Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Cranbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Cranbourne: $2,367 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 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
120

Cost of Living Index in Cranbourne
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Cranbourne Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Cranbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,367

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Cranbourne

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $2,367 in Cranbourne.

Melbourne $2,849
Cranbourne $2,367

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $3,551 in Cranbourne.

Melbourne $4,274
Cranbourne $3,551

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $4,736 in Cranbourne.

Melbourne $5,699
Cranbourne $4,736

Living in Melbourne is roughly 20% more expensive than in Cranbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Cranbourne 74% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.98

$8.67 A$12.37

101.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$82.9 A$118

1.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.37

$12.43 A$17.74

-2.09%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.82

$2.64 A$3.77

54.17%

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

$3.18 A$4.54

$2.84 A$4.05

11.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.56

$1.60 A$2.28

56.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.66

$7.17 A$10.24

33.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.78

$7.33 A$10.46

12.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.15

$2.74 A$3.90

-45.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.24

$3.27 A$4.67

-9.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.83

$3.89 A$5.55

-31.11%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.78

$4.93 A$7.03

10.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.29

$10.31 A$14.72

3.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.34

$10.76 A$15.36

-6.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.41

$12.29 A$17.55

22.05%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.81

$3.29 A$4.69

23.71%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.48

$3.31 A$4.73

-5.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.45

$4.02 A$5.73

-22.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.75

$3.59 A$5.13

31.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.25

$3.37 A$4.81

-11.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.56

$2.29 A$3.27

8.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.54

$1.54 A$2.19

61.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.28

$1.59 A$2.28

0.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.7

$50.6 A$72.2

-11.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.10

$22.63 A$32.30

-43.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.91

$8.81 A$12.58

-37.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.40

$5.15 A$7.35

0.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.48

$1.36 A$1.94

182.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$198

$83.3 A$119

66.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.22

$6.56 A$9.37

-33.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.95

$1.46 A$2.09

-6.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.43

$24.56 A$35.05

21.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.12

$1.28 A$1.83

16.41%

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

$29.1K A$41.5K

$29.8K A$42.5K

-2.41%

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

$25.7K A$36.6K

$26.8K A$38.3K

-4.30%

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

$236 A$336

$268 A$382

-11.93%

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

$28.01 A$39.98

$27.95 A$39.90

0.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.7

$23.09 A$32.96

147.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$69.1

$38.77 A$55.3

24.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.64

$18.10 A$25.83

18.56%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.22

$9.17 A$13.09

92.69%

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

$2,461 A$3,513

$1,940 A$2,769

26.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.4K

$21.4K A$30.6K

38.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$116

$76.1 A$109

6.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.3

$27.75 A$39.60

77.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$171

$107 A$153

11.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$187

$124 A$178

5.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,430

$1,287 A$1,837

32.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,011

$1,104 A$1,576

27.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,989

$2,158 A$3,080

61.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,606

$1,972 A$2,815

28.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.4K

$5,985 A$8,543

33.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,849

$4,241 A$6,053

62.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,076

$1,737 A$2,479

145.13%

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 Cranbourne: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Cranbourne

$1.1K 46.7% 21.6% $305

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Cranbourne

$427 18% 10.5% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Cranbourne

$319 13.5% 0.7% $2.3

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Cranbourne

$207 8.7% 33.9% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Cranbourne

$151 6.4% 12% $21

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Cranbourne

$103 4.3% 37.9% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Cranbourne

$57 2.4% 31.8% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $1,287 in Cranbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $83 in Cranbourne. Groceries flip the comparison at $386 vs $427, with Melbourne cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Cranbourne

🕒 Local time

02:11 2:11 AM

Same time as Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

21,281

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.701 USD

1 AUD = 0.628 EUR

1 AUD = 0.701 USD

1 AUD = 0.628 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Cranbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,849 in Melbourne and $2,367 in Cranbourne, so Cranbourne is about 17% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Melbourne is about 2.5 times higher, 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 $1,287 in Cranbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Melbourne pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $2,849 per month in Melbourne versus $2,367 in Cranbourne – Cranbourne is about 17% 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 Cranbourne are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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