Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Jalalabad

For one person, living is cheaper in Jalalabad: $501 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $27,800 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Jalalabad
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Jalalabad Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Jalalabad

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$501

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Jalalabad

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $501 in Jalalabad, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Jalalabad $501

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $684 in Jalalabad, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Jalalabad $684

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $868 in Jalalabad, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Jalalabad $868

Melbourne costs about 463% more than Jalalabad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Melbourne sits 109% above the global median, while Jalalabad is 63% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$2.26 ؋146

671.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$7.56 ؋490

1018.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$3.80 ؋246

227.89%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$0.75 ؋48.49

448.00%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$0.88 ؋56.9

68.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$0.37 ؋23.66

694.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.89 ؋122

40.74%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.69 ؋110

227.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$5.53 ؋359

90.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$2.70 ؋175

257.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$6.20 ؋402

145.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$0.61 ؋39.26

554.10%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$0.65 ؋42.08

364.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$0.79 ؋51.1

292.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$0.48 ؋30.89

904.17%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$0.39 ؋25.38

676.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$0.30 ؋19.38

713.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.32 ؋21.06

668.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.30 ؋19.42

443.33%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.90 ؋253

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ؋51.4

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 ؋71.1

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$2.33 ؋151

1791.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.13 ؋8.72

2776.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$10.98 ؋712

1152.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$0.75 ؋48.74

501.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.44 ؋28.35

209.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$1.56 ؋101

1851.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.11 ؋71.9

32.43%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$8,453 ؋548.0K

243.07%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

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

$234 A$336

$23.42 ؋1,518

897.78%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$233 ؋15.1K

-76.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$7.62 ؋494

548.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$4.76 ؋308

351.26%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$1.56 ؋101

867.31%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$15.22 ؋987

15479.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$1,222 ؋79.2K

2370.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$18.51 ؋1,200

332.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$15.27 ؋990

232.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$23.21 ؋1,505

419.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$30.36 ؋1,968

329.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$114 ؋7,396

1441.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$46.83 ؋3,036

2867.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$229 ؋14.9K

1423.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$123 ؋8,000

1920.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$468 ؋30.4K

1378.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$232 ؋15.1K

2675.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$183 ؋11.9K

2294.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

13.88

-57.49%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Jalalabad: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Jalalabad

$47 9.4% 96.6% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Jalalabad

$95 18.9% 75.4% $289

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Jalalabad

$256 * 51.2% 19.2% $61

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Jalalabad

$38 * 7.7% 87.8% $276

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Jalalabad

$39 7.9% 77.1% $132

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Jalalabad

$14 2.9% 91.2% $149

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Jalalabad

$11 2.2% 86.5% $69

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 $114 in Jalalabad. 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 2295% 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 $8.00 in Jalalabad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $95.0 – making Jalalabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇫 Jalalabad

🕒 Local time

15:48 3:48 PM

09:18 9:18 AM

6 h 30 min behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

168,600

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AFN, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 64.83 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.88 AFN (100 AFN = 1.37 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Jalalabad 11,110 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Jalalabad

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 Jalalabad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne, $501 in Jalalabad – roughly 463% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,231 per month in Melbourne and $751 in Jalalabad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 306% 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 $8.00 in Jalalabad. 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 Jalalabad, where all-in costs run around $501, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Jalalabad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Jalalabad – 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 Jalalabad. 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.