Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Derby, Australia

Name: Derby
Address: Derby, AU

For one person, living is cheaper in Derby: $2,353 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 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
122

Cost of Living Index in Derby
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Derby Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Derby

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,353

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Derby

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $2,353 in Derby.

Melbourne $2,849
Derby $2,353

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $3,668 in Derby.

Melbourne $4,274
Derby $3,668

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $4,983 in Derby.

Melbourne $5,699
Derby $4,983

Living in Melbourne is roughly 21% more expensive than in Derby, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Derby 73% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.86

$19.57 A$27.81

-10.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$83.3 A$118

1.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.29

$11.06 A$15.71

10.04%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.79

$4.55 A$6.47

-10.55%

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

$3.18 A$4.52

$2.82 A$4.01

12.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.55

$2.51 A$3.56

-0.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.60

$6.62 A$9.40

44.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.72

$8.46 A$12.02

-2.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.14

$1.33 A$1.89

12.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.22

$2.90 A$4.12

2.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.81

$2.22 A$3.16

20.72%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.75

$4.96 A$7.04

9.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.22

$8.02 A$11.40

33.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.28

$10.45 A$14.85

-3.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.31

$13.37 A$19.00

12.19%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.78

$3.94 A$5.60

3.30%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.46

$3.50 A$4.98

-10.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.43

$3.11 A$4.42

0.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.72

$4.32 A$6.14

9.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.23

$2.59 A$3.68

15.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.55

$2.74 A$3.89

-9.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.53

$2.22 A$3.16

11.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.27

$1.53 A$2.18

4.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.4

$38.60 A$54.9

15.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.02

$12.18 A$17.30

4.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.88

$4.95 A$7.04

12.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.37

$4.67 A$6.63

10.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.45

$2.66 A$3.78

44.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$197

$72.0 A$102

92.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.19

$4.03 A$5.72

8.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$1.60 A$2.27

-14.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.23

$36.43 A$51.8

-18.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.11

$1.37 A$1.94

8.76%

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

$29.1K A$41.3K

$25.6K A$36.3K

13.74%

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

$25.7K A$36.5K

$28.8K A$41.0K

-11.01%

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

$236 A$335

$184 A$262

27.99%

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

$28.01 A$39.80

$23.63 A$33.58

18.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.3

$53.0 A$75.3

8.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.8

$64.3 A$91.4

-24.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.50

$16.35 A$23.24

31.25%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.10

$14.87 A$21.13

18.83%

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

$2,461 A$3,497

$2,188 A$3,109

12.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.2K

$21.5K A$30.5K

38.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$115

$85.0 A$121

-4.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.0

$49.33 A$70.1

-0.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$170

$121 A$171

-0.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$130 A$185

0.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,419

$1,410 A$2,003

20.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,002

$1,054 A$1,497

33.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,967

$1,991 A$2,829

75.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,590

$2,040 A$2,898

23.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

$6,153 A$8,742

29.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,805

$5,074 A$7,210

35.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,049

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 Derby: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Derby

$1.1K 44.8% 25.2% $355

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Derby

$361 15.4% 6.5% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Derby

$261 11.1% 18.8% $60

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Derby

$316 13.4% 1% $3.2

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Derby

$173 7.4% 1.1% $1.9

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Derby

$95 4% 42.7% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Derby

$94 4% 12.3% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $1,410 in Derby. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $83 in Derby for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $386 vs $361 per month, with Derby cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Derby

🕒 Local time

05:40 5:40 AM

02:40 2:40 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

3,300

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Derby 3,090 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Derby

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 Derby: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Derby differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($2,849 vs $2,353 including rent). Derby 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 $3,530 in Derby 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 $1,410 in Derby. 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 $2,353 in Derby – a 21% 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 Derby are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.