Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Lake Macquarie Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Lake Macquarie

😐 Solo nomad: Melbourne is 25.1% more expensive than Lake Macquarie without rent, and 21% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Melbourne is 41% more expensive than Lake Macquarie without rent, and 9.4% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.74 A$29.61

$12.86 A$19.29

53.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.5 A$118

$79.0 A$119

-0.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.67 A$14.50

$9.55 A$14.32

1.26%

Cappuccino

$3.69 A$5.54

$3.44 A$5.16

7.27%

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

$2.55 A$3.82

$2.26 A$3.39

12.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 A$3.53

$1.97 A$2.95

19.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.19 A$10.79

$6.63 A$9.95

8.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.23 A$10.84

$7.01 A$10.51

3.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.17

$1.44 A$2.17

0.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 A$3.82

$1.38 A$2.07

84.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 A$3.36

$1.21 A$1.82

85.12%

Eggs

$4.72 A$7.07

$3.14 A$4.71

50.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.00 A$13.50

$7.19 A$10.79

25.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.41 A$14.11

$6.15 A$9.23

53.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.52 A$21.78

$11.64 A$17.46

24.74%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.92

$3.10 A$4.64

5.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.84 A$4.25

$2.74 A$4.10

3.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.90 A$4.36

$3.18 A$4.77

-8.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.11 A$6.17

$4.32 A$6.48

-4.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.67 A$4.00

$2.02 A$3.03

32.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.28 A$3.42

$1.69 A$2.54

34.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 A$3.32

$1.42 A$2.14

55.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.44

$1.13 A$1.70

44.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$32.60 A$48.90

$28.47 A$42.70

14.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.57 A$20.36

$7.21 A$10.82

88.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.54 A$6.81

$2.54 A$3.81

78.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.14 A$7.71

$2.23 A$3.35

130.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.53 A$5.29

$2.03 A$3.04

73.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$120 A$181

$90.9 A$136

32.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 A$5.40

$1.90 A$2.85

89.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 A$2.01

$1.61 A$2.42

-16.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.78 A$40.17

$46.02 A$69.0

-41.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 A$1.69

$1.24 A$1.86

-8.87%

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

$29.4K A$44.1K

$25.7K A$38.5K

14.67%

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

$23.1K A$34.6K

$20.8K A$31.1K

11.08%

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

$150 A$226

$205 A$308

-26.71%

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

$21.37 A$32.06

$10.34 A$15.51

106.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.96 A$74.9

$42.67 A$64.0

17.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.63 A$74.4

$48.64 A$73.0

2.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.09 A$24.13

$15.62 A$23.43

3.01%

Cinema Ticket

$16.08 A$24.12

$9.23 A$13.85

74.21%

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

$1,740 A$2,609

$1,464 A$2,196

18.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K A$29.6K

$10.1K A$15.1K

95.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.5 A$101

$73.0 A$110

-7.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 A$81.5

$33.92 A$50.9

60.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 A$158

$78.4 A$118

34.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 A$158

$130 A$195

-19.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,528 A$2,293

$1,262 A$1,893

21.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 A$1,808

$986 A$1,479

22.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,962 A$4,444

$2,033 A$3,050

45.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 A$2,974

$2,034 A$3,051

-2.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,020 A$10.5K

$5,735 A$8,603

22.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,218 A$9,327

$4,401 A$6,601

41.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,181 A$6,272

$4,850 A$7,275

-13.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.19

4.35

42.30%

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

Last update for Melbourne: January 11, 2026

Last update for Lake Macquarie: January 10, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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