Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Greymouth

For one person, living is cheaper in Greymouth: $1,847 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 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
92

Cost of Living Index in Greymouth
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Greymouth Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Greymouth

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,847

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Greymouth

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $1,847 in Greymouth, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Greymouth $1,847

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $2,772 in Greymouth, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Greymouth $2,772

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $3,696 in Greymouth, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Greymouth $3,696

Melbourne costs about 53% more than Greymouth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Melbourne and Greymouth sit above the global median – Melbourne by 109%, Greymouth by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$13.92 NZ$24.61

25.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$67.4 NZ$119

25.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$8.72 NZ$15.42

42.89%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$3.30 NZ$5.83

24.55%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$2.28 NZ$4.03

34.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$1.78 NZ$3.14

41.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$6.76 NZ$11.96

44.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$6.89 NZ$12.18

24.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.74 NZ$3.07

-14.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.79 NZ$3.16

64.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.50 NZ$2.66

77.33%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$5.66 NZ$10.01

-2.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$7.35 NZ$13.00

42.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$9.00 NZ$15.92

7.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$13.65 NZ$24.15

11.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.54 NZ$4.49

57.09%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$2.30 NZ$4.07

31.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.66 NZ$4.71

16.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$3.91 NZ$6.91

23.27%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.54 NZ$2.73

96.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.47 NZ$2.59

65.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$2.14 NZ$3.78

14.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$1.38 NZ$2.44

18.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$23.97 NZ$42.39

83.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$8.45 NZ$14.94

50.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$3.51 NZ$6.21

57.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$4.22 NZ$7.47

23.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$1.70 NZ$3.01

120.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$82.4 NZ$146

66.89%

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

$1.67 NZ$2.95

-18.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$28.32 NZ$50.1

7.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.64 NZ$2.90

-10.37%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$25.6K NZ$45.2K

13.37%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$24.7K NZ$43.7K

7.02%

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

$234 A$336

$160 NZ$282

46.46%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$22.47 NZ$39.74

24.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$44.31 NZ$78.4

25.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$33.10 NZ$58.6

49.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$11.21 NZ$19.83

34.61%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$657 NZ$1,162

261.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$21.5K NZ$38.0K

40.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$59.4 NZ$105

34.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$39.24 NZ$69.4

29.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$100 NZ$177

20.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$125 NZ$222

4.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$1,027 NZ$1,817

71.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$774 NZ$1,370

79.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,434 NZ$2,536

143.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$1,289 NZ$2,280

93.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$4,206 NZ$7,439

64.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$3,212 NZ$5,681

100.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.91

-0.17%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Greymouth: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Greymouth

$774 41.9% 44.3% $615

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Greymouth

$304 16.5% 20.8% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Greymouth

$226 12.3% 28.7% $91

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Greymouth

$241 13% 23.4% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Greymouth

$146 7.9% 15.1% $26

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Greymouth

$100 5.4% 38.9% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Greymouth

$56 3% 30.2% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in Melbourne versus $1,027 in Greymouth. 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 $85.0 in Melbourne versus $67.0 in Greymouth. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $304 – making Greymouth the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇳🇿 Greymouth

🕒 Local time

17:06 5:06 PM

19:06 7:06 PM

2 h ahead of Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

4,000

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Greymouth 2,280 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Greymouth

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 Greymouth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne, $1,847 in Greymouth – roughly 53% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,231 per month in Melbourne and $2,771 in Greymouth. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Greymouth, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,821 in Melbourne and $1,847 in Greymouth. That's a gap of about 53%.

Public transport costs about 67% less in Greymouth. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Greymouth, where all-in costs run around $1,847, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Greymouth it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Greymouth – 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.

If budget matters most, go with Greymouth. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Melbourne makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.