Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Gaithersburg, MD

For one person, living costs are similar in Melbourne and in Gaithersburg, MD: $2,849 and $2,884 a month, rent and utilities included.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Gaithersburg, MD
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Gaithersburg, MD Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Gaithersburg, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,884

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Gaithersburg, MD

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $2,884 in Gaithersburg, MD.

Melbourne $2,849
Gaithersburg, MD $2,884

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $4,097 in Gaithersburg, MD.

Melbourne $4,274
Gaithersburg, MD $4,097

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $5,309 in Gaithersburg, MD.

Melbourne $5,699
Gaithersburg, MD $5,309

Monthly costs are close between Melbourne and Gaithersburg, MD; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Gaithersburg, MD 112% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.89

$19.62 $19.62

-10.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$89.2 $89.2

-5.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.31

$6.85 $6.85

77.66%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.79

$5.82 $5.82

-30.07%

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

$3.18 A$4.52

$2.77 $2.77

14.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.55

$2.49 $2.49

0.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.61

$7.97 $7.97

20.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.73

$8.60 $8.60

-4.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.14

$1.21 $1.21

23.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.22

$4.37 $4.37

-32.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.82

$5.39 $5.39

-50.28%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.76

$5.11 $5.11

6.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.24

$17.57 $17.57

-39.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.29

$15.78 $15.78

-36.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.33

$19.04 $19.04

-21.22%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.79

$4.77 $4.77

-14.68%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.46

$1.73 $1.73

81.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.44

$4.76 $4.76

-34.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.73

$5.27 $5.27

-10.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.24

$3.00 $3.00

-0.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.55

$2.01 $2.01

23.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.53

$2.09 $2.09

18.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.28

$2.56 $2.56

-37.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.5

$13.36 $13.36

234.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.04

$14.85 $14.85

-14.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.89

$1.76 $1.76

215.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.37

$2.81 $2.81

84.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.46

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$197

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.20

$4.07 $4.07

7.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$1.22 $1.22

12.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.28

$25.06 $25.06

18.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.11

$0.98 $0.98

52.04%

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

$29.1K A$41.4K

$27.3K $27.3K

6.40%

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

$25.7K A$36.5K

$26.2K $26.2K

-1.94%

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

$236 A$335

$161 $161

46.62%

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

$28.01 A$39.84

$51.1 $51.1

-45.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.4

$60.9 $60.9

-6.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.8

$32.27 $32.27

49.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.53

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.13

$16.91 $16.91

4.49%

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

$2,461 A$3,500

$1,834 $1,834

34.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.2K

$36.1K $36.1K

-17.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$116

$55.1 $55.1

47.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.1

$35.73 $35.73

37.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$170

$100 $100

18.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$122 $122

7.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,422

$1,803 $1,803

-5.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,004

$1,606 $1,606

-12.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,972

$2,442 $2,442

43.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,594

$2,354 $2,354

7.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

$2,452 $2,452

225.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,814

$2,566 $2,566

168.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,055

$5,307 $5,307

-19.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

6.79

-13.11%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Last update for Gaithersburg, MD: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Gaithersburg, MD

$1.6K 55.7% 14% $197

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Gaithersburg, MD

$462 16% 19.6% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Gaithersburg, MD

$273 9.5% 15% $48

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Gaithersburg, MD

$325 11.3% 4.2% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Gaithersburg, MD

$141 4.9% 17.7% $30

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Gaithersburg, MD

$10 * 0.4% 93.9% $155

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Gaithersburg, MD

$66 2.3% 21.1% $18

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 $1,703 in Melbourne and $1,803 in Gaithersburg, MD. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gaithersburg, MD pays 25% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $89 in Gaithersburg, MD for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $386 vs $462 per month, with Melbourne cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇺🇸 Gaithersburg, MD

🕒 Local time

18:02 6:02 PM

02:02 2:02 AM

16 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

69,657

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Gaithersburg, MD 16,380 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Gaithersburg, MD

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 Gaithersburg, MD: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 20% lower in Melbourne. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,703 in Melbourne versus $1,803 in Gaithersburg, MD. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,461 in Melbourne versus $1,834 in Gaithersburg, MD. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Gaithersburg, MD. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Melbourne wins on affordability, Gaithersburg, MD on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.