Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Fort St John, BC

For one person, living is cheaper in Fort St John, BC: $1,949 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 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
94

Cost of Living Index in Fort St John, BC
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Fort St John, BC Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Fort St John, BC

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Fort St John, BC

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 Fort St John, BC actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,853 in Melbourne versus $1,949 in Fort St John, BC.

Melbourne $2,853
Fort St John, BC $1,949

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,275 in Melbourne versus $3,002 in Fort St John, BC.

Melbourne $4,275
Fort St John, BC $3,002

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,697 in Melbourne versus $4,055 in Fort St John, BC.

Melbourne $5,697
Fort St John, BC $4,055

Living in Melbourne is roughly 46% more expensive than in Fort St John, BC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 111% above, Fort St John, BC 44% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.20 A$24.75

$17.70 CA$25.02

-2.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 A$120

$42.02 CA$59.4

97.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 A$17.88

$9.35 CA$13.22

32.94%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.82

$3.89 CA$5.49

4.11%

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

$3.12 A$4.50

$1.82 CA$2.58

71.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.22 CA$1.73

101.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.52 A$13.71

$6.19 CA$8.75

53.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.74

$4.51 CA$6.38

80.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.25

$3.34 CA$4.72

-53.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.18

$2.79 CA$3.94

3.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$3.66 CA$5.17

-27.32%

Eggs

$5.37 A$7.72

$4.18 CA$5.90

28.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 A$15.36

$12.02 CA$16.99

-11.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 A$14.17

$13.69 CA$19.36

-28.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 A$22.11

$18.57 CA$26.26

-17.29%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$6.00

$5.73 CA$8.10

-27.23%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$0.73 CA$1.03

331.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 A$4.69

$3.77 CA$5.33

-13.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.85

$3.61 CA$5.11

31.86%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.41

$2.82 CA$3.98

8.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.55

$2.76 CA$3.90

-10.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.52

$2.14 CA$3.03

14.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$2.52 CA$3.57

-35.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.17 A$65.0

$14.36 CA$20.29

214.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.25

$21.42 CA$30.29

-40.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.69 A$8.18

$4.85 CA$6.85

17.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.53

$5.60 CA$7.91

-6.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 A$5.57

$1.44 CA$2.03

168.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$204

$28.86 CA$40.80

391.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 A$6.53

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.04

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.59 A$44.01

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.25 CA$1.76

17.60%

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

$28.9K A$41.5K

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

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

$235 A$338

$126 CA$178

86.91%

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

$27.45 A$39.51

$101 CA$142

-72.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$80.8

$61.0 CA$86.2

-7.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 A$72.1

$13.48 CA$19.06

271.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.49 A$30.93

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 A$25.56

$10.56 CA$14.94

68.18%

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

$2,385 A$3,432

$697 CA$985

242.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 A$114

$71.2 CA$101

11.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.49 A$71.2

$47.43 CA$67.0

4.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$170

$105 CA$148

12.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$143 CA$202

-7.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 A$2,537

$733 CA$1,036

140.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 A$2,031

$709 CA$1,002

99.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,522 A$5,069

$1,542 CA$2,180

128.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 A$3,634

$1,394 CA$1,971

81.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,136 A$10.3K

$1,291 CA$1,824

452.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,355 A$9,144

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,258 A$6,128

$3,094 CA$4,374

37.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

6.1

-3.28%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 17, 2026

Last update for Fort St John, BC: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5%

Fort St John, BC

$709 36.4% 49.8% $702

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$388 13.6%

Fort St John, BC

$450 23.1% 15.9% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$319 11.2%

Fort St John, BC

$287 14.7% 9.9% $31

Eating Out

Melbourne

$310 10.9%

Fort St John, BC

$268 13.8% 13.3% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Fort St John, BC

$165 8.5% 3.3% $5.6

Getting Around

Melbourne

$169 5.9%

Fort St John, BC

$35 * 1.8% 79.5% $134

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$86 3%

Fort St John, BC

$35 1.8% 59.6% $51

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,763 in Melbourne and $733 in Fort St John, BC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 38% 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: $83.0 in Melbourne vs $42.00 in Fort St John, BC. Groceries flip the comparison at $388 vs $450, with Melbourne cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇦 Fort St John, BC

🕒 Local time

23:46 11:46 PM

05:46 5:46 AM

18 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

18,609

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Fort St John, BC 13,660 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Fort St John, BC

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 Fort St John, BC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fort St John, BC is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and transport. The 46% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 38% higher in Melbourne, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,763 in Melbourne versus $733 in Fort St John, BC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Fort St John, BC – a meal for two runs $42.00 versus $83.0 in Melbourne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,853 per month in Melbourne versus $1,949 in Fort St John, BC – a 46% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,949 in Fort St John, BC versus $2,853 in Melbourne, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Fort St John, BC but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Fort St John, BC 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 Fort St John, BC 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 Fort St John, BC gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.