Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Nice

For one person, living is cheaper in Nice: $2,201 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 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
108

Cost of Living Index in Nice
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Nice Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Nice

🇫🇷 France

$2,201

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Nice

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $2,201 in Nice.

Melbourne $2,821
Nice $2,201

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $3,529 in Nice.

Melbourne $4,235
Nice $3,529

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $4,857 in Nice.

Melbourne $5,650
Nice $4,857

Living in Melbourne is roughly 28% more expensive than in Nice, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Nice 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$20.28 €18.04

-14.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$88.6 €78.8

-4.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$13.20 €11.74

-5.61%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$3.62 €3.22

13.54%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$3.55 €3.16

-13.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$2.39 €2.12

5.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$7.97 €7.09

22.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$7.98 €7.10

7.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.64 €1.46

-9.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$2.21 €1.96

33.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$2.73 €2.43

-2.56%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$4.84 €4.31

14.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$20.93 €18.62

-49.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$16.74 €14.89

-42.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$23.14 €20.58

-34.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$4.36 €3.88

-8.49%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$2.51 €2.23

20.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$3.03 €2.69

2.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$3.91 €3.47

23.27%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.76 €2.45

9.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$2.60 €2.31

-6.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.70 €1.52

44.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.83 €0.74

96.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$13.57 €12.07

224.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$9.10 €8.09

39.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$3.58 €3.18

54.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$3.91 €3.48

33.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$1.88 €1.67

98.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$49.67 €44.18

176.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$3.30 €2.93

36.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$2.27 €2.02

-40.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$29.06 €25.85

4.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$2.16 €1.92

-31.94%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$34.4K €30.6K

-15.81%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$35.1K €31.2K

-24.48%

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

$234 A$336

$228 €203

2.50%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$16.38 €14.57

70.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$33.13 €29.47

68.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$32.09 €28.55

53.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$34.41 €30.61

-37.58%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$15.42 €13.71

-2.14%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$1,535 €1,365

54.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$17.0K €15.1K

78.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$110 €98.0

-27.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$49.35 €43.90

2.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$106 €94.7

13.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$190 €169

-31.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$1,112 €989

58.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$831 €740

67.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,996 €1,776

75.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$1,702 €1,514

46.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$7,426 €6,605

-6.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$4,154 €3,695

55.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$2,501 €2,225

75.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.9

51.28%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nice: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Nice

$831 37.8% 40.2% $558

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Nice

$427 19.4% 11.3% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Nice

$278 12.6% 12.6% $40

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Nice

$325 14.8% 3.3% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Nice

$205 9.3% 19.5% $33

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Nice

$72 3.3% 56.1% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Nice

$63 2.9% 20.9% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $1,112 in Nice. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 75% 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 $89.0 in Nice for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $427 per month, with Melbourne cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇫🇷 Nice

🕒 Local time

03:56 3:56 AM

18:56 6:56 PM

9 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

348,085

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Nice 16,430 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Nice

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 Nice: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Nice differ by about 28% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $2,201 including rent). Nice is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 75% 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 $1,112 in Nice. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $1,535 in Nice. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Melbourne pay roughly 11% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,201 in Nice versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Nice but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Nice 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 Nice 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 Nice gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.