Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Penrith

For one person, living is cheaper in Penrith: $2,604 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 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
122

Cost of Living Index in Penrith
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Penrith Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Penrith

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,604

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Penrith

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $2,604 in Penrith.

Melbourne $2,821
Penrith $2,604

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $3,652 in Penrith.

Melbourne $4,235
Penrith $3,652

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $4,701 in Penrith.

Melbourne $5,650
Penrith $4,701

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Penrith 93% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$21.03 A$30.26

-17.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$89.7 A$129

-5.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$10.56 A$15.19

17.99%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.04 A$2.93

101.47%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$3.16 A$4.54

-3.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$2.56 A$3.69

-1.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$8.57 A$12.33

14.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$4.96 A$7.14

72.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.57 A$2.26

-5.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$3.32 A$4.78

-11.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$2.54 A$3.65

4.72%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$5.16 A$7.42

7.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$13.08 A$18.82

-19.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$9.74 A$14.02

-0.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$15.40 A$22.16

-1.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$3.93 A$5.65

1.53%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$3.08 A$4.43

-1.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$3.50 A$5.04

-11.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$5.31 A$7.65

-9.23%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$3.17 A$4.56

-4.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$2.80 A$4.02

-12.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$2.48 A$3.57

-0.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$1.34 A$1.93

21.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$45.42 A$65.4

-2.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$14.07 A$20.24

-9.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$4.62 A$6.65

19.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$5.64 A$8.11

-7.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$3.17 A$4.57

17.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$78.5 A$113

75.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$4.11 A$5.92

9.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$1.57 A$2.26

-13.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$42.63 A$61.3

-28.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.18 A$1.70

24.58%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$27.1K A$39.0K

7.05%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$30.0K A$43.2K

-11.80%

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

$234 A$336

$183 A$263

27.90%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$26.16 A$37.65

6.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$55.4 A$79.7

0.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$51.0 A$73.4

-3.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$17.66 A$25.42

21.63%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$15.88 A$22.86

-4.97%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$2,390 A$3,439

-0.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$19.9K A$28.7K

51.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$75.3 A$108

6.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$56.1 A$80.8

-9.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$108 A$155

11.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$134 A$193

-2.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$1,371 A$1,973

28.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$1,289 A$1,855

7.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$2,142 A$3,082

63.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$1,686 A$2,427

47.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$4,992 A$7,184

38.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$4,361 A$6,275

47.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.95

-0.84%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Penrith: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Penrith

$1.3K 49.5% 7.2% $100

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Penrith

$396 15.2% 3.2% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Penrith

$264 10.2% 16.7% $53

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Penrith

$300 11.5% 4.6% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Penrith

$168 6.5% 2.1% $3.7

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Penrith

$103 4% 37% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Penrith

$83 3.2% 4% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $1,371 in Penrith. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $90.0 in Penrith for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $396 per month, with Melbourne cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Penrith

🕒 Local time

09:17 9:17 AM

Same time as Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

13,343

💱 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

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Between locations

Melbourne Penrith 690 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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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 Penrith: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Penrith differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $2,604 including rent). Penrith is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $4,231 in Melbourne and $3,905 in Penrith 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: $1,759 in Melbourne versus $1,371 in Penrith. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $2,390 in Penrith. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Melbourne pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Penrith 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 Penrith 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 Penrith gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.