Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Port Douglas

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Douglas: $2,579 a month against $2,823 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

136

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Port Douglas
Learn more

Port Douglas Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,823

/mo nomad

Port Douglas

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,579

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Port Douglas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,823 in Melbourne versus $2,579 in Port Douglas.

Melbourne $2,823
Port Douglas $2,579

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,253 in Melbourne versus $3,766 in Port Douglas.

Melbourne $4,253
Port Douglas $3,766

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,683 in Melbourne versus $4,952 in Port Douglas.

Melbourne $5,683
Port Douglas $4,952

Living in Melbourne is roughly 9% more expensive than in Port Douglas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Port Douglas 91% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.34 A$25.01

$17.40 A$25.10

-0.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.7 A$119

$96.7 A$139

-14.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.63 A$18.22

$12.54 A$18.09

0.72%

Cappuccino

$4.22 A$6.09

$4.31 A$6.22

-2.09%

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

$3.12 A$4.50

$3.20 A$4.62

-2.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 A$3.58

$2.76 A$3.98

-10.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.69 A$13.98

$6.81 A$9.82

42.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.30 A$11.97

$8.60 A$12.41

-3.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.17

$1.86 A$2.68

-19.35%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 A$4.44

$2.64 A$3.82

16.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 A$3.81

$2.57 A$3.71

2.72%

Eggs

$5.58 A$8.04

$5.37 A$7.75

3.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.78 A$14.11

$9.16 A$13.21

6.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 A$13.73

$13.75 A$19.84

-30.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.18 A$21.90

$15.07 A$21.74

0.73%

Apples (1kg)

$4.22 A$6.09

$4.07 A$5.87

3.69%

Banana (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.52

$2.83 A$4.08

10.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 A$4.68

$3.55 A$5.12

-8.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.71 A$6.79

$5.97 A$8.61

-21.11%

Potato (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.52

$2.48 A$3.58

26.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.46 A$3.55

$2.61 A$3.76

-5.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 A$3.46

$2.75 A$3.97

-12.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 A$2.12

$2.62 A$3.79

-43.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.76 A$61.7

$44.42 A$64.1

-3.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.90 A$18.61

$14.14 A$20.40

-8.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.53 A$7.98

$3.54 A$5.10

56.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.44

$5.20 A$7.51

-0.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.79 A$5.47

$2.79 A$4.02

35.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$141 A$204

$85.0 A$123

66.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.75 A$5.42

$2.60 A$3.75

44.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 A$2.08

$1.97 A$2.85

-26.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.93 A$41.74

$42.92 A$61.9

-32.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.09

$1.28 A$1.85

13.28%

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

$29.6K A$42.7K

$28.9K A$41.7K

2.38%

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

$26.3K A$37.9K

$31.4K A$45.3K

-16.35%

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

$229 A$330

$161 A$232

42.37%

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

$26.76 A$38.60

$35.46 A$51.2

-24.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.5 A$83.0

$65.5 A$94.5

-12.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.77 A$71.8

$55.1 A$79.4

-9.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.45 A$30.94

$17.85 A$25.75

20.17%

Cinema Ticket

$17.43 A$25.15

$13.76 A$19.85

26.67%

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

$2,435 A$3,512

$2,120 A$3,058

14.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.6K A$48.5K

$14.2K A$20.4K

137.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 A$116

$91.4 A$132

-12.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.5 A$74.3

$72.5 A$105

-29.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$175

$125 A$180

-2.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$129 A$187

3.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,748 A$2,522

$1,400 A$2,019

24.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,386 A$1,999

$1,223 A$1,764

13.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,468 A$5,002

$2,296 A$3,311

51.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,520 A$3,634

$1,804 A$2,602

39.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,274 A$11.9K

$5,744 A$8,285

44.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,066 A$10.2K

$4,972 A$7,172

42.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,206 A$6,068

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.97

6.32

-5.54%

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

Last update for Melbourne: November 1, 2026

Last update for Port Douglas: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.1%

Port Douglas

$1.2K 47.4% 11.8% $163

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$383 13.6%

Port Douglas

$411 15.9% 7.4% $28

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Port Douglas

$304 11.8% 3.5% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$313 11.1%

Port Douglas

$262 10.2% 16.4% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$174 6.2%

Port Douglas

$188 7.3% 8.2% $14

Getting Around

Melbourne

$167 5.9%

Port Douglas

$109 4.2% 35.1% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$85 3%

Port Douglas

$83 3.2% 2.4% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,748 in Melbourne and $1,400 in Port Douglas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $83 in Melbourne vs $97 in Port Douglas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $383 vs $411 per month, with Melbourne cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Port Douglas

🕒 Local time

16:32 4:32 PM

15:32 3:32 PM

1 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

3,500

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.693 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 AUD = 0.693 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Port Douglas 2,370 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Port Douglas

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 Port Douglas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,823 in Melbourne and $2,579 in Port Douglas, so Port Douglas is about 9% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $4,234 in Melbourne and $3,869 in Port Douglas 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: $1,748 in Melbourne versus $1,400 in Port Douglas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,435 in Melbourne versus $2,120 in Port Douglas. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Melbourne pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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 Port Douglas are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.