Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Pakenham

For one person, living is cheaper in Pakenham: $2,643 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 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
125

Cost of Living Index in Pakenham
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Pakenham Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Pakenham

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Pakenham

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $2,643 in Pakenham.

Melbourne $2,849
Pakenham $2,643

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $3,761 in Pakenham.

Melbourne $4,274
Pakenham $3,761

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $4,880 in Pakenham.

Melbourne $5,699
Pakenham $4,880

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Pakenham 94% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.86

$17.34 A$24.64

0.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$83.4 A$118

1.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.29

$12.08 A$17.16

0.75%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.79

$4.02 A$5.71

1.24%

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

$3.18 A$4.52

$3.21 A$4.56

-0.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.55

$2.47 A$3.50

1.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.60

$9.56 A$13.59

0.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.72

$8.47 A$12.04

-2.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.14

$1.21 A$1.71

23.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.22

$2.87 A$4.07

3.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.81

$2.61 A$3.70

2.68%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.75

$5.61 A$7.97

-2.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.22

$8.49 A$12.07

26.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.28

$9.78 A$13.90

2.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.31

$15.29 A$21.72

-1.90%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.78

$3.98 A$5.66

2.26%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.46

$2.62 A$3.73

19.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.43

$3.13 A$4.45

-0.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.72

$4.74 A$6.74

-0.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.23

$2.99 A$4.25

-0.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.55

$2.57 A$3.65

-3.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.53

$2.43 A$3.45

2.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.27

$1.63 A$2.32

-1.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.4

$25.16 A$35.75

77.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.02

$12.63 A$17.95

0.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.88

$5.48 A$7.78

1.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.37

$5.17 A$7.35

0.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.45

$3.08 A$4.37

24.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$197

$73.7 A$105

88.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.19

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$1.43 A$2.03

-4.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.23

$30.36 A$43.14

-2.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.11

$1.43 A$2.04

4.20%

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

$29.1K A$41.3K

0.04%

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

$25.7K A$36.5K

$26.4K A$37.6K

-2.92%

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

$236 A$335

-0.11%

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

$28.01 A$39.80

$28.14 A$39.99

-0.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.3

$57.8 A$82.2

-1.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.8

$64.3 A$91.4

-24.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.50

$19.50 A$27.71

10.05%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.10

$17.55 A$24.94

0.68%

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

$2,461 A$3,497

$2,515 A$3,573

-2.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.2K

$30.4K A$43.2K

-2.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$115

$80.5 A$114

0.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.0

$49.90 A$70.9

-1.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$170

$119 A$169

0.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$133 A$189

-1.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,419

$1,463 A$2,078

16.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,002

$1,269 A$1,804

10.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,967

$2,148 A$3,052

62.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,590

$1,855 A$2,635

36.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

$5,533 A$7,862

44.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,805

$5,458 A$7,756

26.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,049

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Last update for Pakenham: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Pakenham

$1.3K 48% 9.9% $139

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Pakenham

$372 14.1% 3.7% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Pakenham

$322 12.2% 0.3% $0.9

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Pakenham

$311 11.8% 0.6% $1.9

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Pakenham

$172 6.5% 0.3% $0.6

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Pakenham

$98 3.7% 41% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Pakenham

$99 3.8% 18.8% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $1,463 in Pakenham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $83 in Pakenham for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $386 vs $372 per month, with Pakenham cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Pakenham

🕒 Local time

00:01 12:01 AM

Same time as Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

54,118

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Melbourne Pakenham 54 km

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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 Pakenham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Pakenham differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($2,849 vs $2,643 including rent). Pakenham is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $4,273 in Melbourne and $3,964 in Pakenham 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 $1,463 in Pakenham. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,849 per month in Melbourne versus $2,643 in Pakenham – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Pakenham is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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