Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Mount Isa

For one person, living is cheaper in Mount Isa: $2,629 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 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
122

Cost of Living Index in Mount Isa
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Mount Isa Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Mount Isa

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,629

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $2,629 in Mount Isa.

Melbourne $2,849
Mount Isa $2,629

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $3,759 in Mount Isa.

Melbourne $4,274
Mount Isa $3,759

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $4,890 in Mount Isa.

Melbourne $5,699
Mount Isa $4,890

Living in Melbourne is roughly 8% more expensive than in Mount Isa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Mount Isa 93% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.86

$19.94 A$28.33

-12.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$89.2 A$127

-5.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.29

$10.28 A$14.61

18.39%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.79

$3.96 A$5.62

2.78%

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

$3.18 A$4.52

$2.91 A$4.14

9.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.55

$2.25 A$3.20

11.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.60

$8.33 A$11.84

14.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.72

$8.57 A$12.18

-3.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.14

$1.62 A$2.31

-7.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.22

$2.76 A$3.91

7.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.81

$2.32 A$3.30

15.52%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.75

$5.02 A$7.13

8.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.22

$8.66 A$12.31

23.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.28

$10.60 A$15.06

-5.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.31

$14.02 A$19.93

6.99%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.78

$3.70 A$5.26

10.00%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.46

$3.09 A$4.39

1.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.43

$3.33 A$4.73

-6.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.72

$5.14 A$7.30

-7.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.23

$2.72 A$3.86

9.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.55

$2.50 A$3.55

-0.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.53

$2.32 A$3.30

6.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.27

$1.53 A$2.17

4.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.4

$43.25 A$61.5

3.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.02

$13.05 A$18.55

-2.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.88

$4.80 A$6.82

15.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.37

$5.10 A$7.24

1.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.45

$3.09 A$4.39

24.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$197

$94.6 A$134

46.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.19

$3.16 A$4.49

37.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$1.64 A$2.32

-16.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.23

$44.14 A$62.7

-32.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.11

$1.37 A$1.95

8.76%

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

$29.1K A$41.3K

$32.0K A$45.5K

-9.21%

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

$25.7K A$36.5K

$23.0K A$32.7K

11.48%

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

$236 A$335

$208 A$296

13.28%

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

$28.01 A$39.80

$27.46 A$39.01

2.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.3

$56.1 A$79.7

2.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.8

$59.4 A$84.4

-18.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.50

$16.78 A$23.84

27.89%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.10

$11.97 A$17.01

47.62%

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

$2,461 A$3,497

$1,856 A$2,638

32.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.2K

$22.7K A$32.3K

30.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$115

$84.1 A$119

-3.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.0

$59.6 A$84.7

-17.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$170

$122 A$173

-2.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$106 A$151

23.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,419

$1,304 A$1,852

30.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,002

$1,279 A$1,818

10.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,967

$2,545 A$3,616

37.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,590

$1,845 A$2,622

36.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

$5,578 A$7,926

43.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,805

$4,767 A$6,773

44.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,049

$4,462 A$6,340

-4.60%

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 Mount Isa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Mount Isa

$1.3K 48.7% 9.2% $129

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Mount Isa

$371 14.1% 3.9% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Mount Isa

$292 11.1% 9.1% $29

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Mount Isa

$317 12.1% 1.5% $4.8

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Mount Isa

$167 6.4% 2.3% $4

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Mount Isa

$118 4.5% 28.4% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Mount Isa

$83 3.2% 0.4% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $1,304 in Mount Isa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mount Isa pays 5% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $89 in Mount Isa. Groceries flip the comparison at $386 vs $371, with Mount Isa cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Mount Isa

🕒 Local time

09:10 9:10 AM

08:10 8:10 AM

1 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

17,936

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Mount Isa 1,970 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Mount Isa

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 Isa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,849 in Melbourne and $2,629 in Mount Isa, so Mount Isa is about 8% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 5% lower in Melbourne. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,703 in Melbourne versus $1,304 in Mount Isa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,461 in Melbourne versus $1,856 in Mount Isa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% 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. Mount Isa 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 Isa are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.