Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Forbes

For one person, living is cheaper in Forbes: $2,543 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Forbes
Learn more

Forbes Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Forbes

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,543

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Forbes

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $2,543 in Forbes.

Melbourne $2,849
Forbes $2,543

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $3,751 in Forbes.

Melbourne $4,274
Forbes $3,751

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $4,958 in Forbes.

Melbourne $5,699
Forbes $4,958

Living in Melbourne is roughly 12% more expensive than in Forbes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Forbes 87% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.79

$15.91 A$22.54

9.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$119

$94.9 A$134

-11.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.24

$11.31 A$16.02

7.60%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.77

$3.52 A$4.99

15.63%

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

$3.18 A$4.50

$2.99 A$4.23

6.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.54

$2.37 A$3.36

5.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.56

$6.98 A$9.89

37.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.69

$7.40 A$10.49

11.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.13

$1.69 A$2.40

-11.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.21

$2.42 A$3.43

22.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.80

$2.14 A$3.03

25.23%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.73

$5.00 A$7.08

9.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.18

$10.16 A$14.40

5.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.24

$9.52 A$13.49

5.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.25

$13.72 A$19.43

9.33%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.76

$3.78 A$5.35

7.67%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.44

$3.01 A$4.26

4.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.42

$3.55 A$5.04

-12.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.70

$4.92 A$6.97

-3.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.22

$2.50 A$3.54

19.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.53

$2.55 A$3.62

-2.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.52

$2.28 A$3.23

8.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.27

$1.45 A$2.06

10.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.3

$46.43 A$65.8

-3.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$17.96

$12.36 A$17.51

2.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.86

$4.75 A$6.73

16.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.35

$5.80 A$8.21

-10.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.44

$2.66 A$3.76

44.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$196

$78.5 A$111

76.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.17

$3.70 A$5.25

17.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$1.72 A$2.44

-20.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.11

$45.70 A$64.7

-34.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.10

$1.25 A$1.78

19.20%

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

$29.1K A$41.2K

$33.8K A$47.9K

-13.99%

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

$25.7K A$36.4K

$28.1K A$39.9K

-8.80%

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

$236 A$334

$195 A$276

20.91%

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

$28.01 A$39.68

$23.66 A$33.52

18.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.1

$53.4 A$75.6

7.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.6

$59.1 A$83.7

-18.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.41

$19.72 A$27.93

8.82%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.03

$12.05 A$17.07

46.64%

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

$2,461 A$3,486

$2,301 A$3,259

6.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.1K

$21.3K A$30.2K

39.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$115

$80.6 A$114

0.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$69.8

$56.7 A$80.4

-13.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$169

$117 A$165

2.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$124 A$175

5.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,412

$1,558 A$2,207

9.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$1,996

$1,278 A$1,810

10.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,952

$2,463 A$3,488

41.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,579

$2,041 A$2,892

23.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

$5,228 A$7,405

52.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,775

$5,146 A$7,290

34.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,030

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 Forbes: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Forbes

$1.3K 50.3% 9.3% $131

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Forbes

$364 14.3% 5.8% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Forbes

$272 10.7% 15.3% $49

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Forbes

$275 10.8% 12.1% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Forbes

$170 6.7% 0.8% $1.4

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Forbes

$101 4% 38.6% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Forbes

$83 3.3% 0.6% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $1,558 in Forbes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $95 in Forbes. Groceries flip the comparison at $386 vs $364, with Forbes cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Forbes

🕒 Local time

18:31 6:31 PM

Same time as Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

8,481

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.633 EUR

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.633 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Forbes 560 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Forbes

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 Forbes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,849 in Melbourne and $2,543 in Forbes, so Forbes is about 11% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $4,273 in Melbourne and $3,814 in Forbes 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 $1,558 in Forbes. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,849 per month in Melbourne versus $2,543 in Forbes – Forbes is about 11% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Forbes runs roughly 43% less than in Melbourne. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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 Forbes are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.