Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Mount Gambier

For one person, living is cheaper in Mount Gambier: $2,242 a month against $2,823 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Melbourne outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

136

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in Mount Gambier
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Mount Gambier Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,823

/mo nomad

Mount Gambier

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,242

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Mount Gambier

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,823 in Melbourne versus $2,242 in Mount Gambier.

Melbourne $2,823
Mount Gambier $2,242

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,253 in Melbourne versus $3,730 in Mount Gambier.

Melbourne $4,253
Mount Gambier $3,730

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,683 in Melbourne versus $5,218 in Mount Gambier.

Melbourne $5,683
Mount Gambier $5,218

Living in Melbourne is roughly 26% more expensive than in Mount Gambier, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Mount Gambier 66% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.34 A$24.82

$30.98 A$44.35

-44.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.7 A$118

$121 A$173

-31.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.63 A$18.08

$10.98 A$15.72

15.03%

Cappuccino

$4.22 A$6.04

$4.72 A$6.76

-10.59%

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

$3.12 A$4.46

$2.99 A$4.28

4.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 A$3.55

$2.53 A$3.62

-1.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.69 A$13.87

$4.95 A$7.09

95.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.30 A$11.88

$6.27 A$8.97

32.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.15

$2.26 A$3.24

-33.63%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 A$4.40

$3.45 A$4.94

-10.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 A$3.78

$2.29 A$3.28

15.28%

Eggs

$5.58 A$7.98

$5.94 A$8.51

-6.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.78 A$14.01

$9.18 A$13.14

6.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 A$13.63

$9.11 A$13.04

4.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.18 A$21.73

$10.10 A$14.46

50.30%

Apples (1kg)

$4.22 A$6.04

$3.18 A$4.55

32.70%

Banana (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.48

$2.58 A$3.69

21.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 A$4.64

$3.21 A$4.60

0.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.71 A$6.74

$5.26 A$7.53

-10.46%

Potato (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.48

$3.30 A$4.72

-5.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.46 A$3.52

$3.90 A$5.59

-36.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 A$3.44

$2.64 A$3.78

-9.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.61 A$2.31

-8.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.76 A$61.2

$31.37 A$44.90

36.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.90 A$18.47

$24.11 A$34.51

-46.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.53 A$7.91

$4.76 A$6.81

16.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.38

$5.13 A$7.34

0.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.79 A$5.43

$2.72 A$3.89

39.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$141 A$202

$83.6 A$120

69.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.75 A$5.37

$3.42 A$4.89

9.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 A$2.07

$1.58 A$2.26

-8.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.93 A$41.42

$40.49 A$58.0

-28.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.07

$1.47 A$2.11

-1.36%

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

$29.6K A$42.3K

0.01%

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

$26.3K A$37.6K

$26.9K A$38.5K

-2.26%

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

$229 A$328

$303 A$434

-24.50%

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

$26.76 A$38.31

$44.54 A$63.8

-39.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.5 A$82.4

$64.1 A$91.7

-10.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.77 A$71.3

$56.4 A$80.8

-11.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.45 A$30.70

$17.89 A$25.61

19.90%

Cinema Ticket

$17.43 A$24.96

$11.43 A$16.36

52.49%

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

$2,435 A$3,485

$2,153 A$3,082

13.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.6K A$48.1K

$20.3K A$29.1K

65.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 A$115

$90.5 A$130

-11.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.5 A$73.7

$48.90 A$70.0

5.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$123 A$176

-1.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$191

$111 A$158

20.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,748 A$2,503

$778 A$1,114

124.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,386 A$1,984

$686 A$982

102.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,468 A$4,964

$1,249 A$1,788

177.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,520 A$3,607

$1,689 A$2,418

49.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,274 A$11.8K

$5,857 A$8,385

41.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,066 A$10.1K

$4,984 A$7,134

41.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,206 A$6,021

$2,533 A$3,626

66.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.97

6.63

-9.95%

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

Last update for Melbourne: November 1, 2026

Last update for Mount Gambier: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.1%

Mount Gambier

$686 30.6% 50.5% $700

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$383 13.6%

Mount Gambier

$394 17.6% 2.9% $11

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Mount Gambier

$397 17.7% 26.1% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$313 11.1%

Mount Gambier

$412 18.4% 31.5% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$174 6.2%

Mount Gambier

$168 7.5% 3.5% $6.1

Getting Around

Melbourne

$167 5.9%

Mount Gambier

$106 4.7% 36.8% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$85 3%

Mount Gambier

$79 3.5% 6.3% $5.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,748 in Melbourne and $778 in Mount Gambier. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 66% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $83 in Melbourne vs $121 in Mount Gambier for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $383 vs $394 per month, with Melbourne cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Mount Gambier

🕒 Local time

07:15 7:15 AM

06:45 6:45 AM

30 min behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

26,734

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Mount Gambier 370 km

From you

Melbourne
Mount Gambier

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 Mount Gambier: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,823 in Melbourne and $2,242 in Mount Gambier, so Mount Gambier is about 21% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 66% 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: $1,748 in Melbourne versus $778 in Mount Gambier. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,435 in Melbourne versus $2,153 in Mount Gambier. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Melbourne pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Mount Gambier 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 Mount Gambier are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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