Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Darwin

For one person, living is cheaper in Melbourne: $2,849 a month against $3,073 in Darwin, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Darwin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
148

Cost of Living Index in Darwin
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Darwin Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Darwin

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,073

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Darwin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $3,073 in Darwin.

Melbourne $2,849
Darwin $3,073

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $4,118 in Darwin.

Melbourne $4,274
Darwin $4,118

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $5,163 in Darwin.

Melbourne $5,699
Darwin $5,163

Living in Melbourne costs roughly 7% less than in Darwin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Darwin 126% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.88

$22.40 A$31.85

-21.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$90.7 A$129

-7.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.30

$11.36 A$16.16

7.13%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.79

$4.23 A$6.01

-3.78%

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

$3.18 A$4.52

$3.46 A$4.92

-8.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.55

$3.01 A$4.28

-16.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.61

$7.57 A$10.76

26.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.73

$7.57 A$10.77

8.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.14

$1.54 A$2.19

-2.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.22

$3.04 A$4.32

-2.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.82

$2.20 A$3.13

21.82%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.76

$4.47 A$6.35

21.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.23

$8.92 A$12.68

20.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.29

$8.31 A$11.82

20.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.33

$8.85 A$12.58

69.49%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.79

$3.85 A$5.47

5.71%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.46

$2.88 A$4.10

9.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.43

$2.80 A$3.98

11.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.73

$5.03 A$7.15

-5.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.24

$2.55 A$3.62

16.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.55

$2.30 A$3.27

8.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.53

$2.06 A$2.93

20.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.27

$2.17 A$3.09

-26.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.5

$45.35 A$64.5

-1.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.03

$12.15 A$17.28

4.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.89

$10.13 A$14.40

-45.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.37

$7.87 A$11.19

-34.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.46

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$197

$48.37 A$68.8

186.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.20

$3.69 A$5.25

18.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$1.35 A$1.91

1.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.26

$48.52 A$69.0

-38.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.11

$1.33 A$1.89

12.03%

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

$29.1K A$41.4K

$30.0K A$42.6K

-2.91%

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

$25.7K A$36.5K

$33.4K A$47.5K

-23.11%

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

$236 A$335

$215 A$305

9.85%

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

$28.01 A$39.83

$33.49 A$47.61

-16.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.4

$60.9 A$86.7

-6.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.8

$73.0 A$104

-33.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.52

$28.22 A$40.13

-23.95%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.12

$16.99 A$24.16

4.00%

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

$2,461 A$3,499

$1,939 A$2,756

26.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.2K

$8,442 A$12.0K

251.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$115

$85.2 A$121

-4.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.1

$46.52 A$66.2

5.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$170

$106 A$150

13.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$138 A$196

-4.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,421

$1,719 A$2,444

-0.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,003

$1,709 A$2,430

-17.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,971

$2,803 A$3,985

24.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,593

$2,124 A$3,021

18.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

$3,771 A$5,363

111.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,812

$3,536 A$5,028

95.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,053

$4,223 A$6,005

0.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

6.14

-3.91%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Last update for Darwin: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Darwin

$1.7K 55.6% 21.3% $300

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Darwin

$377 12.3% 2.3% $9.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Darwin

$309 10.1% 3.7% $12

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Darwin

$343 11.2% 9.7% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Darwin

$169 5.5% 1.5% $2.6

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Darwin

$59 * 1.9% 64.4% $106

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Darwin

$107 3.5% 27.7% $23

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 $1,719 in Darwin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $91 in Darwin. Groceries flip the comparison at $386 vs $377, with Darwin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Darwin

🕒 Local time

01:02 1:02 AM

23:32 11:32 PM

1 h 30 min behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

122,207

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Darwin 3,150 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Darwin

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 Darwin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and utilities. The 8% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $4,273 in Melbourne and $4,609 in Darwin 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 $1,719 in Darwin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Darwin runs roughly 65% less than in Melbourne. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $2,849 per month in Melbourne versus $3,073 in Darwin – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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