Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Nalaikh

For one person, living is cheaper in Nalaikh: $908 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $23,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Nalaikh
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Nalaikh Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Nalaikh

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$908

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Nalaikh

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $908 in Nalaikh.

Melbourne $2,821
Nalaikh $908

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,425 in Nalaikh.

Melbourne $4,235
Nalaikh $1,425

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,941 in Nalaikh.

Melbourne $5,650
Nalaikh $1,941

Living in Melbourne is roughly 211% more expensive than in Nalaikh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Nalaikh is 33% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$4.48 MNT 16.1K

289.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$26.21 MNT 94.3K

222.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$4.40 MNT 15.8K

183.18%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.18 MNT 7,856

88.53%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.72 MNT 2,602

325.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.40 MNT 1,449

530.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$1.42 MNT 5,089

590.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$2.17 MNT 7,792

294.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.21 MNT 4,363

22.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$0.80 MNT 2,885

267.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.59 MNT 5,728

67.30%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.05 MNT 7,373

170.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$12.43 MNT 44.7K

-15.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$4.22 MNT 15.2K

128.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$5.64 MNT 20.3K

169.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$3.11 MNT 11.2K

28.30%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$2.48 MNT 8,905

21.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$3.65 MNT 13.1K

-15.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$2.84 MNT 10.2K

69.72%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$0.58 MNT 2,091

422.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$0.93 MNT 3,341

162.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.22 MNT 4,381

101.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.60 MNT 2,148

171.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$1.66 MNT 5,957

2554.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$8.29 MNT 29.8K

53.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$0.96 MNT 3,444

477.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.59 MNT 5,720

228.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.15 MNT 528

2393.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$6.04 MNT 21.7K

2176.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$0.55 MNT 1,976

720.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.51 MNT 1,847

166.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$2.48 MNT 8,914

1127.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.01 MNT 3,625

45.54%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$26.5K MNT 95.4M

9.29%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$16.4K MNT 59.0M

61.27%

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

$234 A$336

$70.2 MNT 252.5K

232.83%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$6.92 MNT 24.9K

303.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$10.94 MNT 39.4K

409.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$55.0 MNT 197.7K

-10.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$13.99 MNT 50.3K

53.54%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$2.72 MNT 9,791

454.78%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$123 MNT 441.5K

1831.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$5,604 MNT 20.2M

438.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$61.7 MNT 222.0K

29.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$45.76 MNT 164.6K

10.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$84.8 MNT 304.8K

42.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$125 MNT 448.9K

4.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$418 MNT 1.5M

321.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$307 MNT 1.1M

353.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,256 MNT 4.5M

178.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$575 MNT 2.1M

333.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$1,362 MNT 4.9M

408.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$848 MNT 3.0M

660.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$523 MNT 1.9M

738.35%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Nalaikh: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Nalaikh

$307 33.8% 77.9% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Nalaikh

$209 23.1% 45.5% $175

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Nalaikh

$88 9.7% 72.2% $229

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Nalaikh

$91 10% 71% $223

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Nalaikh

$143 15.7% 16.9% $29

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Nalaikh

$9.7 1.1% 94.1% $154

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Nalaikh

$60 6.7% 24.1% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $418 in Nalaikh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 738% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $26.00 in Nalaikh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $209 per month, with Nalaikh cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇲🇳 Nalaikh

🕒 Local time

04:37 4:37 AM

01:37 1:37 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

30,049

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Mongolian Tögrög MNT ₮

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MNT, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Mongolian Tögrög exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3,596 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD). 1 EUR = 4,043 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.47 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Melbourne Nalaikh 10,220 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Nalaikh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Nalaikh differ by about 211% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $908 including rent). Nalaikh is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 738% 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: $1,759 in Melbourne versus $418 in Nalaikh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $123 in Nalaikh. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 83% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $908 in Nalaikh versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Nalaikh but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Nalaikh the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Expats usually find Nalaikh gentler on the wallet – expenses run 211% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.