Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Esperance

For one person, living is cheaper in Esperance: $2,558 a month against $2,823 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

136

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Esperance
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Esperance Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,823

/mo nomad

Esperance

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,558

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Esperance

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

A single person spends $2,823 per month in Melbourne vs $2,558 in Esperance, rent included.

Melbourne $2,823
Esperance $2,558

A couple spends around $4,253 per month in Melbourne vs $3,665 in Esperance, rent included.

Melbourne $4,253
Esperance $3,665

A family of three spends $5,683 per month in Melbourne vs $4,771 in Esperance, rent included.

Melbourne $5,683
Esperance $4,771

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.34 A$24.88

$17.24 A$24.73

0.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.7 A$119

$83.5 A$120

-0.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.63 A$18.12

$10.46 A$15.01

20.75%

Cappuccino

$4.22 A$6.06

$4.03 A$5.78

4.71%

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

$3.12 A$4.47

$2.93 A$4.20

6.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 A$3.56

$2.21 A$3.17

12.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.69 A$13.90

$7.74 A$11.10

25.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.30 A$11.91

$7.50 A$10.76

10.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.16

$1.57 A$2.26

-4.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 A$4.41

$2.68 A$3.84

14.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 A$3.79

$2.34 A$3.35

12.82%

Eggs

$5.58 A$8.00

$5.00 A$7.17

11.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.78 A$14.04

$9.52 A$13.65

2.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 A$13.66

$9.42 A$13.51

1.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.18 A$21.78

$15.05 A$21.60

0.86%

Apples (1kg)

$4.22 A$6.06

$3.84 A$5.51

9.90%

Banana (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.49

$3.03 A$4.34

3.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 A$4.65

$3.29 A$4.72

-1.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.71 A$6.75

$4.59 A$6.59

2.61%

Potato (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.49

$2.74 A$3.93

14.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.46 A$3.53

$2.48 A$3.55

-0.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 A$3.44

$2.41 A$3.46

-0.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.56 A$2.24

-5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.76 A$61.4

$42.02 A$60.3

1.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.90 A$18.51

$13.99 A$20.07

-7.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.53 A$7.93

$4.79 A$6.87

15.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.40

$5.14 A$7.38

0.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.79 A$5.44

$2.78 A$4.00

36.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$141 A$203

$83.9 A$120

68.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.75 A$5.39

$3.56 A$5.11

5.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 A$2.07

$1.59 A$2.28

-9.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.93 A$41.51

$39.58 A$56.8

-26.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.08

$1.36 A$1.95

6.62%

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

$29.6K A$42.4K

$29.4K A$42.1K

0.76%

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

$26.3K A$37.7K

$25.9K A$37.2K

1.18%

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

$229 A$328

$206 A$296

10.91%

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

$26.76 A$38.39

$27.93 A$40.07

-4.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.5 A$82.6

$57.5 A$82.4

0.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.77 A$71.4

$56.1 A$80.4

-11.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.45 A$30.77

$17.91 A$25.69

19.77%

Cinema Ticket

$17.43 A$25.01

$14.11 A$20.24

23.53%

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

$2,435 A$3,493

$2,167 A$3,108

12.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.6K A$48.2K

$20.7K A$29.7K

62.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 A$115

$78.6 A$113

2.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.5 A$73.9

$53.9 A$77.3

-4.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$108 A$155

12.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$192

$122 A$175

9.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,748 A$2,508

$1,413 A$2,028

23.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,386 A$1,989

$1,251 A$1,795

10.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,468 A$4,975

$2,252 A$3,231

53.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,520 A$3,615

$1,844 A$2,646

36.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,274 A$11.9K

$5,806 A$8,330

42.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,066 A$10.1K

$4,967 A$7,127

42.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,206 A$6,035

$3,547 A$5,089

18.57%

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 Esperance: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.1%

Esperance

$1.3K 48.9% 9.8% $135

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$383 13.6%

Esperance

$370 14.5% 3.4% $13

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Esperance

$292 11.4% 7.3% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$313 11.1%

Esperance

$292 11.4% 6.8% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$174 6.2%

Esperance

$163 6.4% 6.2% $11

Getting Around

Melbourne

$167 5.9%

Esperance

$107 4.2% 36.4% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$85 3%

Esperance

$84 3.3% 0.4% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,748 in Melbourne versus $1,413 in Esperance. 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 19% higher in Melbourne. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83 in Melbourne versus $84 in Esperance. Groceries tell a different story – $383 in Melbourne vs $370 in Esperance – so Esperance wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Esperance

🕒 Local time

21:17 9:17 PM

18:17 6:17 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

10,218

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.697 USD

1 AUD = 0.622 EUR

1 AUD = 0.697 USD

1 AUD = 0.622 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Esperance 2,120 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Esperance

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 Esperance: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,823 in Melbourne, $2,558 in Esperance – Esperance 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 $3,838 in Esperance. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Esperance, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,413 there versus $1,748 in Melbourne.

Public transport costs about 41% less in Esperance. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Melbourne, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Esperance – 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 Esperance. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Melbourne makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.