Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Oamaru

For one person, living is cheaper in Oamaru: $1,769 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 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
87

Cost of Living Index in Oamaru
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Oamaru Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Oamaru

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,769

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Oamaru

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $1,769 in Oamaru.

Melbourne $2,821
Oamaru $1,769

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $2,802 in Oamaru.

Melbourne $4,235
Oamaru $2,802

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $3,834 in Oamaru.

Melbourne $5,650
Oamaru $3,834

Living in Melbourne is roughly 59% more expensive than in Oamaru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Oamaru 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$13.87 NZ$24.53

25.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$67.7 NZ$120

24.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$9.18 NZ$16.23

35.73%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$3.30 NZ$5.84

24.55%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$2.33 NZ$4.12

31.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$1.78 NZ$3.14

41.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$6.58 NZ$11.63

48.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$6.91 NZ$12.22

24.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.67 NZ$2.94

-11.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.28 NZ$2.27

129.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.50 NZ$2.65

77.33%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$5.48 NZ$9.70

1.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$7.26 NZ$12.83

44.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$8.87 NZ$15.69

8.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$13.60 NZ$24.04

11.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.39 NZ$4.22

66.95%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$2.02 NZ$3.58

49.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.69 NZ$4.76

15.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$2.97 NZ$5.25

62.29%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.50 NZ$2.65

102.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.33 NZ$2.35

83.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$2.06 NZ$3.64

19.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.70 NZ$1.24

132.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$24.24 NZ$42.87

81.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$5.44 NZ$9.63

133.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$3.37 NZ$5.96

64.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$4.29 NZ$7.60

21.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$1.49 NZ$2.64

151.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$89.0 NZ$157

54.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$2.55 NZ$4.52

76.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$1.70 NZ$3.00

-20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$27.87 NZ$49.29

9.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.58 NZ$2.79

-6.96%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$25.2K NZ$44.6K

14.87%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$23.9K NZ$42.2K

10.89%

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

$234 A$336

$158 NZ$279

48.01%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$19.36 NZ$34.24

44.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$45.43 NZ$80.3

22.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$39.08 NZ$69.1

26.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$9.98 NZ$17.65

51.20%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$668 NZ$1,181

254.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$21.7K NZ$38.4K

39.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$56.4 NZ$99.7

41.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$16.83 NZ$29.77

201.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$44.83 NZ$79.3

169.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$50.3 NZ$88.9

159.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$973 NZ$1,720

80.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$790 NZ$1,398

75.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,725 NZ$3,051

102.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$1,631 NZ$2,884

52.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$4,751 NZ$8,403

45.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$3,236 NZ$5,724

99.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$1,926 NZ$3,405

127.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.91

-0.17%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Oamaru: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Oamaru

$790 44.7% 43.1% $599

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Oamaru

$274 15.5% 28.6% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Oamaru

$223 12.6% 29.8% $95

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Oamaru

$241 13.6% 23.3% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Oamaru

$76 4.3% 55.9% $96

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Oamaru

$106 6% 35.3% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Oamaru

$59 3.3% 25.8% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $973 in Oamaru. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 128% 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 $68.0 in Oamaru for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $274 per month, with Oamaru cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇳🇿 Oamaru

🕒 Local time

14:20 2:20 PM

16:20 4:20 PM

2 h ahead of Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

13,850

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, 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).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Oamaru 2,300 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Oamaru

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 Oamaru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Oamaru differ by about 59% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $1,769 including rent). Oamaru is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 128% 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 $973 in Oamaru. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $668 in Oamaru. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,769 in Oamaru versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Oamaru but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Oamaru 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 Oamaru 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 Oamaru gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.