Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Moe

For one person, living is cheaper in Moe: $2,334 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 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
116

Cost of Living Index in Moe
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Moe Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Moe

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,334

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Moe

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $2,334 in Moe.

Melbourne $2,849
Moe $2,334

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $3,461 in Moe.

Melbourne $4,274
Moe $3,461

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $4,588 in Moe.

Melbourne $5,699
Moe $4,588

Living in Melbourne is roughly 22% more expensive than in Moe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Moe 71% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.98

$14.15 A$20.19

23.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$78.5 A$112

7.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.37

$10.06 A$14.36

20.97%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.82

$3.76 A$5.36

8.24%

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

$3.18 A$4.54

$3.04 A$4.34

4.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.56

$1.38 A$1.98

81.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.66

$5.24 A$7.48

82.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.78

$4.87 A$6.95

69.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.15

$0.81 A$1.15

85.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.24

$2.87 A$4.10

3.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.83

$2.54 A$3.63

5.51%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.78

$3.45 A$4.93

57.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.29

$10.39 A$14.83

3.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.34

$8.15 A$11.63

23.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.41

$15.14 A$21.61

-0.92%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.81

$2.88 A$4.11

41.32%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.48

$2.77 A$3.96

13.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.45

$2.96 A$4.23

5.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.75

$4.45 A$6.36

6.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.25

$2.15 A$3.07

38.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.56

$2.56 A$3.65

-2.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.54

$2.48 A$3.53

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.28

$1.42 A$2.03

12.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.7

$31.23 A$44.57

42.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.10

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.91

$3.55 A$5.06

56.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.40

$3.45 A$4.93

50.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.48

$2.69 A$3.84

42.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$198

$84.9 A$121

63.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.22

$2.34 A$3.34

86.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.95

$1.42 A$2.02

-3.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.43

$24.61 A$35.13

20.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.12

$1.18 A$1.68

26.27%

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

$29.1K A$41.5K

$29.4K A$42.0K

-1.10%

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

$25.7K A$36.6K

$26.3K A$37.6K

-2.55%

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

$236 A$336

$157 A$224

50.04%

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

$28.01 A$39.98

$27.69 A$39.52

1.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.7

$57.9 A$82.6

-1.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$69.1

$55.3 A$79.0

-12.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.64

$15.68 A$22.39

36.86%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.22

$17.64 A$25.18

0.17%

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

$2,461 A$3,513

$2,451 A$3,498

0.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.4K

$30.1K A$42.9K

-1.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$116

$81.8 A$117

-0.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.3

$49.33 A$70.4

-0.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$171

-0.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$187

$133 A$189

-1.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,430

$1,229 A$1,754

38.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,011

$1,149 A$1,640

22.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,989

$2,492 A$3,556

40.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,606

$1,892 A$2,700

33.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.4K

$5,872 A$8,381

35.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,849

$5,018 A$7,162

37.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,076

$1,411 A$2,014

201.63%

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 Moe: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Moe

$1.1K 49.2% 18.4% $260

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Moe

$332 14.2% 14.1% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Moe

$243 10.4% 24.4% $78

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Moe

$242 10.4% 22.5% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Moe

$173 7.4% 0.7% $1.3

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Moe

$105 4.5% 36.4% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Moe

$91 3.9% 8.2% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $1,229 in Moe. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $79 in Moe for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $386 vs $332 per month, with Moe cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Moe

🕒 Local time

13:51 1:51 PM

Same time as Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

8,700

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.701 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

1 AUD = 0.701 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Moe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,849 in Melbourne and $2,334 in Moe, so Moe is about 18% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Melbourne is about 3 times higher, 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 $1,229 in Moe. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,461 in Melbourne versus $2,451 in Moe. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Moe is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

Expats usually find Moe gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.