Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Geraldton

For one person, living is cheaper in Geraldton: $2,504 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Geraldton
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Geraldton Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Geraldton

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,504

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Geraldton

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

A single person spends $2,849 per month in Melbourne vs $2,504 in Geraldton, rent included.

Melbourne $2,849
Geraldton $2,504

A couple spends around $4,274 per month in Melbourne vs $3,618 in Geraldton, rent included.

Melbourne $4,274
Geraldton $3,618

A family of three spends $5,699 per month in Melbourne vs $4,732 in Geraldton, rent included.

Melbourne $5,699
Geraldton $4,732

Melbourne costs about 14% more than Geraldton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Melbourne and Geraldton sit above the global median – Melbourne by 109%, Geraldton by 84%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.86

$15.24 A$21.65

14.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$84.1 A$120

0.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.29

$10.92 A$15.52

11.45%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.79

$4.11 A$5.84

-0.97%

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

$3.18 A$4.52

$2.95 A$4.20

7.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.55

$2.36 A$3.36

5.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.60

$7.53 A$10.71

27.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.72

$7.44 A$10.57

10.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.14

$1.52 A$2.16

-1.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.22

$2.74 A$3.90

8.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.81

$2.23 A$3.17

20.18%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.75

$5.15 A$7.32

5.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.22

$8.91 A$12.66

20.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.28

$9.44 A$13.41

6.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.31

$16.64 A$23.64

-9.86%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.78

$3.68 A$5.23

10.60%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.46

$3.10 A$4.41

1.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.43

$3.20 A$4.54

-2.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.72

$4.76 A$6.76

-0.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.23

$2.63 A$3.73

13.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.55

$2.49 A$3.54

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.53

$2.41 A$3.42

2.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.27

$1.58 A$2.25

1.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.4

$41.78 A$59.4

6.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.02

$13.82 A$19.64

-8.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.88

$4.13 A$5.87

34.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.37

$5.28 A$7.50

-1.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.45

$2.68 A$3.80

43.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$197

$82.6 A$117

68.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.19

$3.71 A$5.28

17.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$1.80 A$2.56

-23.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.23

$45.10 A$64.1

-34.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.11

$1.48 A$2.10

0.68%

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

$29.1K A$41.3K

$31.3K A$44.5K

-7.18%

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

$25.7K A$36.5K

$26.7K A$37.9K

-3.79%

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

$236 A$335

$204 A$290

15.50%

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

$28.01 A$39.80

$27.36 A$38.87

2.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.3

$57.6 A$81.9

-0.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.8

$48.50 A$68.9

-0.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.50

$18.28 A$25.97

17.40%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.10

$15.72 A$22.34

12.40%

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

$2,461 A$3,497

$1,841 A$2,616

33.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.2K

$17.7K A$25.2K

67.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$115

$67.2 A$95.5

20.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.0

$57.8 A$82.2

-14.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$170

$102 A$144

17.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$126 A$179

3.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,419

$1,417 A$2,013

20.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,002

$1,222 A$1,737

15.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,967

$2,242 A$3,186

55.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,590

$1,851 A$2,631

36.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

$5,661 A$8,044

40.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,805

$4,640 A$6,592

48.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,049

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 Geraldton: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Geraldton

$1.2K 48.8% 13.2% $187

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Geraldton

$370 14.8% 4.3% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Geraldton

$289 11.5% 9.9% $32

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Geraldton

$278 11.1% 11.1% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Geraldton

$159 6.3% 7.4% $13

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Geraldton

$106 4.2% 35.9% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Geraldton

$80 3.2% 4.5% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,703 in Melbourne versus $1,417 in Geraldton. 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 $84 in Melbourne versus $84 in Geraldton. Groceries tell a different story – $386 in Melbourne vs $370 in Geraldton – so Geraldton wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Geraldton

🕒 Local time

02:43 2:43 AM

23:43 11:43 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

32,717

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Geraldton 2,980 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Geraldton

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 Geraldton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne, $2,504 in Geraldton – roughly 14% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,273 per month in Melbourne and $3,755 in Geraldton. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Geraldton, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,417 there versus $1,703 in Melbourne.

Public transport costs about 40% less in Geraldton. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Melbourne, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

Families tend to lean toward Geraldton – 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.