Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Hawkesbury City

For one person, living is cheaper in Hawkesbury City: $2,689 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Hawkesbury City
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Hawkesbury City Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Hawkesbury City

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,689

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Hawkesbury City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $2,689 in Hawkesbury City.

Melbourne $2,849
Hawkesbury City $2,689

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $3,905 in Hawkesbury City.

Melbourne $4,274
Hawkesbury City $3,905

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $5,122 in Hawkesbury City.

Melbourne $5,699
Hawkesbury City $5,122

Living in Melbourne is roughly 6% more expensive than in Hawkesbury City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Hawkesbury City 98% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.86

$20.87 A$29.65

-16.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$91.2 A$130

-7.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.29

$10.57 A$15.02

15.14%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.79

$4.16 A$5.91

-2.16%

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

$3.18 A$4.52

$3.03 A$4.31

4.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.55

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.60

$8.16 A$11.60

17.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.72

$9.87 A$14.02

-16.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.14

$1.55 A$2.20

-3.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.22

$3.28 A$4.65

-9.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.81

$2.49 A$3.54

7.63%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.75

$5.33 A$7.58

2.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.22

$12.88 A$18.30

-16.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.28

$10.02 A$14.24

0.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.31

$15.43 A$21.93

-2.79%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.78

$3.98 A$5.65

2.26%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.46

$3.25 A$4.62

-3.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.43

$3.42 A$4.86

-8.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.72

$5.09 A$7.24

-7.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.23

$3.21 A$4.56

-7.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.55

$2.88 A$4.09

-13.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.53

$2.59 A$3.67

-4.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.27

$1.35 A$1.91

18.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.4

$45.11 A$64.1

-1.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.02

$14.30 A$20.32

-11.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.88

$4.60 A$6.53

20.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.37

$5.55 A$7.88

-6.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.45

$3.08 A$4.38

24.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$197

$83.6 A$119

65.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.19

$4.01 A$5.70

8.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$1.59 A$2.26

-13.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.23

$43.30 A$61.5

-31.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.11

$1.38 A$1.96

7.97%

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

$29.1K A$41.3K

$27.6K A$39.2K

5.51%

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

$25.7K A$36.5K

$26.1K A$37.0K

-1.47%

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

$236 A$335

$183 A$261

28.52%

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

$28.01 A$39.80

$26.52 A$37.68

5.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.3

$56.7 A$80.6

0.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.8

$49.31 A$70.1

-1.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.50

$17.28 A$24.55

24.19%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.10

$15.53 A$22.07

13.78%

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

$2,461 A$3,497

$2,433 A$3,457

1.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.2K

$20.5K A$29.1K

44.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$115

$75.6 A$107

7.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.0

$56.1 A$79.7

-12.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$170

$109 A$155

9.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$133 A$188

-1.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,419

$1,311 A$1,863

29.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,002

$1,337 A$1,900

5.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,967

$2,207 A$3,135

58.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,590

$2,025 A$2,877

24.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

$6,113 A$8,686

30.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,805

$5,191 A$7,375

32.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,049

$4,413 A$6,270

-3.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.95

-0.84%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Last update for Hawkesbury City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Hawkesbury City

$1.3K 49.7% 5.1% $71

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Hawkesbury City

$398 14.8% 2.9% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Hawkesbury City

$267 9.9% 16.9% $54

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Hawkesbury City

$331 12.3% 6% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Hawkesbury City

$168 6.2% 2.1% $3.5

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Hawkesbury City

$108 4% 34.7% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Hawkesbury City

$80 3% 4% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $1,311 in Hawkesbury City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hawkesbury City pays 4% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $91 in Hawkesbury City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $386 vs $398 per month, with Melbourne cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Hawkesbury City

🕒 Local time

08:24 8:24 AM

Same time as Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

62,353

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Hawkesbury City 730 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Hawkesbury City

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 Hawkesbury City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hawkesbury City wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Melbourne. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Hawkesbury City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 4% lower in Melbourne. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,703 in Melbourne versus $1,311 in Hawkesbury City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Melbourne pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Melbourne – a meal for two runs $84 versus $91 in Hawkesbury City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Hawkesbury City is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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