Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Grafton

For one person, living is cheaper in Grafton: $2,560 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Grafton
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Grafton Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Grafton

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,560

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Grafton

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $2,560 in Grafton.

Melbourne $2,849
Grafton $2,560

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $3,538 in Grafton.

Melbourne $4,274
Grafton $3,538

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $4,515 in Grafton.

Melbourne $5,699
Grafton $4,515

Living in Melbourne is roughly 11% more expensive than in Grafton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Grafton 88% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.86

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$73.1 A$104

15.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.29

$11.41 A$16.21

6.66%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.79

$3.47 A$4.94

17.29%

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

$3.18 A$4.52

$2.74 A$3.89

16.06%

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

$8.58 A$12.19

11.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.72

$8.50 A$12.08

-2.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.14

$1.14 A$1.62

31.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.22

$2.67 A$3.80

11.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.81

$2.31 A$3.28

16.02%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.75

$3.57 A$5.07

52.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.22

$9.04 A$12.85

18.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.28

$7.86 A$11.17

27.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.31

$14.00 A$19.90

7.14%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.78

$2.73 A$3.88

49.08%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.46

$1.38 A$1.96

127.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.43

$3.01 A$4.28

3.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.72

$4.83 A$6.86

-2.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.23

$2.11 A$3.00

41.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.55

$2.29 A$3.26

8.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.53

$1.72 A$2.44

44.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.27

$1.09 A$1.55

46.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.4

$29.82 A$42.37

49.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.02

$12.65 A$17.97

0.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.88

$5.45 A$7.75

1.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.37

$4.88 A$6.94

6.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.45

$2.97 A$4.22

29.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$197

$82.9 A$118

67.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.19

$3.04 A$4.31

43.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$1.85 A$2.63

-25.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.23

$41.17 A$58.5

-27.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.11

$1.28 A$1.81

16.41%

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

$29.1K A$41.3K

$29.7K A$42.2K

-1.99%

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

$25.7K A$36.5K

$24.4K A$34.7K

5.19%

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

$236 A$335

$163 A$232

44.18%

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

$28.01 A$39.80

$26.20 A$37.23

6.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.3

$49.97 A$71.0

14.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.8

$55.4 A$78.8

-12.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.50

$20.42 A$29.01

5.09%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.10

$12.04 A$17.10

46.76%

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

$2,461 A$3,497

$697 A$990

253.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.2K

$3,204 A$4,552

827.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$115

$85.1 A$121

-4.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.0

$44.18 A$62.8

11.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$170

$114 A$162

5.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$110 A$156

19.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,419

$1,379 A$1,960

23.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,002

$1,358 A$1,929

3.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,967

$2,572 A$3,655

35.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,590

$1,825 A$2,593

38.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

$6,229 A$8,850

28.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,805

$4,510 A$6,408

53.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,049

$2,467 A$3,506

72.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.81

1.55%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Last update for Grafton: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Grafton

$1.4K 53% 3.6% $51

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Grafton

$321 12.6% 16.8% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Grafton

$240 9.4% 25.3% $81

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Grafton

$296 11.6% 5.2% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Grafton

$159 6.2% 7.5% $13

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Grafton

$107 4.2% 35.2% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Grafton

$79 3.1% 5.1% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $1,379 in Grafton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 73% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $73 in Grafton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $386 vs $321 per month, with Grafton cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Grafton

🕒 Local time

07:28 7:28 AM

Same time as Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

19,255

💱 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

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Melbourne Grafton 1,170 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Grafton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,849 in Melbourne and $2,560 in Grafton, so Grafton is about 10% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 73% 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: $1,703 in Melbourne versus $1,379 in Grafton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

Dining out is cheaper in Grafton – a meal for two runs $73 versus $84 in Melbourne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 Grafton are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Grafton gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.