Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Orange, NSW

For one person, living is cheaper in Orange, NSW: $1,775 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 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
85

Cost of Living Index in Orange, NSW
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Orange, NSW Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Orange, NSW

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Orange, 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 Orange, NSW actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,853 in Melbourne versus $1,775 in Orange, NSW.

Melbourne $2,853
Orange, NSW $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,275 in Melbourne versus $2,955 in Orange, NSW.

Melbourne $4,275
Orange, NSW $2,955

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,697 in Melbourne versus $4,136 in Orange, NSW.

Melbourne $5,697
Orange, NSW $4,136

Living in Melbourne is roughly 61% more expensive than in Orange, NSW, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 111% above, Orange, NSW 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.20 A$24.75

$14.45 A$20.79

19.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 A$120

$76.8 A$111

8.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 A$17.88

$10.29 A$14.81

20.80%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.82

$3.39 A$4.87

19.47%

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

$3.12 A$4.50

$3.10 A$4.46

0.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.54

$2.29 A$3.29

7.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.52 A$13.71

$7.16 A$10.30

32.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.74

$6.89 A$9.92

18.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.25

$1.14 A$1.64

36.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.18

$2.88 A$4.15

0.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$2.10 A$3.03

26.67%

Eggs

$5.37 A$7.72

$3.83 A$5.51

40.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 A$15.36

$8.51 A$12.24

25.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 A$14.17

$8.90 A$12.80

10.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 A$22.11

$13.65 A$19.64

12.53%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$6.00

$2.99 A$4.30

39.46%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$2.48 A$3.57

27.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 A$4.69

$3.38 A$4.86

-3.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.85

$3.79 A$5.46

25.59%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.41

$1.78 A$2.56

71.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.55

$2.48 A$3.57

-0.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.52

$1.98 A$2.85

23.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$1.83 A$2.63

-10.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.17 A$65.0

$34.64 A$49.85

30.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.25

$11.19 A$16.10

13.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.69 A$8.18

$2.76 A$3.97

106.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.53

$4.88 A$7.02

7.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 A$5.57

$2.83 A$4.07

36.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$204

$81.0 A$117

75.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 A$6.53

$2.52 A$3.63

80.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.04

$1.56 A$2.25

-8.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.59 A$44.01

$40.35 A$58.1

-24.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.31 A$1.89

12.21%

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

$28.9K A$41.5K

$29.0K A$41.7K

-0.33%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$41.7K A$60.0K

-37.84%

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

$235 A$338

$163 A$235

43.92%

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

$27.45 A$39.51

$17.45 A$25.11

57.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$80.8

$49.83 A$71.7

12.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 A$72.1

$56.2 A$80.9

-10.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.49 A$30.93

$17.36 A$24.98

23.79%

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 A$25.56

$13.19 A$18.98

34.65%

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

$2,385 A$3,432

$2,130 A$3,065

11.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.7K

$19.9K A$28.6K

49.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 A$114

$54.1 A$77.9

46.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.49 A$71.2

$61.5 A$88.6

-19.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$170

$145 A$209

-18.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$110 A$158

20.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 A$2,537

$823 A$1,184

114.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 A$2,031

$611 A$879

131.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,522 A$5,069

$1,399 A$2,014

151.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 A$3,634

$1,491 A$2,145

69.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,136 A$10.3K

$5,878 A$8,458

21.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,355 A$9,144

$5,010 A$7,209

26.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,258 A$6,128

$4,783 A$6,882

-10.96%

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 17, 2026

Last update for Orange, NSW: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5%

Orange, NSW

$611 34.4% 56.7% $801

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$388 13.6%

Orange, NSW

$323 18.2% 16.8% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$319 11.2%

Orange, NSW

$231 13% 27.6% $88

Eating Out

Melbourne

$310 10.9%

Orange, NSW

$258 14.6% 16.6% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Orange, NSW

$167 9.4% 2.3% $3.9

Getting Around

Melbourne

$169 5.9%

Orange, NSW

$103 5.8% 39.3% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$86 3%

Orange, NSW

$83 4.7% 3.6% $3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,763 in Melbourne and $823 in Orange, NSW. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Orange, NSW pays 12% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $83.0 in Melbourne vs $77.0 in Orange, NSW for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $388 vs $323 per month, with Orange, NSW cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Orange, NSW

🕒 Local time

21:49 9:49 PM

Same time as Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

40,127

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Orange, NSW 630 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Orange, 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 Orange, NSW: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Orange, NSW differ by about 61% in total monthly costs ($2,853 vs $1,775 including rent). Orange, NSW is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 12% lower in Orange, NSW. 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: $1,763 in Melbourne versus $823 in Orange, NSW. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,385 in Melbourne versus $2,130 in Orange, NSW. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,775 in Orange, NSW versus $2,853 in Melbourne, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Orange, NSW but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Orange, NSW 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 Orange, NSW 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 Orange, NSW gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.