Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Logan City

For one person, living is cheaper in Logan City: $1,856 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 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
90

Cost of Living Index in Logan City
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Logan City Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Logan City

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,856

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Logan City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,853 in Melbourne versus $1,856 in Logan City.

Melbourne $2,853
Logan City $1,856

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,275 in Melbourne versus $2,798 in Logan City.

Melbourne $4,275
Logan City $2,798

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,697 in Melbourne versus $3,741 in Logan City.

Melbourne $5,697
Logan City $3,741

Living in Melbourne is roughly 54% more expensive than in Logan City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 111% above, Logan City 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.20 A$24.75

$9.17 A$13.20

87.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 A$120

$34.51 A$49.65

140.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 A$17.88

$9.81 A$14.12

26.71%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.82

$3.33 A$4.79

21.62%

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

$3.12 A$4.50

$2.46 A$3.54

26.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.54

$2.07 A$2.98

18.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.52 A$13.71

$6.17 A$8.88

54.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.74

$5.14 A$7.40

58.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.25

$1.14 A$1.64

36.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.18

$1.43 A$2.05

102.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.36 A$1.96

95.59%

Eggs

$5.37 A$7.72

$3.92 A$5.65

36.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 A$15.36

$7.08 A$10.18

50.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 A$14.17

$7.17 A$10.31

37.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 A$22.11

$14.98 A$21.55

2.54%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$6.00

$3.78 A$5.44

10.32%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$3.15 A$4.54

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 A$4.69

$3.34 A$4.81

-2.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.85

$4.24 A$6.10

12.26%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.41

$1.54 A$2.21

98.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.55

$1.69 A$2.44

46.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.52

$1.73 A$2.49

41.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$2.30 A$3.31

-29.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.17 A$65.0

$44.65 A$64.3

1.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.25

$14.05 A$20.22

-9.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.69 A$8.18

$2.13 A$3.06

167.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.53

$6.78 A$9.75

-22.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 A$5.57

$0.34 A$0.48

1038.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$204

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 A$6.53

$2.21 A$3.18

105.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.04

$1.57 A$2.27

-9.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.59 A$44.01

$35.47 A$51.1

-13.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.21 A$1.74

21.49%

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

$28.9K A$41.5K

$29.2K A$42.1K

-1.27%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$26.0K A$37.4K

-0.29%

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

$235 A$338

$218 A$314

7.89%

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

$27.45 A$39.51

$17.42 A$25.07

57.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$80.8

$42.00 A$60.4

33.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 A$72.1

$56.5 A$81.3

-11.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.49 A$30.93

$17.65 A$25.39

21.76%

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 A$25.56

$11.16 A$16.06

59.14%

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

$2,385 A$3,432

$2,157 A$3,104

10.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.7K

$11.8K A$17.0K

150.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 A$114

$75.1 A$108

5.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.49 A$71.2

$53.7 A$77.2

-7.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$170

$105 A$151

12.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$69.6 A$100

89.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 A$2,537

$973 A$1,399

81.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 A$2,031

$834 A$1,200

69.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,522 A$5,069

$1,659 A$2,387

112.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 A$3,634

$1,657 A$2,385

52.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,136 A$10.3K

$3,471 A$4,995

105.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,355 A$9,144

$3,331 A$4,793

90.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,258 A$6,128

$3,241 A$4,664

31.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.69

3.69%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 17, 2026

Last update for Logan City: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5%

Logan City

$834 44.9% 40.9% $578

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$388 13.6%

Logan City

$316 17% 18.6% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$319 11.2%

Logan City

$277 15% 13% $41

Eating Out

Melbourne

$310 10.9%

Logan City

$202 10.9% 34.8% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Logan City

$137 7.4% 20% $34

Getting Around

Melbourne

$169 5.9%

Logan City

$11 * 0.6% 93.2% $158

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$86 3%

Logan City

$79 4.3% 8% $6.8

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 $1,763 in Melbourne and $973 in Logan City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 31% 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: $83.0 in Melbourne vs $35.00 in Logan City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $388 vs $316 per month, with Logan City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Logan City

🕒 Local time

15:59 3:59 PM

14:59 2:59 PM

1 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

345,098

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Logan City 1,360 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Logan City

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 Logan City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Logan City is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 54% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 31% 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: $1,763 in Melbourne versus $973 in Logan City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,853 per month in Melbourne versus $1,856 in Logan City – a 54% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,856 in Logan City versus $2,853 in Melbourne, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Logan City but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Logan City 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 Logan City 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 Logan City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.