Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Mandurah

For one person, living is cheaper in Mandurah: $2,382 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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
115

Cost of Living Index in Mandurah
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Mandurah Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Mandurah

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,382

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Mandurah

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

A single person spends $2,849 per month in Melbourne vs $2,382 in Mandurah, rent included.

Melbourne $2,849
Mandurah $2,382

A couple spends around $4,274 per month in Melbourne vs $3,505 in Mandurah, rent included.

Melbourne $4,274
Mandurah $3,505

A family of three spends $5,699 per month in Melbourne vs $4,629 in Mandurah, rent included.

Melbourne $5,699
Mandurah $4,629

Melbourne costs about 20% more than Mandurah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Melbourne and Mandurah sit above the global median – Melbourne by 109%, Mandurah by 75%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.87

$21.00 A$29.84

-16.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$83.4 A$119

1.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.30

$11.28 A$16.03

7.89%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.79

$4.62 A$6.57

-11.90%

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

$3.18 A$4.52

$2.78 A$3.95

14.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.55

$2.26 A$3.21

10.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.60

$6.16 A$8.75

55.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.73

$8.23 A$11.70

0.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.14

$1.69 A$2.40

-11.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.22

$2.51 A$3.57

18.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.81

$1.96 A$2.78

36.73%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.75

$4.96 A$7.05

9.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.23

$9.48 A$13.47

12.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.28

$9.51 A$13.51

5.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.32

$13.80 A$19.61

8.70%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.78

$3.41 A$4.85

19.35%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.46

$3.08 A$4.38

1.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.43

$3.55 A$5.05

-12.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.73

$4.83 A$6.87

-2.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.24

$1.61 A$2.29

85.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.55

$0.81 A$1.15

207.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.53

$2.01 A$2.85

23.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.27

$1.35 A$1.93

18.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.5

$42.37 A$60.2

5.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.02

$12.83 A$18.24

-1.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.88

$4.42 A$6.28

25.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.37

$3.39 A$4.81

52.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.45

$3.63 A$5.16

5.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$197

$92.5 A$131

50.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.19

$3.58 A$5.09

21.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$1.42 A$2.02

-3.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.25

$40.90 A$58.1

-27.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.11

$1.30 A$1.85

14.62%

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

$29.1K A$41.3K

$29.8K A$42.4K

-2.40%

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

$25.7K A$36.5K

$27.5K A$39.1K

-6.73%

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

$236 A$335

$207 A$294

13.77%

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

$28.01 A$39.82

$20.96 A$29.79

33.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.4

$63.6 A$90.4

-10.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.8

$34.65 A$49.25

39.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.51

$10.46 A$14.87

105.16%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.11

$8.89 A$12.64

98.76%

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

$2,461 A$3,498

$397 A$564

519.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.2K

$22.9K A$32.6K

29.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$115

$77.3 A$110

5.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.0

$44.64 A$63.5

10.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$170

-0.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$77.4 A$110

69.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,420

$1,386 A$1,970

22.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,002

$1,106 A$1,571

27.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,969

$2,485 A$3,532

40.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,591

$1,776 A$2,525

42.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,808

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,051

$4,262 A$6,058

-0.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.7

3.51%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mandurah: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Mandurah

$1.1K 46.4% 21.5% $303

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Mandurah

$346 14.5% 10.4% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Mandurah

$292 12.3% 9.1% $29

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Mandurah

$325 13.6% 3.9% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Mandurah

$144 6% 16.3% $28

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Mandurah

$118 4.9% 28.8% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Mandurah

$52 2.2% 37.4% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,703 in Melbourne versus $1,386 in Mandurah. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84 in Melbourne versus $83 in Mandurah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $386 vs $346 – making Mandurah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Mandurah

🕒 Local time

11:09 11:09 AM

08:09 8:09 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

107,643

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Melbourne Mandurah 2,710 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
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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 Mandurah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne costs about 20% more than Mandurah, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,273 per month in Melbourne and $3,573 in Mandurah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mandurah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,386 there versus $1,703 in Melbourne.

Public transport costs about 33% less in Mandurah. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 12% more in Melbourne, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,849 in Melbourne and $2,382 in Mandurah. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Mandurah – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.