Last update: Oct 2026
Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Palau
For one person, living is cheaper in Palau: $1,985 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Melbourne outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.
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Melbourne Living Index137Cost of Living Index in MelbourneLearn more -
Palau Living Index96Cost of Living Index in PalauLearn more
🙂 Solo nomad: Melbourne is 12.6% cheaper than Palau without rent, and 43.6% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Melbourne is 12.1% more expensive than Palau without rent, and 42.6% more expensive with rent.
🍽 Eating Out
Melbourne
Palau
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.75 A$25.40
$13.61 $13.61
30.42%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$84.8 A$121
$75.1 $75.1
13.00%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.16 A$17.40
$9.94 $9.94
22.33%
Cappuccino
$3.93 A$5.62
$4.04 $4.04
-2.72%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.14 A$4.49
$1.40 $1.40
124.29%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.43 A$3.47
$1.05 $1.05
131.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.90 A$14.17
$1.53 $1.53
547.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.29 A$11.86
$2.14 $2.14
287.38%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Melbourne
Palau
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.55 A$2.21
$2.59 $2.59
-40.15%
White Bread (500g)
$3.01 A$4.31
$3.05 $3.05
-1.31%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.88 A$4.12
$0.26 $0.26
1007.69%
Eggs
$5.44 A$7.79
$6.35 $6.35
-14.33%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.59 A$15.16
$9.95 $9.95
6.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.61 A$13.76
$13.65 $13.65
-29.60%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.99 A$21.46
$19.59 $19.59
-23.48%
Apples (1kg)
$4.15 A$5.94
$5.37 $5.37
-22.72%
Banana (1kg)
$3.05 A$4.37
$2.26 $2.26
34.96%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.30 A$4.72
$5.57 $5.57
-40.75%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.76 A$6.81
$16.51 $16.51
-71.17%
Potato (1kg)
$3.04 A$4.34
$4.70 $4.70
-35.32%
Onion (1kg)
$2.55 A$3.65
$3.40 $3.40
-25.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.48 A$3.55
$1.98 $1.98
25.25%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.63 A$2.33
$1.74 $1.74
-6.32%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$44.07 A$63.1
$14.91 $14.91
195.57%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.43 A$17.79
$22.37 $22.37
-44.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$5.33 A$7.63
$3.49 $3.49
52.72%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.16 A$7.38
$3.40 $3.40
51.76%
🚌 Getting Around
Melbourne
Palau
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.84 A$5.50
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Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$142 A$203
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Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.40 A$6.29
$2.47 $2.47
78.14%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.40 A$2.01
-
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Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.83 A$42.69
$5.86 $5.86
409.04%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.46 A$2.09
$1.92 $1.92
-23.96%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.1K A$40.3K
$17.8K $17.8K
58.30%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.9K A$37.1K
$15.2K $15.2K
71.08%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Melbourne
Palau
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$233 A$333
$170 $170
36.60%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.28 A$39.04
$52.3 $52.3
-47.88%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$57.0 A$81.6
$198 $198
-71.12%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Melbourne
Palau
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.7 A$75.4
$79.3 $79.3
-33.57%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.62 A$32.37
-
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Cinema Ticket
$17.10 A$24.48
-
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🧸 Childcare & Education
Melbourne
Palau
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,373 A$3,397
$255 $255
831.71%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$30.5K A$43.6K
-
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👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Melbourne
Palau
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$78.2 A$112
$84.0 $84.0
-6.84%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$50.5 A$72.2
$65.4 $65.4
-22.82%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$121 A$172
$195 $195
-38.13%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$133 A$191
$195 $195
-31.60%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Melbourne
Palau
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,713 A$2,451
$737 $737
132.33%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,402 A$2,006
$530 $530
164.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,339 A$4,778
$2,156 $2,156
54.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,529 A$3,619
$934 $934
170.73%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,018 A$10.0K
-
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Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,767 A$9,685
-
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💵 Salaries & Financials
Melbourne
Palau
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,228 A$6,051
$773 $773
446.80%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.9
0
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CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026
Last update for Palau: October 3, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Melbourne $1.4K 49.3%
Palau $530 26.7% 62.2% $872
Groceries & Markets
Melbourne $385 13.5%
Palau $504 25.4% 30.7% $118
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Melbourne $317 11.1%
Palau $420 21.2% 32.6% $103
Eating Out
Melbourne $314 11%
Palau $209 10.5% 33.5% $105
Clothing & Footwear
Melbourne $172 6.1%
Palau $243 12.2% 40.9% $70
Getting Around
Melbourne $168 5.9%
Palau $2.5 * 0.1% 98.5% $166
Sport & Entertainment
Melbourne $87 3.1%
Palau $79 * 4% 8.7% $7.6
Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.
Accommodation & Living
Melbourne $2.5K 44.3%
Palau $934 22.9% 63.1% $1.6K
Groceries & Markets
Melbourne $875 15.3%
Palau $1.2K 28.7% 33.8% $295
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Melbourne $344 6%
Palau $473 11.6% 37.3% $128
Eating Out
Melbourne $1K 18.3%
Palau $802 19.7% 23.2% $242
Clothing & Footwear
Melbourne $382 6.7%
Palau $539 13.2% 40.9% $156
Getting Around
Melbourne $344 6%
Palau $4.9 * 0.1% 98.6% $339
Sport & Entertainment
Melbourne $196 3.4%
Palau $159 * 3.9% 19.2% $38
Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.
Good to know
🇦🇺 Melbourne
🇵🇼 Palau
Weather
Population
5,031,195
21,729
Exchange rates and currency converter
On the map
Lowest
Highest
Between locations
- Melbourne Palau 5,140 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
- Melbourne
- Palau
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 other spots: cost of living compared
Melbourne
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,852
/mo nomad
Dubai
🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates
$2,854
/mo nomad
Melbourne
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,852
/mo nomad
Munich
🇩🇪 Germany
$2,650
/mo nomad
Melbourne
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,852
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,203
/mo nomad
Melbourne
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,852
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$906
/mo nomad
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