Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Parramatta

For one person, living is cheaper in Melbourne: $2,849 a month against $3,303 in Parramatta, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Parramatta outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
160

Cost of Living Index in Parramatta
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Parramatta Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Parramatta

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,303

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Parramatta

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $3,303 in Parramatta.

Melbourne $2,849
Parramatta $3,303

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $4,603 in Parramatta.

Melbourne $4,274
Parramatta $4,603

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $5,903 in Parramatta.

Melbourne $5,699
Parramatta $5,903

Living in Melbourne costs roughly 14% less than in Parramatta.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Parramatta 143% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.86

$17.30 A$24.58

1.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$91.0 A$129

-7.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.29

$11.95 A$16.98

1.84%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.79

$3.95 A$5.61

3.04%

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

$3.18 A$4.52

$3.17 A$4.50

0.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.55

$2.56 A$3.63

-2.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.60

$8.55 A$12.14

11.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.72

$7.43 A$10.56

11.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.14

$1.65 A$2.34

-9.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.22

$2.80 A$3.97

6.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.81

$2.38 A$3.39

12.61%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.75

$5.38 A$7.64

1.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.22

$12.04 A$17.11

-11.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.28

$9.56 A$13.58

5.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.31

$15.42 A$21.91

-2.72%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.78

$4.01 A$5.70

1.50%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.46

$3.21 A$4.57

-2.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.43

$3.48 A$4.94

-10.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.72

$4.93 A$7.01

-4.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.23

$3.08 A$4.38

-3.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.55

$2.44 A$3.47

2.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.53

$2.56 A$3.63

-3.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.27

$1.38 A$1.97

15.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.4

$44.83 A$63.7

-0.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.02

$14.05 A$19.96

-9.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.88

$4.07 A$5.79

36.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.37

$4.04 A$5.74

28.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.45

$2.24 A$3.19

71.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$197

$139 A$198

-0.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.19

$3.46 A$4.92

26.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$1.59 A$2.26

-13.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.23

$40.91 A$58.1

-27.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.11

$1.34 A$1.90

11.19%

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

$29.1K A$41.3K

$29.5K A$41.9K

-1.37%

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

$25.7K A$36.5K

$26.6K A$37.8K

-3.60%

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

$236 A$335

$254 A$361

-7.30%

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

$28.01 A$39.80

$27.25 A$38.72

2.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.3

$54.9 A$78.0

4.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.8

$53.9 A$76.6

-10.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.50

$20.01 A$28.44

7.25%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.10

$15.91 A$22.60

11.06%

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

$2,461 A$3,497

$2,337 A$3,321

5.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.2K

$20.4K A$29.0K

45.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$115

$80.0 A$114

1.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.0

$55.8 A$79.3

-11.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$170

$107 A$152

11.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$127 A$180

3.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,419

$2,541 A$3,610

-32.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,002

$1,872 A$2,660

-24.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,967

$3,737 A$5,310

-6.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,590

$2,728 A$3,876

-7.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

$4,197 A$5,963

90.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,805

$3,358 A$4,771

105.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,049

$4,034 A$5,732

5.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.92

-0.34%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Last update for Parramatta: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Parramatta

$1.9K 56.7% 32.9% $464

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Parramatta

$381 11.5% 1.4% $5.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Parramatta

$336 10.2% 4.8% $15

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Parramatta

$302 9.1% 3.3% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Parramatta

$166 5% 2.9% $5

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Parramatta

$160 4.8% 3.4% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Parramatta

$86 2.6% 2.4% $2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $2,541 in Parramatta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 6% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $91 in Parramatta. Groceries flip the comparison at $386 vs $381, with Parramatta cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Parramatta

🕒 Local time

10:45 10:45 AM

Same time as Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

19,745

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Parramatta 700 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Parramatta

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 Parramatta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,849 in Melbourne and $3,303 in Parramatta, so Melbourne is about 14% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 6% 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: $1,703 in Melbourne versus $2,541 in Parramatta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,461 in Melbourne versus $2,337 in Parramatta. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $2,849 per month in Melbourne versus $3,303 in Parramatta – Melbourne is about 14% 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 Parramatta are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.