Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Kalgoorlie

For one person, living is cheaper in Kalgoorlie: $1,944 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 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
94

Cost of Living Index in Kalgoorlie
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Kalgoorlie Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Kalgoorlie

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,944

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Kalgoorlie

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $1,944 in Kalgoorlie.

Melbourne $2,849
Kalgoorlie $1,944

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $3,314 in Kalgoorlie.

Melbourne $4,274
Kalgoorlie $3,314

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $4,684 in Kalgoorlie.

Melbourne $5,699
Kalgoorlie $4,684

Living in Melbourne is roughly 47% more expensive than in Kalgoorlie, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Kalgoorlie 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.89

$17.45 A$24.82

0.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$85.3 A$121

-1.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.31

$10.53 A$14.98

15.57%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.79

$4.68 A$6.65

-13.03%

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

$3.18 A$4.52

$3.76 A$5.35

-15.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.55

$3.47 A$4.94

-27.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.61

$6.13 A$8.72

56.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.73

$7.33 A$10.43

12.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.14

$1.57 A$2.24

-4.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.22

$3.46 A$4.92

-14.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.82

$2.25 A$3.20

19.11%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.76

$4.64 A$6.59

17.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.24

$9.60 A$13.65

11.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.29

$9.45 A$13.44

6.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.33

$14.98 A$21.31

0.13%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.79

$3.83 A$5.45

6.27%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.46

$3.12 A$4.44

0.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.44

$3.27 A$4.65

-4.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.73

$4.52 A$6.43

4.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.24

$2.78 A$3.95

7.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.55

$2.47 A$3.51

0.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.53

$2.13 A$3.02

16.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.28

$1.59 A$2.26

0.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.5

$41.62 A$59.2

7.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.04

$14.03 A$19.96

-9.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.89

$4.85 A$6.90

14.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.37

$5.22 A$7.42

-0.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.46

$2.81 A$4.00

36.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$197

$83.1 A$118

67.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.20

$3.53 A$5.02

23.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$1.69 A$2.40

-18.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.28

$43.29 A$61.6

-31.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.11

$1.35 A$1.93

10.37%

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

$29.1K A$41.4K

$26.5K A$37.7K

9.75%

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

$25.7K A$36.5K

$28.3K A$40.3K

-9.45%

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

$236 A$335

$312 A$443

-24.38%

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

$28.01 A$39.84

$56.5 A$80.4

-50.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.4

$69.1 A$98.2

-17.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.8

$38.33 A$54.5

26.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.53

$18.58 A$26.42

15.50%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.13

$17.77 A$25.28

-0.56%

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

$2,461 A$3,500

$2,057 A$2,926

19.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.2K

$17.7K A$25.1K

68.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$116

$76.9 A$109

5.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.1

$55.4 A$78.8

-11.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$170

$108 A$154

10.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$106 A$150

23.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,422

$1,383 A$1,967

23.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,004

$493 A$702

185.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,972

$1,661 A$2,363

110.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,594

$1,579 A$2,246

59.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

$6,521 A$9,275

22.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,814

$4,802 A$6,830

43.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,055

$6,189 A$8,802

-31.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

6.25

-5.60%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kalgoorlie: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Kalgoorlie

$493 25.4% 65% $915

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Kalgoorlie

$376 19.3% 2.7% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Kalgoorlie

$437 22.5% 36.2% $116

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Kalgoorlie

$302 15.5% 3.5% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Kalgoorlie

$156 8% 9.1% $16

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Kalgoorlie

$106 5.5% 35.7% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Kalgoorlie

$74 3.8% 11.8% $9.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $1,383 in Kalgoorlie. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kalgoorlie pays 45% 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 $85 in Kalgoorlie. Groceries flip the comparison at $386 vs $376, with Kalgoorlie cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Kalgoorlie

🕒 Local time

16:22 4:22 PM

13:22 1:22 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

29,068

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Kalgoorlie 2,290 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
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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 Kalgoorlie: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kalgoorlie wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Melbourne. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kalgoorlie the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 31% 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 $1,383 in Kalgoorlie. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,461 in Melbourne versus $2,057 in Kalgoorlie. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Kalgoorlie runs roughly 40% less than in Melbourne. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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