Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Hastings

For one person, living is cheaper in Hastings: $1,731 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 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
84

Cost of Living Index in Hastings
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Hastings Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Hastings

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,731

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Hastings

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $1,731 in Hastings, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Hastings $1,731

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $2,526 in Hastings, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Hastings $2,526

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $3,322 in Hastings, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Hastings $3,322

Melbourne costs about 63% more than Hastings, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Melbourne and Hastings sit above the global median – Melbourne by 109%, Hastings by 28%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$11.05 NZ$19.55

57.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$55.7 NZ$98.5

51.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$9.05 NZ$16.00

37.68%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$3.06 NZ$5.41

34.31%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$1.87 NZ$3.31

63.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$1.36 NZ$2.41

85.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$4.34 NZ$7.67

125.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$5.51 NZ$9.75

55.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.41 NZ$2.50

4.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.29 NZ$2.28

127.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.72 NZ$3.05

54.65%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$5.45 NZ$9.64

1.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$5.72 NZ$10.11

83.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$7.30 NZ$12.90

32.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$11.45 NZ$20.26

32.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.66 NZ$4.71

50.00%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.92 NZ$3.40

57.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$3.06 NZ$5.42

1.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$3.30 NZ$5.84

46.06%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.81 NZ$3.21

67.40%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.05 NZ$1.85

132.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.45 NZ$2.56

69.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.91 NZ$1.60

79.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$17.62 NZ$31.16

150.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$9.08 NZ$16.06

39.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$4.02 NZ$7.11

37.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$2.91 NZ$5.14

79.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$2.71 NZ$4.79

38.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$81.8 NZ$145

68.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$3.65 NZ$6.46

23.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$2.75 NZ$4.87

-50.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$33.32 NZ$58.9

-8.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.60 NZ$2.82

-8.13%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$27.0K NZ$47.7K

7.60%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$22.7K NZ$40.1K

16.86%

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

$234 A$336

$190 NZ$335

23.21%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$36.05 NZ$63.8

-22.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$59.6 NZ$105

-6.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$27.98 NZ$49.48

76.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$9.93 NZ$17.55

51.96%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$679 NZ$1,200

249.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$22.0K NZ$38.9K

37.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$46.05 NZ$81.4

73.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$37.74 NZ$66.7

34.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$94.8 NZ$168

27.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$90.8 NZ$161

43.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$806 NZ$1,426

118.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$703 NZ$1,243

97.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,519 NZ$2,687

129.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$1,129 NZ$1,997

120.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$5,051 NZ$8,933

37.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$3,061 NZ$5,414

110.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$1,589 NZ$2,810

175.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

6.83

-13.62%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Hastings: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Hastings

$703 40.6% 49.4% $687

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Hastings

$266 15.4% 30.8% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Hastings

$285 16.5% 10.1% $32

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Hastings

$198 11.4% 37.1% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Hastings

$121 7% 29.4% $51

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Hastings

$110 6.4% 32.8% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Hastings

$48 2.8% 39.9% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in Melbourne versus $806 in Hastings. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 176% higher in Melbourne, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Melbourne versus $56.0 in Hastings. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $266 – making Hastings the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇳🇿 Hastings

🕒 Local time

07:04 7:04 AM

09:04 9:04 AM

2 h ahead of Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

50,100

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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 →

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Between locations

Melbourne Hastings 2,760 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Hastings

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 Hastings: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne costs about 63% more than Hastings, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,231 per month in Melbourne and $2,596 in Hastings. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 45% more in Melbourne, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Melbourne and $56.0 in Hastings. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Hastings, where all-in costs run around $1,731, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Hastings it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Hastings – 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 Hastings. 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.