Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Milwaukee, WI

For one person, living is cheaper in Milwaukee, WI: $2,307 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 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
112

Cost of Living Index in Milwaukee, WI
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Milwaukee, WI Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Milwaukee, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,307

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Milwaukee, WI

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $2,307 in Milwaukee, WI.

Melbourne $2,849
Milwaukee, WI $2,307

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $3,389 in Milwaukee, WI.

Melbourne $4,274
Milwaukee, WI $3,389

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $4,471 in Milwaukee, WI.

Melbourne $5,699
Milwaukee, WI $4,471

Living in Melbourne is roughly 24% more expensive than in Milwaukee, WI, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Milwaukee, WI 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.89

$20.23 $20.23

-13.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$75.5 $75.5

11.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.31

$9.95 $9.95

22.31%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.79

$4.95 $4.95

-17.78%

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

$3.18 A$4.52

$2.81 $2.81

13.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.55

$1.97 $1.97

26.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.61

$6.11 $6.11

56.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.73

$6.85 $6.85

20.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.14

$0.84 $0.84

78.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.22

$3.47 $3.47

-14.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.82

$5.25 $5.25

-48.95%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.76

$4.64 $4.64

17.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.24

$10.00 $10.00

7.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.29

$13.93 $13.93

-27.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.33

$16.82 $16.82

-10.82%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.79

$5.06 $5.06

-19.57%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.46

$1.51 $1.51

107.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.44

$4.50 $4.50

-30.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.73

$5.20 $5.20

-9.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.24

$2.61 $2.61

14.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.55

$2.55 $2.55

-2.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.53

$2.34 $2.34

5.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.28

$2.27 $2.27

-29.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.5

$10.75 $10.75

315.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.04

$15.42 $15.42

-17.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.89

$1.95 $1.95

184.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.37

$3.37 $3.37

53.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.46

$2.79 $2.79

37.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$197

$72.8 $72.8

90.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.20

$2.85 $2.85

52.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$1.56 $1.56

-12.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.28

$20.83 $20.83

42.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.11

$0.99 $0.99

50.51%

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

$29.1K A$41.4K

$34.2K $34.2K

-15.06%

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

$25.7K A$36.5K

$25.6K $25.6K

0.25%

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

$236 A$335

$202 $202

16.79%

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

$28.01 A$39.84

$67.3 $67.3

-58.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.4

$70.7 $70.7

-19.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.8

$37.90 $37.90

27.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.53

$18.66 $18.66

15.01%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.13

$14.33 $14.33

23.31%

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

$2,461 A$3,500

$1,813 $1,813

35.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.2K

$23.8K $23.8K

24.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$116

$55.0 $55.0

47.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.1

$40.82 $40.82

20.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$170

$92.5 $92.5

29.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$117 $117

11.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,422

$1,608 $1,608

5.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,004

$946 $946

48.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,972

$3,400 $3,400

2.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,594

$1,464 $1,464

72.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

$3,028 $3,028

163.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,814

$1,625 $1,625

324.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,055

$3,671 $3,671

15.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

6.65

-11.28%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Last update for Milwaukee, WI: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Milwaukee, WI

$946 41% 32.9% $463

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Milwaukee, WI

$408 17.7% 5.6% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Milwaukee, WI

$340 14.7% 5.9% $19

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Milwaukee, WI

$314 13.6% 0.6% $2

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Milwaukee, WI

$137 6% 19.8% $34

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Milwaukee, WI

$95 4.1% 42.7% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Milwaukee, WI

$67 2.9% 20.5% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $1,608 in Milwaukee, WI. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 16% 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: $84 in Melbourne vs $76 in Milwaukee, WI. Groceries flip the comparison at $386 vs $408, with Melbourne cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇺🇸 Milwaukee, WI

🕒 Local time

21:01 9:01 PM

04:01 4:01 AM

17 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

605,013

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Milwaukee, WI 15,580 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Milwaukee, WI

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 Milwaukee, WI: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,849 in Melbourne and $2,307 in Milwaukee, WI, so Milwaukee, WI is about 19% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 16% 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 $1,608 in Milwaukee, WI. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,461 in Melbourne versus $1,813 in Milwaukee, WI. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Melbourne pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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.

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