Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Erdenet

For one person, living is cheaper in Erdenet: $377 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $29,700 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Erdenet
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Erdenet Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Erdenet

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$377

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Erdenet

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,852 in Melbourne versus $377 in Erdenet.

Melbourne $2,852
Erdenet $377

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,297 in Melbourne versus $617 in Erdenet.

Melbourne $4,297
Erdenet $617

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,742 in Melbourne versus $858 in Erdenet.

Melbourne $5,742
Erdenet $858

Living in Melbourne is roughly 656% more expensive than in Erdenet, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 113% above, Erdenet is 72% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.75 A$25.40

$4.08 MNT 14.7K

335.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.8 A$121

$27.28 MNT 98.0K

210.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 A$17.40

$4.08 MNT 14.7K

198.04%

Cappuccino

$3.93 A$5.62

$2.29 MNT 8,214

71.62%

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

$3.14 A$4.49

$0.66 MNT 2,373

375.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.47

$0.40 MNT 1,454

507.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.90 A$14.17

$1.70 MNT 6,100

482.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.29 A$11.86

$1.63 MNT 5,840

408.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.21

$1.01 MNT 3,627

53.47%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 A$4.31

$0.91 MNT 3,281

230.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.12

$2.85 MNT 10.3K

1.05%

Eggs

$5.44 A$7.79

$2.02 MNT 7,270

169.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.59 A$15.16

$7.05 MNT 25.3K

50.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 A$13.76

$6.78 MNT 24.4K

41.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.99 A$21.46

$4.54 MNT 16.3K

230.18%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 A$5.94

$2.24 MNT 8,038

85.27%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.37

$1.68 MNT 6,054

81.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 A$4.72

$1.63 MNT 5,857

102.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.81

$1.37 MNT 4,925

247.45%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.34

$1.43 MNT 5,136

112.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.65

$0.85 MNT 3,040

200.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.55

$1.41 MNT 5,071

75.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.33

$0.98 MNT 3,539

66.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.1

$2.83 MNT 10.2K

1457.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.43 A$17.79

$5.67 MNT 20.4K

119.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.33 A$7.63

$1.62 MNT 5,830

229.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.38

$1.65 MNT 5,938

212.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.50

$0.15 MNT 549

2460.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$203

$19.59 MNT 70.4K

622.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 A$6.29

$0.61 MNT 2,209

621.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.43 MNT 1,546

225.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.83 A$42.69

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 A$2.09

$0.75 MNT 2,689

94.67%

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

$28.1K A$40.3K

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

$25.9K A$37.1K

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

$233 A$333

$57.7 MNT 207.4K

303.00%

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

$27.28 A$39.04

$2.86 MNT 10.3K

853.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$81.6

$14.06 MNT 50.5K

305.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 A$75.4

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.62 A$32.37

Cinema Ticket

$17.10 A$24.48

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

$2,373 A$3,397

$281 MNT 1.0M

745.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K A$43.6K

$2,474 MNT 8.9M

1131.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.2 A$112

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 A$72.2

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$172

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$191

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 A$2,451

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 A$2,006

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,339 A$4,778

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 A$3,619

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,018 A$10.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,767 A$9,685

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,228 A$6,051

$218 MNT 782.9K

1840.64%

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 6, 2026

Last update for Erdenet: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Erdenet

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$385 13.5%

Erdenet

$188 50.3% 51.1% $197

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.1%

Erdenet

$75 20% 76.5% $242

Eating Out

Melbourne

$314 11%

Erdenet

$88 23.6% 71.9% $226

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Erdenet

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Melbourne

$168 5.9%

Erdenet

$23 6.1% 86.4% $145

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$87 3.1%

Erdenet

- * 0% 100%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Melbourne pays 1841% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $27.00 in Erdenet for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $188 per month, with Erdenet cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇲🇳 Erdenet

🕒 Local time

22:13 10:13 PM

19:13 7:13 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

86,866

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Mongolian Tögrög MNT ₮

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.48 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MNT, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

Mongolian Tögrög exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,593 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD). 1 EUR = 4,026 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.48 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Erdenet 10,460 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Erdenet

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 Erdenet: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Erdenet differ by about 656% in total monthly costs ($2,852 vs $377 including rent). Erdenet is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1841% higher in Melbourne, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $2,373 in Melbourne versus $281 in Erdenet. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 105% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $377 in Erdenet versus $2,852 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Erdenet but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Erdenet the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Erdenet 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 Erdenet gentler on the wallet – expenses run 656% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.