Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Mount Victoria

For one person, living is cheaper in Mount Victoria: $2,706 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Mount Victoria
Learn more

Mount Victoria Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Mount Victoria

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,706

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $2,706 in Mount Victoria.

Melbourne $2,849
Mount Victoria $2,706

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $3,821 in Mount Victoria.

Melbourne $4,274
Mount Victoria $3,821

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $4,935 in Mount Victoria.

Melbourne $5,699
Mount Victoria $4,935

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.99

$21.07 A$30.10

-16.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$89.1 A$127

-5.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.38

$10.62 A$15.16

14.60%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.82

$4.04 A$5.77

0.74%

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

$3.18 A$4.54

$3.06 A$4.37

3.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.57

$2.59 A$3.70

-3.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.67

$8.56 A$12.23

11.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.78

$10.09 A$14.41

-18.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.15

$1.53 A$2.19

-1.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.24

$3.26 A$4.65

-8.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.83

$2.62 A$3.74

2.29%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.79

$5.18 A$7.39

5.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.30

$12.87 A$18.38

-16.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.35

$10.13 A$14.47

-0.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.42

$15.62 A$22.31

-3.97%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.81

$3.95 A$5.64

3.04%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.48

$3.25 A$4.65

-3.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.45

$3.61 A$5.16

-13.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.76

$4.98 A$7.11

-5.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.26

$3.09 A$4.41

-3.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.56

$2.74 A$3.92

-9.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.54

$2.58 A$3.68

-3.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.28

$1.34 A$1.91

19.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.8

$45.43 A$64.9

-1.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.11

$14.05 A$20.06

-9.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.92

$4.71 A$6.72

17.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.40

$5.64 A$8.05

-8.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.48

$2.84 A$4.06

35.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$198

$81.6 A$117

69.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.22

$4.10 A$5.85

6.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.95

$1.58 A$2.26

-13.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.45

$43.03 A$61.5

-30.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.12

$1.36 A$1.94

9.56%

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

$29.1K A$41.5K

$27.7K A$39.5K

5.09%

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

$25.7K A$36.7K

$26.7K A$38.1K

-3.71%

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

$236 A$337

$180 A$257

30.96%

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

$28.01 A$40.01

$26.84 A$38.33

4.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.7

$55.2 A$78.8

3.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$69.1

$53.7 A$76.7

-9.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.65

$16.52 A$23.59

29.90%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.23

$15.50 A$22.13

14.00%

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

$2,461 A$3,515

$2,500 A$3,570

-1.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.4K

$20.7K A$29.5K

43.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$116

$76.8 A$110

5.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.4

$57.5 A$82.1

-14.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$171

$106 A$152

12.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$187

$134 A$191

-2.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,432

$1,304 A$1,863

30.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,012

$1,354 A$1,934

4.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,992

$2,438 A$3,481

43.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,608

$1,845 A$2,635

36.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.4K

$6,693 A$9,559

19.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,854

$5,498 A$7,852

25.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,079

$4,184 A$5,976

1.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.95

-0.84%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mount Victoria: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Mount Victoria

$1.4K 50% 3.9% $55

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Mount Victoria

$398 14.7% 2.9% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Mount Victoria

$262 9.7% 18.4% $59

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Mount Victoria

$334 12.4% 7.1% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Mount Victoria

$168 6.2% 1.7% $3

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Mount Victoria

$105 3.9% 36.5% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Mount Victoria

$85 3.1% 1.1% $1

Cost Breakdown

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

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $89 in Mount Victoria for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $386 vs $398 per month, with Melbourne cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Mount Victoria

🕒 Local time

18:55 6:55 PM

Same time as Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

989

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Mount Victoria 670 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Mount Victoria

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 Victoria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,849 in Melbourne and $2,706 in Mount Victoria, so Mount Victoria 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 $4,060 in Mount Victoria 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 $1,304 in Mount Victoria. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,461 in Melbourne versus $2,500 in Mount Victoria. 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 $2,500. Mount Victoria 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 Victoria are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.