Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Lod

For one person, living is cheaper in Lod: $2,629 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Melbourne outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
134

Cost of Living Index in Lod
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Lod Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Lod

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,629

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Lod

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $2,629 in Lod.

Melbourne $2,849
Lod $2,629

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $3,950 in Lod.

Melbourne $4,274
Lod $3,950

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $5,272 in Lod.

Melbourne $5,699
Lod $5,272

Living in Melbourne is roughly 8% more expensive than in Lod, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Lod 93% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.79

$23.36 ₪72.8

-25.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$119

$96.5 ₪301

-12.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.24

$19.07 ₪59.5

-36.18%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.77

$4.92 ₪15.35

-17.28%

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

$3.18 A$4.50

$3.61 ₪11.25

-11.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.54

$2.87 ₪8.94

-12.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.56

$7.97 ₪24.85

20.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.69

$9.89 ₪30.84

-16.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.13

$2.41 ₪7.51

-37.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.21

$3.37 ₪10.50

-11.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.80

$3.55 ₪11.06

-24.51%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.73

$4.91 ₪15.32

11.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.18

$17.13 ₪53.4

-37.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.24

$14.34 ₪44.73

-29.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.25

$25.53 ₪79.6

-41.25%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.76

$4.36 ₪13.59

-6.65%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.44

$3.38 ₪10.53

-7.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.42

$2.41 ₪7.52

29.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.70

$2.41 ₪7.52

96.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.22

$1.93 ₪6.03

54.40%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.53

$1.65 ₪5.14

50.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.52

$2.03 ₪6.33

22.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.27

$1.88 ₪5.86

-14.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.3

$13.73 ₪42.82

225.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$17.96

$15.39 ₪48.00

-17.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.86

$3.75 ₪11.69

48.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.35

$4.36 ₪13.59

18.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.44

$2.50 ₪7.79

53.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$196

$101 ₪315

37.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.17

$3.91 ₪12.18

11.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$1.14 ₪3.55

20.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.11

$19.53 ₪60.9

52.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.10

$2.55 ₪7.95

-41.57%

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

$29.1K A$41.2K

$56.1K ₪174.9K

-48.14%

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

$25.7K A$36.4K

$55.0K ₪171.7K

-53.36%

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

$236 A$334

$286 ₪890

-17.46%

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

$28.01 A$39.68

$11.47 ₪35.77

144.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.1

$35.47 ₪111

61.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.6

$87.8 ₪274

-44.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.41

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.03

$15.01 ₪46.82

17.72%

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

$2,461 A$3,486

$1,394 ₪4,347

76.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.1K

$29.1K ₪90.7K

2.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$115

$118 ₪367

-31.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$69.8

$75.4 ₪235

-34.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$169

$150 ₪468

-20.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$158 ₪494

-17.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,412

$1,756 ₪5,475

-3.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$1,996

$990 ₪3,089

42.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,952

$2,241 ₪6,990

55.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,579

$1,642 ₪5,120

53.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

$9,169 ₪28.6K

-12.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,775

$8,250 ₪25.7K

-16.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,030

$2,548 ₪7,946

67.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

4.99

18.24%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lod: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Lod

$990 37.7% 29.7% $418

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Lod

$453 17.2% 17.2% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Lod

$332 12.7% 3.6% $12

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Lod

$389 14.8% 24.4% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Lod

$226 8.6% 31.7% $54

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Lod

$120 4.6% 27.1% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Lod

$118 4.5% 40.7% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $1,756 in Lod. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 67% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $97 in Lod for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $386 vs $453 per month, with Melbourne cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇮🇱 Lod

🕒 Local time

12:54 12:54 PM

03:54 3:54 AM

9 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

81,202

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.634 EUR

1 ILS = 0.321 USD

1 ILS = 0.288 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ILS, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.706 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.634 EUR).

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3.12 ILS (1 ILS = 0.321 USD). 1 EUR = 3.47 ILS (1 ILS = 0.288 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Lod 13,750 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Lod

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 Lod: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lod is about 8% cheaper overall, especially in transport and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 67% 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: $1,703 in Melbourne versus $1,756 in Lod. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,461 in Melbourne versus $1,394 in Lod. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Melbourne pay roughly 15% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Lod is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Safety-wise, Melbourne and Lod are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Lod wins on affordability, Melbourne on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.