Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Darwin Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Darwin

๐Ÿ™‚ Solo nomad: Melbourne is 8.3% cheaper than Darwin without rent, and 7.8% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Melbourne is 16.4% more expensive than Darwin without rent, and 7.9% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Melbourne
Darwin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.2 A$29.41
$17.59 A$26.95
9.15%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$78.6 A$120
$82.3 A$126
-4.58%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.02 A$15.35
$12.55 A$19.22
-20.16%
Cappuccino
$3.67 A$5.62
$3.45 A$5.29
6.38%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.54 A$3.89
$2.68 A$4.1
-5.22%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.28 A$3.49
$3.18 A$4.88
-28.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.28 A$11.15
$6.41 A$9.82
13.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.3 A$11.18
$7.85 A$12.02
-7.01%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Melbourne
Darwin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.44 A$2.2
$1.16 A$1.77
24.14%
White Bread (500g)
$2.63 A$4.02
$2.83 A$4.33
-7.07%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.27 A$3.48
$2.11 A$3.23
7.58%
Eggs
$4.86 A$7.45
$3.96 A$6.06
22.73%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.74 A$13.39
$9.7 A$14.86
-9.90%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.19 A$14.07
$8.2 A$12.56
12.07%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.95 A$22.9
$8.68 A$13.29
72.24%
Apples (1kg)
$3.33 A$5.1
$3.64 A$5.57
-8.52%
Banana (1kg)
$2.84 A$4.35
$2.81 A$4.31
1.07%
Oranges (1kg)
$3 A$4.6
$3.73 A$5.72
-19.57%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.95 A$6.05
$4.35 A$6.67
-9.20%
Potato (1kg)
$2.67 A$4.09
$3.15 A$4.83
-15.24%
Onion (1kg)
$2.34 A$3.58
$2.26 A$3.46
3.54%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.15 A$3.3
$2.12 A$3.24
1.42%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.64 A$2.5
$2.38 A$3.65
-31.09%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$32.11 A$49.19
$25.27 A$38.72
27.07%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.13 A$20.11
$11.67 A$17.87
12.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.54 A$6.96
$9.48 A$14.52
-52.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.05 A$7.74
$7.09 A$10.86
-28.77%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Melbourne
Darwin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.67 A$5.62
$2.32 A$3.56
58.19%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$118 A$180
$44.45 A$68.1
164.99%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.65 A$5.6
$3.44 A$5.28
6.10%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.34 A$2.05
$1.14 A$1.74
17.54%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$27.26 A$41.77
$45.82 A$70.2
-40.51%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.19 A$1.82
$1.11 A$1.7
7.21%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.6K A$43.9K
$29.1K A$44.6K
-1.65%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K A$36K
$32.2K A$49.4K
-27.14%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Melbourne
Darwin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$150 A$230
$232 A$356
-35.26%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.8 A$31.86
$34.39 A$52.7
-39.52%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$51 A$78.2
$59.2 A$90.8
-13.84%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Melbourne
Darwin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.23 A$73.9
$74.2 A$114
-35.00%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.91 A$24.38
$15.96 A$24.45
-0.31%
Cinema Ticket
$16.53 A$25.32
$15.87 A$24.31
4.16%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Melbourne
Darwin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,730 A$2,651
$1,535 A$2,352
12.74%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$19.1K A$29.3K
$7,749 A$11.9K
146.96%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Melbourne
Darwin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$67.8 A$104
$78.9 A$121
-14.08%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.7 A$82.2
$45 A$68.9
19.27%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 A$165
$104 A$159
3.91%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$106 A$162
$132 A$203
-19.88%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Melbourne
Darwin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,548 A$2,371
$1,603 A$2,456
-3.45%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,228 A$1,881
$1,305 A$1,999
-5.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,973 A$4,555
$2,723 A$4,172
9.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,956 A$2,997
$2,282 A$3,496
-14.27%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,110 A$10.9K
$2,542 A$3,895
179.66%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,790 A$8,871
$4,377 A$6,706
32.28%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Melbourne
Darwin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,045 A$6,198
$3,240 A$4,963
24.88%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.19
6.4
-3.28%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Melbourne: October 28, 2025

Last update for Darwin: October 28, 2025

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