Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Haifa

For one person, living is cheaper in Haifa: $2,457 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Melbourne outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
118

Cost of Living Index in Haifa
Learn more

Haifa Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Haifa

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,457

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Haifa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $2,457 in Haifa.

Melbourne $2,821
Haifa $2,457

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $3,680 in Haifa.

Melbourne $4,235
Haifa $3,680

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $4,904 in Haifa.

Melbourne $5,650
Haifa $4,904

Living in Melbourne is roughly 15% more expensive than in Haifa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Haifa 82% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$25.88 ₪80.5

-32.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$106 ₪330

-20.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$19.58 ₪60.9

-36.36%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$4.56 ₪14.20

-9.87%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$3.61 ₪11.24

-15.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$3.19 ₪9.93

-21.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$10.64 ₪33.11

-7.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$10.64 ₪33.10

-19.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$2.56 ₪7.98

-42.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$3.76 ₪11.69

-21.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$3.78 ₪11.77

-29.63%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$5.01 ₪15.58

10.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$17.62 ₪54.8

-40.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$12.67 ₪39.41

-23.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$23.83 ₪74.1

-36.13%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$4.34 ₪13.51

-8.06%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$2.98 ₪9.26

1.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.33 ₪7.24

33.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$2.60 ₪8.09

85.38%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.08 ₪6.46

45.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.75 ₪5.44

39.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$2.43 ₪7.57

1.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$2.70 ₪8.40

-39.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$13.21 ₪41.09

233.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$15.35 ₪47.77

-17.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$3.23 ₪10.03

71.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$4.95 ₪15.41

5.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$2.67 ₪8.29

40.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$101 ₪315

36.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$4.19 ₪13.04

7.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$1.26 ₪3.92

7.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$36.97 ₪115

-17.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$2.56 ₪7.96

-42.58%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$57.8K ₪179.9K

-49.86%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$57.2K ₪178.1K

-53.75%

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

$234 A$336

$264 ₪822

-11.50%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$11.58 ₪36.02

141.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$35.35 ₪110

57.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$83.9 ₪261

-41.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$25.08 ₪78.0

-14.35%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$15.78 ₪49.09

-4.37%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$1,140 ₪3,548

107.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$114 ₪355

-29.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$71.0 ₪221

-28.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$135 ₪421

-10.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$154 ₪478

-15.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$1,057 ₪3,288

66.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$816 ₪2,538

70.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,640 ₪5,104

112.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$1,183 ₪3,681

110.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$9,291 ₪28.9K

-25.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$6,147 ₪19.1K

4.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$4,372 ₪13.6K

0.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.04

17.06%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Haifa: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Haifa

$816 33.2% 41.3% $574

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Haifa

$457 18.6% 18.9% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Haifa

$311 12.7% 2% $6.4

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Haifa

$422 17.2% 34.3% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Haifa

$213 8.7% 24.2% $42

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Haifa

$122 5% 25.3% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Haifa

$115 4.7% 45% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $1,057 in Haifa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 0% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $106 in Haifa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $457 per month, with Melbourne cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇮🇱 Haifa

🕒 Local time

20:53 8:53 PM

12:53 12:53 PM

8 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

279,591

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 ILS = 0.321 USD

1 ILS = 0.286 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ILS, 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).

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.11 ILS (1 ILS = 0.321 USD). 1 EUR = 3.5 ILS (1 ILS = 0.286 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Melbourne Haifa 13,790 km ≈ 18 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 Haifa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Haifa is cheaper overall, especially in transport and utilities. The 15% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 0% 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: $1,759 in Melbourne versus $1,057 in Haifa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,821 per month in Melbourne versus $2,457 in Haifa – a 15% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Haifa runs roughly 36% less than in Melbourne. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,457 in Haifa versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Haifa but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Haifa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Haifa is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Melbourne, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Melbourne and Haifa are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Haifa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.