Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Dubbo

For one person, living is cheaper in Dubbo: $2,561 a month against $2,823 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

136

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Dubbo
Learn more

Dubbo Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,823

/mo nomad

Dubbo

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,561

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Dubbo

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

A single person spends $2,823 per month in Melbourne vs $2,561 in Dubbo, rent included.

Melbourne $2,823
Dubbo $2,561

A couple spends around $4,253 per month in Melbourne vs $3,660 in Dubbo, rent included.

Melbourne $4,253
Dubbo $3,660

A family of three spends $5,683 per month in Melbourne vs $4,760 in Dubbo, rent included.

Melbourne $5,683
Dubbo $4,760

Melbourne costs about 10% more than Dubbo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Melbourne and Dubbo sit above the global median – Melbourne by 109%, Dubbo by 89%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.34 A$24.82

$17.55 A$25.12

-1.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.7 A$118

$85.3 A$122

-3.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.63 A$18.08

$10.43 A$14.93

21.09%

Cappuccino

$4.22 A$6.04

$4.06 A$5.81

3.94%

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

$3.12 A$4.46

$2.87 A$4.11

8.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 A$3.55

$2.21 A$3.16

12.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.69 A$13.87

$7.65 A$10.96

26.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.30 A$11.88

$7.71 A$11.03

7.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.15

$1.56 A$2.23

-3.85%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 A$4.40

$2.77 A$3.96

11.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 A$3.78

$2.20 A$3.15

20.00%

Eggs

$5.58 A$7.98

$4.82 A$6.91

15.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.78 A$14.01

$9.22 A$13.19

6.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 A$13.63

$9.11 A$13.04

4.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.18 A$21.73

$14.65 A$20.97

3.62%

Apples (1kg)

$4.22 A$6.04

$3.43 A$4.90

23.03%

Banana (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.48

$3.77 A$5.40

-16.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 A$4.64

$2.88 A$4.12

12.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.71 A$6.74

$5.86 A$8.39

-19.62%

Potato (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.48

$2.50 A$3.58

25.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.46 A$3.52

$2.43 A$3.47

1.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 A$3.44

$2.33 A$3.33

3.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.70 A$2.43

-13.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.76 A$61.2

$32.07 A$45.91

33.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.90 A$18.47

$13.80 A$19.75

-6.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.53 A$7.91

$4.68 A$6.70

18.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.38

$4.86 A$6.96

6.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.79 A$5.43

$2.79 A$4.00

35.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$141 A$202

$85.0 A$122

66.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.75 A$5.37

$3.60 A$5.16

4.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 A$2.07

$1.62 A$2.32

-11.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.93 A$41.42

$40.33 A$57.7

-28.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.07

$1.22 A$1.75

18.85%

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

$29.6K A$42.3K

$29.1K A$41.7K

1.50%

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

$26.3K A$37.6K

$26.1K A$37.3K

0.75%

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

$229 A$328

$206 A$295

11.01%

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

$26.76 A$38.31

$27.38 A$39.19

-2.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.5 A$82.4

$82.7 A$118

-30.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.77 A$71.3

$57.2 A$81.9

-13.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.45 A$30.70

$18.09 A$25.90

18.57%

Cinema Ticket

$17.43 A$24.96

$14.07 A$20.14

23.88%

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

$2,435 A$3,485

$2,166 A$3,101

12.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.6K A$48.1K

$20.2K A$28.9K

66.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 A$115

$78.4 A$112

2.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.5 A$73.7

$54.3 A$77.7

-5.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$107 A$154

12.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$191

$122 A$175

9.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,748 A$2,503

$963 A$1,379

81.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,386 A$1,984

$1,222 A$1,749

13.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,468 A$4,964

$1,588 A$2,274

118.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,520 A$3,607

$1,784 A$2,553

41.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,274 A$11.8K

$1,718 A$2,459

381.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,066 A$10.1K

$4,949 A$7,085

42.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,206 A$6,021

$2,176 A$3,115

93.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.97

5.9

1.19%

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

Last update for Melbourne: November 1, 2026

Last update for Dubbo: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.1%

Dubbo

$1.2K 47.7% 11.9% $164

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$383 13.6%

Dubbo

$372 14.5% 2.9% $11

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Dubbo

$294 11.5% 6.5% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$313 11.1%

Dubbo

$316 12.4% 1% $3

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$174 6.2%

Dubbo

$163 6.4% 6.2% $11

Getting Around

Melbourne

$167 5.9%

Dubbo

$108 4.2% 35.6% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$85 3%

Dubbo

$85 3.3% 0.8% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,748 in Melbourne versus $963 in Dubbo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 93% higher in Melbourne. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83 in Melbourne versus $85 in Dubbo. Groceries tell a different story – $383 in Melbourne vs $372 in Dubbo – so Dubbo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Dubbo

🕒 Local time

06:10 6:10 AM

Same time as Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

38,808

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Dubbo 700 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Dubbo

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 Dubbo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,823 in Melbourne, $2,561 in Dubbo – Dubbo comes out roughly 9% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,234 per month in Melbourne and $3,841 in Dubbo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dubbo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $963 there versus $1,748 in Melbourne.

Public transport costs about 40% less in Dubbo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 3% more in Melbourne, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Dubbo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Dubbo. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Melbourne makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.