Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Karratha

For one person, living is cheaper in Karratha: $2,473 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 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
120

Cost of Living Index in Karratha
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Karratha Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Karratha

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,473

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Karratha

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

A single person spends $2,853 per month in Melbourne vs $2,473 in Karratha, rent included.

Melbourne $2,853
Karratha $2,473

A couple spends around $4,275 per month in Melbourne vs $3,581 in Karratha, rent included.

Melbourne $4,275
Karratha $3,581

A family of three spends $5,697 per month in Melbourne vs $4,690 in Karratha, rent included.

Melbourne $5,697
Karratha $4,690

Melbourne costs about 15% more than Karratha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Melbourne and Karratha sit above the global median – Melbourne by 111%, Karratha by 83%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.20 A$24.44

$17.59 A$24.99

-2.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 A$118

$82.6 A$117

0.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 A$17.66

$10.31 A$14.66

20.56%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.75

$3.88 A$5.52

4.38%

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

$3.12 A$4.44

$2.83 A$4.02

10.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.49

$2.19 A$3.11

12.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.52 A$13.53

$7.54 A$10.72

26.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.59

$7.58 A$10.77

7.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.22

$1.52 A$2.16

2.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.12

$2.72 A$3.86

6.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.78

$2.26 A$3.21

17.70%

Eggs

$5.37 A$7.63

$4.83 A$6.86

11.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 A$15.16

$9.42 A$13.39

13.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 A$13.99

$9.43 A$13.39

4.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 A$21.83

$14.89 A$21.15

3.16%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$5.93

$3.97 A$5.65

5.04%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.47

$3.11 A$4.42

1.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 A$4.63

$3.29 A$4.68

-0.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.77

$4.75 A$6.75

0.21%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.35

$2.81 A$3.99

8.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.50

$2.39 A$3.40

3.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.48

$2.33 A$3.31

5.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.31

$1.47 A$2.09

10.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.17 A$64.2

$41.46 A$58.9

8.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.02

$13.65 A$19.39

-7.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.69 A$8.08

$4.76 A$6.76

19.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.44

$5.35 A$7.60

-2.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 A$5.50

$2.89 A$4.11

33.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$202

$82.2 A$117

72.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 A$6.45

$3.38 A$4.81

34.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.01

$1.58 A$2.24

-10.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.59 A$43.46

$39.46 A$56.1

-22.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.09

$1.36 A$1.94

8.09%

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

$28.9K A$41.0K

$27.0K A$38.3K

7.00%

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

$25.9K A$36.8K

$29.6K A$42.1K

-12.49%

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

$235 A$334

$202 A$286

16.64%

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

$27.45 A$39.01

$27.87 A$39.60

-1.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$79.8

$55.4 A$78.7

1.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 A$71.2

$56.7 A$80.6

-11.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.49 A$30.54

$17.66 A$25.10

21.69%

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 A$25.24

$14.78 A$21.00

20.16%

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

$2,385 A$3,389

$2,176 A$3,091

9.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.1K

$20.4K A$29.0K

45.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 A$112

$77.6 A$110

1.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.49 A$70.3

$54.7 A$77.7

-9.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$168

$108 A$153

9.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$188

$120 A$171

9.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 A$2,505

$1,391 A$1,976

26.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 A$2,005

$1,176 A$1,671

20.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,522 A$5,005

$2,113 A$3,003

66.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 A$3,588

$1,779 A$2,527

41.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,136 A$10.1K

$5,861 A$8,328

21.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,355 A$9,029

$4,940 A$7,020

28.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,258 A$6,051

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.84

1.03%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 17, 2026

Last update for Karratha: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5%

Karratha

$1.2K 47.5% 16.7% $236

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$388 13.6%

Karratha

$368 14.9% 5.2% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$319 11.2%

Karratha

$285 11.5% 10.6% $34

Eating Out

Melbourne

$310 10.9%

Karratha

$291 11.8% 6% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Karratha

$162 6.6% 5% $8.5

Getting Around

Melbourne

$169 5.9%

Karratha

$105 4.3% 37.9% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$86 3%

Karratha

$86 3.5% 0.7% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,763 in Melbourne versus $1,391 in Karratha. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83 in Melbourne versus $83 in Karratha. Groceries tell a different story – $388 in Melbourne vs $368 in Karratha – so Karratha wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Karratha

🕒 Local time

05:29 5:29 AM

02:29 2:29 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

17,013

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.628 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.628 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Karratha 3,300 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Karratha

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 Karratha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,853 in Melbourne, $2,473 in Karratha – roughly 15% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,280 per month in Melbourne and $3,710 in Karratha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Karratha, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,391 there versus $1,763 in Melbourne.

Public transport costs about 42% less in Karratha. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Melbourne, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

Families tend to lean toward Karratha – 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.