Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Fox Glacier

For one person, living is cheaper in Fox Glacier: $1,727 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 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 Fox Glacier
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Fox Glacier Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Fox Glacier

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,727

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Fox Glacier

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $1,727 in Fox Glacier.

Melbourne $2,821
Fox Glacier $1,727

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $2,835 in Fox Glacier.

Melbourne $4,235
Fox Glacier $2,835

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $3,942 in Fox Glacier.

Melbourne $5,650
Fox Glacier $3,942

Living in Melbourne is roughly 63% more expensive than in Fox Glacier, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Fox Glacier 28% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$13.32 NZ$23.55

30.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$67.9 NZ$120

24.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$8.34 NZ$14.75

49.40%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.98 NZ$5.27

37.92%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$2.21 NZ$3.90

38.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$1.94 NZ$3.43

29.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$5.44 NZ$9.62

80.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$6.46 NZ$11.42

32.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.97 NZ$3.49

-24.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.92 NZ$3.40

53.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.87 NZ$3.31

42.25%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$6.59 NZ$11.66

-15.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$8.57 NZ$15.16

22.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$9.56 NZ$16.91

0.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$12.70 NZ$22.46

19.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.26 NZ$3.99

76.55%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.90 NZ$3.35

58.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.89 NZ$5.11

7.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$5.41 NZ$9.56

-10.91%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.83 NZ$3.24

65.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.42 NZ$2.51

71.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$2.17 NZ$3.84

13.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.91 NZ$1.60

79.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$23.67 NZ$41.86

86.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$10.13 NZ$17.91

25.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$3.15 NZ$5.57

75.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$3.10 NZ$5.48

68.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$1.56 NZ$2.75

139.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$76.2 NZ$135

80.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$2.54 NZ$4.49

77.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$1.83 NZ$3.24

-25.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$31.31 NZ$55.4

-2.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.48 NZ$2.61

-0.68%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$28.5K NZ$50.5K

1.66%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$21.9K NZ$38.8K

20.62%

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

$234 A$336

$107 NZ$189

118.52%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$27.78 NZ$49.14

0.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$50.4 NZ$89.1

10.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$41.29 NZ$73.0

19.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$9.70 NZ$17.15

55.57%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$629 NZ$1,112

276.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$18.4K NZ$32.6K

63.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$61.9 NZ$109

29.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$36.19 NZ$64.0

40.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$104 NZ$183

16.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$119 NZ$211

9.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$971 NZ$1,716

81.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$703 NZ$1,243

97.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,594 NZ$2,819

119.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$1,576 NZ$2,786

58.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$5,130 NZ$9,072

35.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$3,096 NZ$5,476

108.14%

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 Fox Glacier: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Fox Glacier

$703 40.7% 49.4% $687

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Fox Glacier

$316 18.3% 17.8% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Fox Glacier

$185 10.7% 41.7% $132

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Fox Glacier

$224 13% 28.8% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Fox Glacier

$144 8.4% 15.9% $27

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Fox Glacier

$94 5.5% 42.5% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Fox Glacier

$61 3.5% 23.8% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $971 in Fox Glacier. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $68.0 in Fox Glacier for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $316 per month, with Fox Glacier cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇳🇿 Fox Glacier

🕒 Local time

18:20 6:20 PM

20:20 8:20 PM

2 h ahead of Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

300

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 →

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Melbourne Fox Glacier 2,210 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
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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 Fox Glacier: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Fox Glacier differ by about 63% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $1,727 including rent). Fox Glacier is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $4,231 in Melbourne and $2,591 in Fox Glacier 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: $1,759 in Melbourne versus $971 in Fox Glacier. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Fox Glacier runs roughly 80% less than in Melbourne. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $629 in Fox Glacier. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,727 in Fox Glacier versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Fox Glacier but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Fox Glacier 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 Fox Glacier 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 Fox Glacier gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.