

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

$236 A$336

$175 A$249

34.87%

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

$28.01 A$39.98

$10.59 A$15.11

164.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.7

$53.9 A$76.9

6.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$69.1

$108 A$154

-55.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.64

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.22

$13.45 A$19.20

31.38%

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

$2,461 A$3,513

$2,183 A$3,116

12.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.4K

$11.8K A$16.8K

152.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$116

$77.2 A$110

5.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.3

$53.5 A$76.4

-7.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$171

$103 A$146

16.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$187

$124 A$176

5.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,430

$1,399 A$1,997

21.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,011

$1,302 A$1,858

8.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,989

$2,111 A$3,013

65.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,606

$1,945 A$2,776

29.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.4K

$3,566 A$5,089

123.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,849

$3,623 A$5,172

90.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,076

$3,275 A$4,674

29.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.69

3.69%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Last update for Coffs Harbour: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Coffs Harbour

$1.3K 52.7% 7.6% $107

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Coffs Harbour

$360 14.6% 6.8% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Coffs Harbour

$239 9.7% 25.5% $82

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Coffs Harbour

$243 9.8% 22.2% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Coffs Harbour

$161 6.5% 6.3% $11

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Coffs Harbour

$29 * 1.2% 82.5% $136

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Coffs Harbour

$135 5.5% 60.8% $51

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $1,399 in Coffs Harbour. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 30% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $104 in Coffs Harbour. Groceries flip the comparison at $386 vs $360, with Coffs Harbour cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Coffs Harbour

🕒 Local time

09:51 9:51 AM

Same time as Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

78,759

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.701 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

1 AUD = 0.701 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Coffs Harbour 1,120 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Coffs Harbour

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 Coffs Harbour: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Coffs Harbour is about 13% cheaper overall, especially in transport, eating out, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 30% higher in Melbourne, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,703 in Melbourne versus $1,399 in Coffs Harbour. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,849 per month in Melbourne versus $2,468 in Coffs Harbour – Coffs Harbour is about 13% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

It comes down to priorities – Coffs Harbour wins on affordability, Melbourne on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.