Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Griffith

For one person, living is cheaper in Griffith: $2,515 a month against $2,823 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

136

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Griffith
Learn more

Griffith Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,823

/mo nomad

Griffith

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,515

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Griffith

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,823 in Melbourne versus $2,515 in Griffith.

Melbourne $2,823
Griffith $2,515

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,253 in Melbourne versus $3,527 in Griffith.

Melbourne $4,253
Griffith $3,527

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,683 in Melbourne versus $4,539 in Griffith.

Melbourne $5,683
Griffith $4,539

Living in Melbourne is roughly 12% more expensive than in Griffith, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Griffith 86% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.34 A$24.76

$17.87 A$25.52

-2.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.7 A$118

$84.4 A$121

-2.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.63 A$18.04

$10.59 A$15.12

19.26%

Cappuccino

$4.22 A$6.03

$4.12 A$5.88

2.43%

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

$3.12 A$4.45

$2.92 A$4.17

6.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 A$3.54

$2.26 A$3.22

9.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.69 A$13.84

$7.75 A$11.07

25.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.30 A$11.86

$7.39 A$10.55

12.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.15

$1.51 A$2.16

-0.66%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 A$4.39

$2.66 A$3.80

15.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 A$3.77

$2.28 A$3.26

15.79%

Eggs

$5.58 A$7.96

$4.84 A$6.91

15.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.78 A$13.97

$9.07 A$12.95

7.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 A$13.60

$9.15 A$13.07

4.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.18 A$21.68

$14.68 A$20.96

3.41%

Apples (1kg)

$4.22 A$6.03

$3.85 A$5.50

9.61%

Banana (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.47

$2.99 A$4.27

4.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 A$4.63

$3.19 A$4.56

1.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.71 A$6.72

$4.68 A$6.69

0.64%

Potato (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.47

$2.71 A$3.88

15.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.46 A$3.51

$2.39 A$3.42

2.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 A$3.43

$2.34 A$3.34

2.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 A$2.10

$1.58 A$2.26

-6.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.76 A$61.1

$41.88 A$59.8

2.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.90 A$18.42

$14.00 A$20.00

-7.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.53 A$7.90

$4.73 A$6.76

16.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.36

$5.33 A$7.61

-3.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.79 A$5.42

$2.71 A$3.87

39.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$141 A$202

$82.5 A$118

71.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.75 A$5.36

$3.43 A$4.89

9.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 A$2.06

$1.66 A$2.36

-13.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.93 A$41.32

$39.80 A$56.8

-27.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.07

$1.38 A$1.96

5.07%

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

$29.6K A$42.2K

$29.0K A$41.4K

2.08%

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

$26.3K A$37.5K

$26.7K A$38.1K

-1.64%

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

$229 A$327

$207 A$296

10.62%

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

$26.76 A$38.22

$27.81 A$39.71

-3.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.5 A$82.2

$57.0 A$81.5

0.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.77 A$71.1

$55.7 A$79.5

-10.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.45 A$30.63

$17.83 A$25.46

20.30%

Cinema Ticket

$17.43 A$24.90

$13.84 A$19.77

25.94%

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

$2,435 A$3,477

$2,140 A$3,057

13.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.6K A$48.0K

$20.3K A$29.0K

65.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 A$115

$76.0 A$109

5.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.5 A$73.5

$55.2 A$78.8

-6.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$173

$106 A$151

14.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$191

$121 A$173

10.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,748 A$2,497

$1,420 A$2,028

23.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,386 A$1,979

$1,211 A$1,730

14.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,468 A$4,952

$2,227 A$3,181

55.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,520 A$3,598

$1,791 A$2,557

40.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,274 A$11.8K

$5,896 A$8,419

40.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,066 A$10.1K

$4,996 A$7,135

41.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,206 A$6,007

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.97

5.9

1.19%

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

Last update for Melbourne: November 1, 2026

Last update for Griffith: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.1%

Griffith

$1.2K 48.2% 12.6% $175

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$383 13.6%

Griffith

$364 14.5% 4.9% $19

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Griffith

$298 11.9% 5.2% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$313 11.1%

Griffith

$292 11.6% 6.8% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$174 6.2%

Griffith

$161 6.4% 7.3% $13

Getting Around

Melbourne

$167 5.9%

Griffith

$105 4.2% 37.3% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$85 3%

Griffith

$83 3.3% 1.5% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,748 in Melbourne and $1,379 in Griffith. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $83 in Melbourne vs $90 in Griffith. Groceries flip the comparison at $383 vs $365, with Griffith cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Griffith

🕒 Local time

22:17 10:17 PM

Same time as Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

20,799

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Griffith 400 km

From you

Melbourne
Griffith

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 Griffith: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,823 in Melbourne and $2,515 in Griffith, so Griffith is about 11% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $4,234 in Melbourne and $3,773 in Griffith 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: $1,748 in Melbourne versus $1,379 in Griffith. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Griffith runs roughly 39% less than in Melbourne. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $2,435 in Melbourne versus $2,118 in Griffith. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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