Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Kansas City, MO

For one person, living is cheaper in Kansas City, MO: $2,442 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 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
117

Cost of Living Index in Kansas City, MO
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Kansas City, MO Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Kansas City, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,442

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Kansas City, MO

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

A single person spends $2,849 per month in Melbourne vs $2,442 in Kansas City, MO, rent included.

Melbourne $2,849
Kansas City, MO $2,442

A couple spends around $4,274 per month in Melbourne vs $3,599 in Kansas City, MO, rent included.

Melbourne $4,274
Kansas City, MO $3,599

A family of three spends $5,699 per month in Melbourne vs $4,756 in Kansas City, MO, rent included.

Melbourne $5,699
Kansas City, MO $4,756

Melbourne costs about 17% more than Kansas City, MO, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Melbourne and Kansas City, MO sit above the global median – Melbourne by 109%, Kansas City, MO by 79%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.99

$25.16 $25.16

-30.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$80.5 $80.5

4.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.38

$12.48 $12.48

-2.48%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.82

$5.98 $5.98

-31.94%

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

$3.18 A$4.54

$3.19 $3.19

-0.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.57

$2.46 $2.46

1.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.67

$6.96 $6.96

37.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.78

$7.61 $7.61

8.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.15

$1.16 $1.16

29.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.24

$3.37 $3.37

-11.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.83

$5.16 $5.16

-48.06%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.79

$4.21 $4.21

29.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.30

$14.38 $14.38

-25.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.35

$9.82 $9.82

2.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.42

$13.71 $13.71

9.41%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.81

$4.49 $4.49

-9.35%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.48

$1.62 $1.62

93.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.45

$4.43 $4.43

-29.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.76

$5.52 $5.52

-14.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.26

$3.21 $3.21

-7.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.56

$3.31 $3.31

-24.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.54

$2.28 $2.28

8.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.28

$2.10 $2.10

-23.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.8

$7.93 $7.93

463.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.11

$15.03 $15.03

-15.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.92

$1.93 $1.93

187.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.40

$3.95 $3.95

31.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.48

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.22

$2.48 $2.48

75.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.95

$1.21 $1.21

13.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.45

$59.7 $59.7

-50.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.12

$0.99 $0.99

50.51%

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

$29.1K A$41.5K

$34.4K $34.4K

-15.36%

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

$25.7K A$36.7K

$26.2K $26.2K

-1.92%

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

$236 A$337

$199 $199

18.70%

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

$28.01 A$40.01

$66.6 $66.6

-57.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.7

$72.5 $72.5

-21.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$69.1

$44.00 $44.00

9.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.65

$32.05 $32.05

-33.04%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.23

$15.17 $15.17

16.48%

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

$2,461 A$3,515

$1,136 $1,136

116.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.4K

$21.0K $21.0K

41.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$116

$61.7 $61.7

31.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.4

$43.49 $43.49

13.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$171

$103 $103

15.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$187

$147 $147

-10.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,432

$1,250 $1,250

36.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,012

$1,087 $1,087

29.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,992

$2,468 $2,468

41.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,608

$1,724 $1,724

46.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.4K

$2,584 $2,584

208.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,854

$1,837 $1,837

275.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,079

$3,939 $3,939

8.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

6.56

-10.06%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kansas City, MO: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Kansas City, MO

$1.1K 44.5% 22.8% $322

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Kansas City, MO

$392 16.1% 1.4% $5.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Kansas City, MO

$338 13.8% 5.2% $17

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Kansas City, MO

$383 15.7% 22.6% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Kansas City, MO

$160 6.6% 6.7% $12

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Kansas City, MO

$8.5 * 0.4% 94.8% $157

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Kansas City, MO

$74 3% 11.2% $9.4

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,703 in Melbourne versus $1,250 in Kansas City, MO. 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 8% 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 $84 in Melbourne versus $81 in Kansas City, MO. Groceries tell a different story – $386 in Melbourne vs $392 in Kansas City, MO – so Melbourne wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇺🇸 Kansas City, MO

🕒 Local time

12:01 12:01 PM

19:01 7:01 PM

17 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

463,202

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.7 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Kansas City, MO 14,920 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Kansas City, MO

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 Kansas City, MO: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne, $2,442 in Kansas City, MO – Kansas City, MO comes out roughly 14% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,273 per month in Melbourne and $3,664 in Kansas City, MO. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kansas City, MO, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,250 there versus $1,703 in Melbourne.

Kindergarten costs $2,461 per month in Melbourne and $1,136 in Kansas City, MO. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,849 in Melbourne and $2,442 in Kansas City, MO. That makes Kansas City, MO about 14% cheaper.

Families tend to lean toward Kansas City, MO – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Kansas City, MO. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Melbourne makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.