Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Lautoka

For one person, living is cheaper in Lautoka: $333 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $29,900 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Lautoka
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Lautoka Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Lautoka

🇫🇯 Fiji

$333

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Lautoka

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $333 in Lautoka.

Melbourne $2,821
Lautoka $333

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $722 in Lautoka.

Melbourne $4,235
Lautoka $722

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,112 in Lautoka.

Melbourne $5,650
Lautoka $1,112

Living in Melbourne is roughly 748% more expensive than in Lautoka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Lautoka is 75% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.20

$5.19 FJD 11.61

235.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$79.2 FJD 177

6.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$18.02

$7.80 FJD 17.47

59.74%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.94

$2.56 FJD 5.72

60.55%

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

$3.06 A$4.42

$2.12 FJD 4.74

44.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.64

$1.51 FJD 3.38

66.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.17

$2.43 FJD 5.44

303.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.39

$3.05 FJD 6.84

180.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.15

$1.66 FJD 3.72

-10.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.26

$0.73 FJD 1.64

302.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.84

$0.87 FJD 1.95

205.75%

Eggs

$5.54 A$8.01

$3.44 FJD 7.70

61.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.21

$5.80 FJD 12.98

81.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.96

$7.62 FJD 17.06

26.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$22.02

$7.58 FJD 16.98

100.79%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.78

$4.42 FJD 9.90

-9.73%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.36

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.49

$1.30 FJD 2.91

138.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.96

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.38

$0.93 FJD 2.09

225.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.54

$0.86 FJD 1.93

183.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.56

$0.87 FJD 1.96

182.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.35

$0.46 FJD 1.03

254.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.7

$10.93 FJD 24.46

303.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.37

$5.46 FJD 12.22

132.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$8.01

$2.57 FJD 5.74

115.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.56

$3.49 FJD 7.82

49.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.41

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$199

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.53

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.97

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$44.04

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.13

$1.33 FJD 2.99

10.53%

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

$29.0K A$41.9K

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

$26.5K A$38.3K

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

$234 A$338

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

$27.93 A$40.39

$13.14 FJD 29.43

112.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.6

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.5

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$31.06

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.83

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

$2,371 A$3,430

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$116

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.3

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$189

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,544

$450 FJD 1,007

291.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,010

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,053

$872 FJD 1,952

300.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,606

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$10.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,321

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,339

$688 FJD 1,541

536.71%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Lautoka: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Lautoka

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Lautoka

$191 * 57.5% 50.3% $193

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Lautoka

$13 * 4% 95.9% $304

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Lautoka

$128 38.6% 59.2% $186

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Lautoka

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Lautoka

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Lautoka

- * 0% 100%

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $450 in Lautoka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 537% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $79.0 in Lautoka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $191 per month, with Lautoka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇫🇯 Lautoka

🕒 Local time

09:12 9:12 AM

10:12 10:12 AM

1 h ahead of Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

50,000

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Fijian Dollar FJD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.691 USD

1 AUD = 0.617 EUR

1 FJD = 0.447 USD

1 FJD = 0.398 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

FJD, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.45 AUD (1 AUD = 0.691 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.617 EUR).

Fijian Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 2.24 FJD (1 FJD = 0.447 USD). 1 EUR = 2.51 FJD (1 FJD = 0.398 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Lautoka 3,880 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Lautoka

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 Lautoka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Lautoka differ by about 748% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $333 including rent). Lautoka is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 537% higher in Melbourne, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,759 in Melbourne versus $450 in Lautoka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lautoka – a meal for two runs $79.0 versus $85.0 in Melbourne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,821 per month in Melbourne versus $333 in Lautoka – a 748% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $333 in Lautoka versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lautoka but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Lautoka the clear choice for anyone on this 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 Lautoka are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Lautoka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 748% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.