Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Dargaville

For one person, living is cheaper in Dargaville: $2,134 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Dargaville
Learn more

Dargaville Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Dargaville

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,134

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Dargaville

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $2,134 in Dargaville.

Melbourne $2,849
Dargaville $2,134

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $3,019 in Dargaville.

Melbourne $4,274
Dargaville $3,019

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $3,904 in Dargaville.

Melbourne $5,699
Dargaville $3,904

Living in Melbourne is roughly 34% more expensive than in Dargaville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Dargaville 57% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.86

$14.54 NZ$25.92

20.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$68.9 NZ$123

22.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.29

$9.05 NZ$16.13

34.48%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.79

$3.69 NZ$6.58

10.30%

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

$3.18 A$4.52

$2.18 NZ$3.89

45.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.55

$2.09 NZ$3.73

19.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.60

$6.31 NZ$11.24

51.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.72

$5.63 NZ$10.04

46.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.14

$2.05 NZ$3.65

-26.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.22

$1.96 NZ$3.49

51.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.81

$1.52 NZ$2.71

76.32%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.75

$6.70 NZ$11.94

-18.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.22

$8.49 NZ$15.14

26.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.28

$10.47 NZ$18.66

-4.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.31

$12.69 NZ$22.62

18.20%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.78

$2.65 NZ$4.72

53.58%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.46

$2.14 NZ$3.81

46.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.43

$2.92 NZ$5.20

6.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.72

$5.86 NZ$10.45

-19.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.23

$1.73 NZ$3.08

72.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.55

$1.38 NZ$2.46

80.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.53

$2.49 NZ$4.43

-0.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.27

$1.18 NZ$2.10

35.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.4

$26.67 NZ$47.54

67.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.02

$10.24 NZ$18.26

23.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.88

$3.02 NZ$5.38

83.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.37

$3.13 NZ$5.57

65.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.45

$1.89 NZ$3.37

103.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$197

$115 NZ$205

20.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.19

$2.42 NZ$4.31

80.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$1.81 NZ$3.22

-24.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.23

$26.35 NZ$46.96

12.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.11

$1.49 NZ$2.66

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

$29.1K A$41.3K

$25.5K NZ$45.4K

14.20%

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

$25.7K A$36.5K

$23.7K NZ$42.2K

8.29%

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

$236 A$335

$128 NZ$228

84.01%

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

$28.01 A$39.80

$29.15 NZ$52.0

-3.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.3

$51.3 NZ$91.4

11.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.8

$38.91 NZ$69.4

24.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.50

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.10

$11.48 NZ$20.45

53.92%

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

$2,461 A$3,497

$659 NZ$1,174

273.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.2K

$14.6K NZ$26.1K

103.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$115

$67.3 NZ$120

20.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.0

$39.09 NZ$69.7

26.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$170

$90.9 NZ$162

31.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$115 NZ$205

13.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,419

$1,125 NZ$2,006

51.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,002

$1,011 NZ$1,802

39.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,967

$1,404 NZ$2,503

148.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,590

$1,352 NZ$2,409

86.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

$4,216 NZ$7,514

89.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,805

$3,111 NZ$5,544

121.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,049

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.83

1.20%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Last update for Dargaville: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Dargaville

$1K 47.4% 28.2% $398

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Dargaville

$330 15.5% 14.7% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Dargaville

$209 9.8% 35% $112

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Dargaville

$248 11.6% 20.7% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Dargaville

$141 6.6% 18% $31

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Dargaville

$134 6.3% 18.7% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Dargaville

$62 2.9% 26.1% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $1,125 in Dargaville. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $69 in Dargaville for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $386 vs $330 per month, with Dargaville cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇳🇿 Dargaville

🕒 Local time

00:54 12:54 AM

02:54 2:54 AM

2 h ahead of Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

4,600

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Dargaville 2,570 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Dargaville

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 Dargaville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Dargaville differ by about 34% in total monthly costs ($2,849 vs $2,134 including rent). Dargaville is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $4,273 in Melbourne and $3,201 in Dargaville 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,703 in Melbourne versus $1,125 in Dargaville. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,461 in Melbourne versus $659 in Dargaville. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

For families, Dargaville is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Melbourne, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Melbourne and Dargaville are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Dargaville gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.