Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Mudgee

For one person, living is cheaper in Mudgee: $2,667 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Mudgee
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Mudgee Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Mudgee

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,667

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Mudgee

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $2,667 in Mudgee.

Melbourne $2,849
Mudgee $2,667

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $3,586 in Mudgee.

Melbourne $4,274
Mudgee $3,586

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $4,505 in Mudgee.

Melbourne $5,699
Mudgee $4,505

Living in Melbourne is roughly 7% more expensive than in Mudgee, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Mudgee 96% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.86

$16.96 A$24.09

3.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$83.9 A$119

0.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.29

$9.39 A$13.34

29.61%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.79

$3.58 A$5.08

13.69%

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

$3.18 A$4.52

$2.44 A$3.46

30.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.55

$2.08 A$2.96

20.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.60

$7.11 A$10.11

34.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.72

$7.12 A$10.12

15.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.14

$1.16 A$1.64

29.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.22

$2.86 A$4.07

3.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.81

$2.11 A$3.00

27.01%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.75

$4.00 A$5.68

36.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.22

$8.60 A$12.21

24.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.28

$7.39 A$10.50

35.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.31

$8.61 A$12.23

74.22%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.78

$2.95 A$4.19

37.97%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.46

$2.48 A$3.53

26.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.43

$3.35 A$4.76

-6.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.72

$4.09 A$5.82

15.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.23

$2.32 A$3.30

28.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.55

$2.56 A$3.64

-2.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.53

$2.60 A$3.70

-4.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.27

$1.82 A$2.59

-12.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.4

$45.13 A$64.1

-1.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.02

$14.14 A$20.09

-10.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.88

$4.50 A$6.39

23.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.37

$4.11 A$5.84

26.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.45

$2.64 A$3.75

45.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$197

$74.3 A$106

86.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.19

$3.55 A$5.04

22.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$1.62 A$2.29

-15.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.23

$44.92 A$63.8

-33.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.11

$1.31 A$1.87

13.74%

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

$29.1K A$41.3K

$28.9K A$41.1K

0.66%

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

$25.7K A$36.5K

$24.4K A$34.6K

5.27%

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

$236 A$335

$235 A$334

0.31%

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

$28.01 A$39.80

$32.19 A$45.74

-12.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.3

$50.6 A$71.9

13.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.8

$57.2 A$81.2

-15.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.50

$16.99 A$24.14

26.31%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.10

$13.36 A$18.98

32.26%

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

$2,461 A$3,497

$2,201 A$3,128

11.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.2K

$19.3K A$27.5K

53.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$115

$69.9 A$99.3

16.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.0

$63.2 A$89.8

-21.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$170

$142 A$202

-16.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$111 A$158

17.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,419

$1,530 A$2,175

11.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,002

$1,400 A$1,989

0.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,967

$2,409 A$3,423

45.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,590

$1,704 A$2,422

48.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

$6,701 A$9,522

19.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,805

$4,720 A$6,707

46.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,049

$5,594 A$7,949

-23.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

18.00%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mudgee: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Mudgee

$1.4K 52.5% 0.6% $8.9

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Mudgee

$320 12% 17.2% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Mudgee

$318 11.9% 1% $3.2

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Mudgee

$275 10.3% 12.1% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Mudgee

$174 6.5% 1.4% $2.5

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Mudgee

$97 3.6% 41.6% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Mudgee

$84 3.2% 0.2% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $1,530 in Mudgee. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mudgee pays 31% 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 $84 in Mudgee. Groceries flip the comparison at $386 vs $320, with Mudgee cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Mudgee

🕒 Local time

00:00 12:00 AM

Same time as Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

11,563

💱 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 Mudgee 720 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Mudgee

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 Mudgee: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Mudgee differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($2,849 vs $2,667 including rent). Mudgee is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 24% 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 $1,530 in Mudgee. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,849 per month in Melbourne versus $2,667 in Mudgee – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Mudgee 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 Mudgee are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.