Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Feilding

For one person, living is cheaper in Feilding: $1,771 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Feilding
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Feilding Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Feilding

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Feilding

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $1,771 in Feilding, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Feilding $1,771

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $2,775 in Feilding, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Feilding $2,775

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $3,780 in Feilding, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Feilding $3,780

Melbourne costs about 59% more than Feilding, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Melbourne and Feilding sit above the global median – Melbourne by 109%, Feilding by 31%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$12.80 NZ$22.64

36.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$60.6 NZ$107

39.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$9.77 NZ$17.28

27.53%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$3.71 NZ$6.56

10.78%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$1.83 NZ$3.24

67.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$1.96 NZ$3.46

28.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$6.95 NZ$12.28

41.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$6.12 NZ$10.83

40.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.58 NZ$2.80

-6.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.71 NZ$3.03

71.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.46 NZ$2.58

82.19%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$6.24 NZ$11.04

-11.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$7.64 NZ$13.51

37.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$8.29 NZ$14.66

16.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$14.95 NZ$26.44

1.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.68 NZ$4.74

48.88%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.94 NZ$3.43

55.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.88 NZ$5.10

7.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$6.19 NZ$10.95

-22.13%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.19 NZ$3.87

38.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.62 NZ$2.86

50.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$2.31 NZ$4.08

6.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$1.08 NZ$1.91

50.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$24.89 NZ$44.02

77.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$9.72 NZ$17.19

30.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.93 NZ$5.18

89.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$3.81 NZ$6.74

37.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$1.48 NZ$2.61

152.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$72.2 NZ$128

90.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$2.33 NZ$4.12

93.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$1.93 NZ$3.41

-29.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$26.76 NZ$47.32

13.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.81 NZ$3.20

-18.78%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$28.4K NZ$50.2K

2.15%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$25.7K NZ$45.5K

2.88%

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

$234 A$336

$103 NZ$183

126.46%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$25.16 NZ$44.49

11.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$54.8 NZ$97.0

1.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$33.01 NZ$58.4

49.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$11.97 NZ$21.18

26.07%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$716 NZ$1,266

231.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$14.6K NZ$25.9K

106.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$67.1 NZ$119

19.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$39.53 NZ$69.9

28.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$105 NZ$185

15.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$99.3 NZ$176

31.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$1,010 NZ$1,785

74.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$749 NZ$1,324

85.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,711 NZ$3,026

104.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$1,457 NZ$2,577

71.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$4,214 NZ$7,453

64.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$3,260 NZ$5,765

97.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.57

5.92%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Feilding: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Feilding

$749 42.3% 46.1% $641

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Feilding

$314 17.7% 18.2% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Feilding

$183 10.3% 42.3% $134

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Feilding

$238 13.5% 24.2% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Feilding

$140 7.9% 18.7% $32

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Feilding

$90 5.1% 45% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Feilding

$57 3.2% 28.4% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in Melbourne versus $1,010 in Feilding. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Melbourne versus $61.0 in Feilding. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $314 – making Feilding the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇳🇿 Feilding

🕒 Local time

05:36 5:36 AM

07:36 7:36 AM

2 h ahead of Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

17,350

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Feilding 2,640 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Feilding

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 Feilding: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne costs about 59% more than Feilding, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,231 per month in Melbourne and $2,657 in Feilding. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Feilding, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Melbourne, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Melbourne and $61.0 in Feilding. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Feilding, where all-in costs run around $1,771, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Feilding it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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