Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Latrobe Valley

For one person, living is cheaper in Latrobe Valley: $2,543 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 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
122

Cost of Living Index in Latrobe Valley
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Latrobe Valley Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Latrobe Valley

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,543

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Latrobe Valley

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $2,543 in Latrobe Valley.

Melbourne $2,849
Latrobe Valley $2,543

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $3,558 in Latrobe Valley.

Melbourne $4,274
Latrobe Valley $3,558

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $4,573 in Latrobe Valley.

Melbourne $5,699
Latrobe Valley $4,573

Living in Melbourne is roughly 12% more expensive than in Latrobe Valley, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Latrobe Valley 87% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.99

$16.11 A$23.01

8.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$91.9 A$131

-8.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.38

$10.48 A$14.97

16.13%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.82

$3.58 A$5.11

13.69%

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

$3.18 A$4.54

$2.68 A$3.83

18.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.57

$1.93 A$2.76

29.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.67

$6.63 A$9.46

44.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.78

$7.29 A$10.41

13.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.15

$1.52 A$2.16

-1.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.24

$2.63 A$3.76

12.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.83

$1.95 A$2.79

37.44%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.79

$5.07 A$7.24

7.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.30

$9.14 A$13.06

17.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.35

$8.45 A$12.07

18.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.42

$16.47 A$23.52

-8.93%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.81

$4.25 A$6.07

-4.24%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.48

$3.49 A$4.98

-10.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.45

$3.38 A$4.82

-7.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.76

$4.06 A$5.80

16.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.26

$2.62 A$3.75

13.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.56

$2.48 A$3.54

0.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.54

$2.53 A$3.61

-1.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.28

$1.70 A$2.42

-5.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.8

$46.65 A$66.6

-4.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.11

$12.67 A$18.10

0.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.92

$4.39 A$6.26

26.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.40

$5.27 A$7.53

-1.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.48

$2.83 A$4.04

35.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$198

$79.0 A$113

75.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.22

$3.85 A$5.49

13.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.95

$1.73 A$2.48

-20.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.45

$37.72 A$53.9

-21.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.12

$1.24 A$1.77

20.16%

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

$29.1K A$41.5K

$33.1K A$47.2K

-12.00%

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

$25.7K A$36.7K

$29.2K A$41.7K

-12.08%

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

$236 A$337

$179 A$256

31.59%

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

$28.01 A$40.01

$29.92 A$42.73

-6.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.7

$52.2 A$74.5

9.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$69.1

$58.1 A$82.9

-16.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.65

$18.18 A$25.97

18.04%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.23

$15.88 A$22.67

11.27%

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

$2,461 A$3,515

$2,028 A$2,897

21.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.4K

$19.4K A$27.8K

52.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$116

$78.6 A$112

3.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.4

$58.2 A$83.2

-15.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$171

$103 A$147

15.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$187

$127 A$181

3.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,432

$1,315 A$1,877

29.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,012

$1,289 A$1,841

9.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,992

$2,319 A$3,312

50.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,608

$1,671 A$2,387

51.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.4K

$4,990 A$7,126

59.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,854

$4,950 A$7,069

39.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,079

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Last update for Latrobe Valley: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Latrobe Valley

$1.3K 50.7% 8.5% $120

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Latrobe Valley

$366 14.4% 5.4% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Latrobe Valley

$261 10.3% 18.6% $60

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Latrobe Valley

$269 10.6% 13.8% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Latrobe Valley

$165 6.5% 3.7% $6.4

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Latrobe Valley

$103 4.1% 37.7% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Latrobe Valley

$90 3.5% 7.3% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $1,315 in Latrobe Valley. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $92 in Latrobe Valley. Groceries flip the comparison at $386 vs $366, with Latrobe Valley cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Latrobe Valley

🕒 Local time

21:24 9:24 PM

Same time as Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

1,492

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Latrobe Valley: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,849 in Melbourne and $2,543 in Latrobe Valley, so Latrobe Valley is about 11% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $4,273 in Melbourne and $3,815 in Latrobe Valley to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,703 in Melbourne versus $1,315 in Latrobe Valley. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Latrobe Valley runs roughly 43% less than in Melbourne. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $2,461 in Melbourne versus $2,028 in Latrobe Valley. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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