Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Mansfield

For one person, living is cheaper in Mansfield: $2,708 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Other living expenses 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 Mansfield
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Mansfield Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Mansfield

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,708

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Mansfield

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $2,708 in Mansfield.

Melbourne $2,849
Mansfield $2,708

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $3,842 in Mansfield.

Melbourne $4,274
Mansfield $3,842

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $4,977 in Mansfield.

Melbourne $5,699
Mansfield $4,977

Living in Melbourne is roughly 5% more expensive than in Mansfield, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Mansfield 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.79

$18.67 A$26.45

-6.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$119

$85.7 A$121

-1.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.24

$9.69 A$13.73

25.59%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.77

$4.44 A$6.29

-8.33%

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

$3.18 A$4.50

$2.45 A$3.48

29.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.54

$2.07 A$2.93

20.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.56

$7.95 A$11.26

20.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.69

$6.96 A$9.86

18.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.13

$1.66 A$2.35

-9.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.21

$2.77 A$3.92

7.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.80

$2.45 A$3.47

9.39%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.73

$4.95 A$7.01

10.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.18

$10.54 A$14.93

1.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.24

$9.11 A$12.90

10.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.25

$14.89 A$21.09

0.74%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.76

$3.42 A$4.84

19.01%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.44

$3.12 A$4.42

0.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.42

$2.97 A$4.21

5.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.70

$4.36 A$6.18

8.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.22

$2.39 A$3.39

24.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.53

$2.46 A$3.48

1.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.52

$2.38 A$3.37

4.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.27

$1.61 A$2.28

-0.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.3

$41.48 A$58.8

7.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$17.96

$13.95 A$19.76

-9.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.86

$5.00 A$7.08

11.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.35

$4.66 A$6.60

11.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.44

$2.80 A$3.96

37.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$196

$94.2 A$133

47.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.17

$3.05 A$4.33

42.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$1.59 A$2.26

-13.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.11

$39.17 A$55.5

-24.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.10

$1.41 A$2.00

5.67%

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

$29.1K A$41.2K

$32.2K A$45.7K

-9.80%

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

$25.7K A$36.4K

$22.8K A$32.3K

12.67%

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

$236 A$334

$227 A$321

4.02%

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

$28.01 A$39.68

$27.42 A$38.84

2.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.1

$56.9 A$80.6

0.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.6

$58.0 A$82.1

-16.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.41

$19.99 A$28.32

7.35%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.03

$13.96 A$19.77

26.58%

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

$2,461 A$3,486

$1,940 A$2,748

26.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.1K

$21.7K A$30.7K

37.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$115

$78.3 A$111

3.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$69.8

$54.0 A$76.5

-8.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$169

$107 A$152

11.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$124 A$175

6.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,412

$1,570 A$2,225

8.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$1,996

$1,360 A$1,926

3.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,952

$2,051 A$2,906

70.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,579

$1,973 A$2,796

28.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

$6,294 A$8,915

26.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,775

$4,563 A$6,464

51.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,030

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 Mansfield: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Mansfield

$1.4K 50.2% 3.5% $49

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Mansfield

$368 13.6% 4.7% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Mansfield

$311 11.5% 3.1% $10

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Mansfield

$304 11.2% 2.9% $9

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Mansfield

$163 6% 4.7% $8.1

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Mansfield

$116 4.3% 29.6% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Mansfield

$86 3.2% 2.6% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $1,570 in Mansfield. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $86 in Mansfield. Groceries flip the comparison at $386 vs $368, with Mansfield cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Mansfield

🕒 Local time

15:24 3:24 PM

Same time as Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

8,600

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.634 EUR

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.634 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 Mansfield: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,849 in Melbourne and $2,708 in Mansfield, so Mansfield is about 5% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $4,273 in Melbourne and $4,062 in Mansfield 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 $1,570 in Mansfield. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,849 per month in Melbourne versus $2,708 in Mansfield – Mansfield is about 5% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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