Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Muswellbrook

For one person, living is cheaper in Muswellbrook: $2,294 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 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
118

Cost of Living Index in Muswellbrook
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Muswellbrook Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Muswellbrook

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Muswellbrook

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $2,294 in Muswellbrook.

Melbourne $2,849
Muswellbrook $2,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $3,598 in Muswellbrook.

Melbourne $4,274
Muswellbrook $3,598

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $4,902 in Muswellbrook.

Melbourne $5,699
Muswellbrook $4,902

Living in Melbourne is roughly 24% more expensive than in Muswellbrook, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Muswellbrook 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.86

$17.21 A$24.45

1.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$85.1 A$121

-0.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.29

$10.58 A$15.04

15.03%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.79

$3.42 A$4.86

19.01%

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

$3.18 A$4.52

$2.72 A$3.87

16.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.55

$2.23 A$3.17

12.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.60

$6.99 A$9.93

36.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.72

$7.04 A$10.01

17.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.14

$1.20 A$1.70

25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.22

$2.90 A$4.13

2.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.81

$2.19 A$3.10

22.37%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.75

$4.04 A$5.74

34.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.22

$10.36 A$14.73

3.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.28

$9.57 A$13.60

5.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.31

$16.41 A$23.31

-8.59%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.78

$2.94 A$4.17

38.44%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.46

$2.58 A$3.67

21.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.43

$2.78 A$3.95

12.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.72

$4.50 A$6.39

5.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.23

$2.39 A$3.39

24.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.55

$2.49 A$3.53

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.53

$2.77 A$3.94

-10.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.27

$1.72 A$2.44

-6.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.4

$41.91 A$59.6

6.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.02

$14.03 A$19.94

-9.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.88

$4.43 A$6.30

25.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.37

$4.68 A$6.65

10.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.45

$2.74 A$3.89

40.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$197

$93.9 A$133

47.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.19

$3.81 A$5.42

14.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$1.44 A$2.04

-4.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.23

$41.81 A$59.4

-28.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.11

$1.34 A$1.90

11.19%

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

$29.1K A$41.3K

$29.5K A$42.0K

-1.53%

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

$25.7K A$36.5K

$24.5K A$34.7K

4.97%

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

$236 A$335

$138 A$197

70.29%

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

$28.01 A$39.80

$31.16 A$44.28

-10.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.3

$49.96 A$71.0

14.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.8

$55.7 A$79.1

-13.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.50

$15.21 A$21.61

41.09%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.10

$13.12 A$18.65

34.68%

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

$2,461 A$3,497

$2,205 A$3,133

11.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.2K

$23.1K A$32.8K

28.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$115

$71.1 A$101

14.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.0

$62.9 A$89.4

-21.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$170

$145 A$207

-17.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$108 A$153

21.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,419

$1,201 A$1,707

41.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,002

$1,061 A$1,508

32.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,967

$2,222 A$3,157

57.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,590

$2,048 A$2,910

23.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

$6,189 A$8,794

28.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,805

$4,686 A$6,659

47.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,049

$6,419 A$9,121

-33.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.23

12.81%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Last update for Muswellbrook: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Muswellbrook

$1.1K 46.3% 24.6% $347

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Muswellbrook

$361 15.8% 6.5% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Muswellbrook

$220 9.6% 31.6% $101

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Muswellbrook

$279 12.2% 10.6% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Muswellbrook

$174 7.6% 1.7% $2.8

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Muswellbrook

$116 5.1% 29.9% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Muswellbrook

$82 3.6% 2.2% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $1,201 in Muswellbrook. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Muswellbrook pays 51% 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 $85 in Muswellbrook. Groceries flip the comparison at $386 vs $361, with Muswellbrook cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Muswellbrook

🕒 Local time

06:01 6:01 AM

Same time as Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

16,000

💱 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 Muswellbrook 780 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Muswellbrook

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 Muswellbrook: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Muswellbrook differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($2,849 vs $2,294 including rent). Muswellbrook is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 34% 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 $1,201 in Muswellbrook. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% 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 $2,294 in Muswellbrook – a 24% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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 Muswellbrook are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.