Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Penshurst, NSW

For one person, living is cheaper in Penshurst, NSW: $2,478 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 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
120

Cost of Living Index in Penshurst, NSW
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Penshurst, NSW Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Penshurst, NSW

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,478

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,853 in Melbourne versus $2,478 in Penshurst, NSW.

Melbourne $2,853
Penshurst, NSW $2,478

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,275 in Melbourne versus $3,587 in Penshurst, NSW.

Melbourne $4,275
Penshurst, NSW $3,587

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,697 in Melbourne versus $4,696 in Penshurst, NSW.

Melbourne $5,697
Penshurst, NSW $4,696

Living in Melbourne is roughly 15% more expensive than in Penshurst, NSW, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 111% above, Penshurst, NSW 83% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.20 A$24.75

$17.72 A$25.50

-2.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 A$120

$84.1 A$121

-1.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 A$17.88

$10.31 A$14.84

20.56%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.82

$4.08 A$5.87

-0.74%

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

$3.12 A$4.50

$2.89 A$4.16

7.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.54

$2.24 A$3.22

9.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.52 A$13.71

$7.80 A$11.23

22.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.74

$7.43 A$10.70

9.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.25

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.18

$2.63 A$3.79

10.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$2.22 A$3.19

19.82%

Eggs

$5.37 A$7.72

$4.96 A$7.14

8.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 A$15.36

$9.02 A$12.99

18.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 A$14.17

$9.17 A$13.20

7.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 A$22.11

$14.85 A$21.37

3.43%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$6.00

$3.85 A$5.53

8.31%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$2.98 A$4.29

5.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 A$4.69

$3.27 A$4.71

-0.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.85

$4.53 A$6.52

5.08%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.41

$2.73 A$3.93

12.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.55

$2.40 A$3.46

2.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.52

$2.36 A$3.39

3.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$1.55 A$2.22

5.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.17 A$65.0

$41.48 A$59.7

8.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.25

$14.09 A$20.28

-10.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.69 A$8.18

$4.78 A$6.87

19.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.53

$5.13 A$7.38

1.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 A$5.57

$2.82 A$4.06

37.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$204

$81.9 A$118

73.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 A$6.53

$3.42 A$4.92

32.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.04

$1.58 A$2.27

-10.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.59 A$44.01

$39.61 A$57.0

-22.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.35 A$1.95

8.89%

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

$28.9K A$41.5K

$27.1K A$39.0K

6.63%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$29.2K A$42.1K

-11.33%

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

$235 A$338

$204 A$293

15.47%

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

$27.45 A$39.51

$27.94 A$40.20

-1.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$80.8

$56.4 A$81.2

-0.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 A$72.1

$55.3 A$79.6

-9.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.49 A$30.93

$17.31 A$24.91

24.15%

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 A$25.56

$14.86 A$21.39

19.52%

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

$2,385 A$3,432

$2,170 A$3,123

9.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.7K

$20.0K A$28.8K

48.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 A$114

$77.5 A$112

2.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.49 A$71.2

$53.1 A$76.4

-6.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$170

$106 A$153

11.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$120 A$173

9.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 A$2,537

$1,365 A$1,964

29.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 A$2,031

$1,179 A$1,697

19.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,522 A$5,069

$2,117 A$3,047

66.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 A$3,634

$1,782 A$2,565

41.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,136 A$10.3K

$5,918 A$8,517

20.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,355 A$9,144

$4,848 A$6,977

31.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,258 A$6,128

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.84

1.03%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 17, 2026

Last update for Penshurst, NSW: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5%

Penshurst, NSW

$1.2K 47.6% 16.4% $232

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$388 13.6%

Penshurst, NSW

$364 14.7% 6.2% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$319 11.2%

Penshurst, NSW

$288 11.6% 9.6% $31

Eating Out

Melbourne

$310 10.9%

Penshurst, NSW

$296 12% 4.4% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Penshurst, NSW

$161 6.5% 5.8% $9.9

Getting Around

Melbourne

$169 5.9%

Penshurst, NSW

$105 4.2% 38.2% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$86 3%

Penshurst, NSW

$85 3.4% 0.7% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,763 in Melbourne and $1,365 in Penshurst, NSW. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $83.0 in Melbourne vs $84.0 in Penshurst, NSW. Groceries flip the comparison at $388 vs $364, with Penshurst, NSW cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Penshurst, NSW

🕒 Local time

04:00 4:00 AM

Same time as Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

12,673

💱 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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Melbourne Penshurst, NSW 700 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Melbourne and Penshurst, NSW differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($2,853 vs $2,478 including rent). Penshurst, NSW is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $4,280 in Melbourne and $3,717 in Penshurst, NSW 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: $1,763 in Melbourne versus $1,365 in Penshurst, NSW. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,385 in Melbourne versus $2,170 in Penshurst, NSW. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,478 in Penshurst, NSW versus $2,853 in Melbourne, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Penshurst, NSW but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Penshurst, 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 Penshurst, 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 Penshurst, NSW gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.