Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Invercargill

For one person, living is cheaper in Invercargill: $1,412 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $16,900 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
68

Cost of Living Index in Invercargill
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Invercargill Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Invercargill

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,412

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Invercargill

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $1,412 in Invercargill, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Invercargill $1,412

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $2,099 in Invercargill, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Invercargill $2,099

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $2,785 in Invercargill, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Invercargill $2,785

Melbourne costs about 100% more than Invercargill, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Melbourne and Invercargill sit above the global median – Melbourne by 109%, Invercargill by 5%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$14.04 NZ$24.83

24.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$61.2 NZ$108

38.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$8.32 NZ$14.71

49.76%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$3.12 NZ$5.52

31.73%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$1.65 NZ$2.92

85.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$2.03 NZ$3.60

24.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$2.74 NZ$4.85

257.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$2.74 NZ$4.85

212.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.68 NZ$2.96

-11.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.85 NZ$3.27

58.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.76 NZ$3.11

51.14%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$5.58 NZ$9.87

-0.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$8.23 NZ$14.55

27.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$8.83 NZ$15.61

9.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$12.12 NZ$21.44

25.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.55 NZ$4.50

56.47%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$2.36 NZ$4.17

27.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.66 NZ$4.70

16.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$3.52 NZ$6.23

36.93%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$3.21 NZ$5.68

-5.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.61 NZ$2.85

51.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$2.33 NZ$4.13

5.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$1.04 NZ$1.84

56.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$20.39 NZ$36.06

116.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$8.56 NZ$15.14

48.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.86 NZ$5.06

93.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$3.39 NZ$5.99

54.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$1.41 NZ$2.49

165.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$2.27 NZ$4.01

98.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$1.94 NZ$3.42

-29.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$27.73 NZ$49.04

9.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.59 NZ$2.81

-7.55%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$23.8K NZ$42.1K

21.86%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$18.2K NZ$32.3K

45.13%

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

$234 A$336

$109 NZ$192

114.92%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$32.30 NZ$57.1

-13.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$42.46 NZ$75.1

31.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$27.87 NZ$49.29

77.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$13.77 NZ$24.34

55.99%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$8.82 NZ$15.60

71.09%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$589 NZ$1,042

302.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$57.4 NZ$102

39.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$35.07 NZ$62.0

44.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$70.0 NZ$124

72.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$79.0 NZ$140

65.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$594 NZ$1,050

196.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$551 NZ$974

152.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$831 NZ$1,470

320.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$764 NZ$1,350

226.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$5,482 NZ$9,695

26.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$5,034 NZ$8,902

28.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$2,729 NZ$4,826

60.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

6.72

-12.20%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Invercargill: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Invercargill

$551 39% 60.4% $839

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Invercargill

$298 21.1% 22.4% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Invercargill

$183 13% 42.2% $134

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Invercargill

$209 14.8% 33.7% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Invercargill

$109 7.7% 36.7% $63

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Invercargill

$18 * 1.2% 89.3% $146

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Invercargill

$46 3.2% 42.8% $34

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in Melbourne versus $594 in Invercargill. 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 61% 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 $61.0 in Invercargill. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $298 – making Invercargill the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇳🇿 Invercargill

🕒 Local time

05:52 5:52 AM

07:52 7:52 AM

2 h ahead of Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

56,200

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Invercargill 2,140 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Invercargill

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 Invercargill: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne costs about 100% more than Invercargill, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $2,119 in Invercargill. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Invercargill, 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 $1,412 in Invercargill. That's a gap of about 100%.

Kindergarten costs $2,371 per month in Melbourne and $589 in Invercargill. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Invercargill, where all-in costs run around $1,412, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Invercargill it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Invercargill – 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 Invercargill. 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.