Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Nowra NSW

For one person, living is cheaper in Nowra NSW: $2,649 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 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
124

Cost of Living Index in Nowra NSW
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Nowra NSW Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Nowra NSW

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,649

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Nowra NSW

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $2,649 in Nowra NSW.

Melbourne $2,849
Nowra NSW $2,649

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $3,808 in Nowra NSW.

Melbourne $4,274
Nowra NSW $3,808

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $4,968 in Nowra NSW.

Melbourne $5,699
Nowra NSW $4,968

Living in Melbourne is roughly 8% more expensive than in Nowra NSW, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Nowra NSW 95% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.99

$20.83 A$29.74

-15.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$89.7 A$128

-6.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.38

$10.57 A$15.10

15.14%

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

$3.09 A$4.42

2.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.57

$2.50 A$3.58

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.67

$8.65 A$12.36

10.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.78

$9.96 A$14.22

-17.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.15

$1.29 A$1.84

16.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.24

$2.99 A$4.27

-0.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.83

$2.57 A$3.67

4.28%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.79

$5.28 A$7.54

3.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.30

$11.82 A$16.89

-9.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.35

$9.72 A$13.88

3.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.42

$15.33 A$21.90

-2.15%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.81

$4.00 A$5.71

1.75%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.48

$3.21 A$4.58

-2.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.45

$3.47 A$4.95

-10.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.76

$5.02 A$7.17

-5.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.26

$3.15 A$4.50

-5.40%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.56

$2.87 A$4.09

-13.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.54

$2.48 A$3.55

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.28

$1.39 A$1.99

15.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.8

$44.62 A$63.7

0.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.11

$13.82 A$19.73

-8.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.92

$4.59 A$6.55

20.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.40

$5.49 A$7.84

-5.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.48

$2.69 A$3.85

42.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$198

$81.1 A$116

71.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.22

$4.06 A$5.79

7.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.95

$1.59 A$2.27

-13.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.45

$43.76 A$62.5

-32.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.12

$1.31 A$1.87

13.74%

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

$29.1K A$41.5K

$27.8K A$39.8K

4.49%

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

$25.7K A$36.7K

$26.3K A$37.5K

-2.33%

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

$236 A$337

$183 A$262

28.50%

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

$28.01 A$40.01

$27.16 A$38.79

3.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.7

$56.6 A$80.8

1.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$69.1

$53.5 A$76.3

-9.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.65

$15.21 A$21.71

41.09%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.23

$15.48 A$22.10

14.15%

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

$2,461 A$3,515

$2,496 A$3,564

-1.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.4K

$20.2K A$28.8K

47.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$116

$77.4 A$111

4.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.4

$56.0 A$80.0

-12.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$171

$107 A$153

11.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$187

$135 A$192

-2.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,432

$1,293 A$1,847

31.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,012

$1,307 A$1,866

7.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,992

$2,454 A$3,504

42.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,608

$1,904 A$2,719

32.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.4K

$6,702 A$9,572

19.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,854

$5,378 A$7,680

28.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,079

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 Nowra NSW: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Nowra NSW

$1.3K 49.3% 7.2% $102

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Nowra NSW

$386 14.6% 0.2% $0.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Nowra NSW

$267 10.1% 16.8% $54

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Nowra NSW

$332 12.6% 6.4% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Nowra NSW

$169 6.4% 1.5% $2.5

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Nowra NSW

$104 3.9% 37.2% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Nowra NSW

$84 3.2% 0.8% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $1,293 in Nowra NSW. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $90 in Nowra NSW for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $386 vs $386 per month, with Melbourne cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Nowra NSW

🕒 Local time

21:37 9:37 PM

Same time as Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

9,598

💱 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

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Between locations

Melbourne Nowra NSW 600 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Nowra NSW

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 Nowra NSW: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,849 in Melbourne and $2,649 in Nowra NSW, so Nowra NSW is about 7% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $4,273 in Melbourne and $3,974 in Nowra NSW 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 $1,293 in Nowra NSW. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Nowra NSW runs roughly 42% less than in Melbourne. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $2,849 per month in Melbourne versus $2,649 in Nowra NSW – Nowra NSW is about 7% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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 Nowra NSW are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.