Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Queenstown

For one person, living is cheaper in Queenstown: $2,380 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Queenstown
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Queenstown Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Queenstown

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,380

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Queenstown

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,852 in Melbourne versus $2,380 in Queenstown.

Melbourne $2,852
Queenstown $2,380

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,297 in Melbourne versus $3,738 in Queenstown.

Melbourne $4,297
Queenstown $3,738

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,742 in Melbourne versus $5,096 in Queenstown.

Melbourne $5,742
Queenstown $5,096

Living in Melbourne is roughly 20% more expensive than in Queenstown, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 113% above, Queenstown 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.75 A$25.40

$14.19 NZ$25.28

25.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.8 A$121

$61.4 NZ$109

38.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 A$17.40

$9.19 NZ$16.38

32.32%

Cappuccino

$3.93 A$5.62

$3.13 NZ$5.57

25.56%

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

$3.14 A$4.49

$2.02 NZ$3.61

55.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.47

$2.00 NZ$3.57

21.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.90 A$14.17

$6.80 NZ$12.11

45.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.29 A$11.86

$6.26 NZ$11.16

32.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.21

$2.15 NZ$3.82

-27.91%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 A$4.31

$1.94 NZ$3.46

55.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.12

$1.71 NZ$3.04

68.42%

Eggs

$5.44 A$7.79

$5.67 NZ$10.10

-4.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.59 A$15.16

$8.10 NZ$14.43

30.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 A$13.76

$9.89 NZ$17.62

-2.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.99 A$21.46

$15.72 NZ$28.02

-4.64%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 A$5.94

$2.87 NZ$5.11

44.60%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.37

$2.25 NZ$4.01

35.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 A$4.72

$3.68 NZ$6.55

-10.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.81

$5.27 NZ$9.38

-9.68%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.34

$3.41 NZ$6.08

-10.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.65

$1.84 NZ$3.28

38.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.55

$2.35 NZ$4.18

5.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.33

$1.89 NZ$3.37

-13.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.1

$27.36 NZ$48.75

61.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.43 A$17.79

$8.90 NZ$15.85

39.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.33 A$7.63

$4.44 NZ$7.91

20.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.38

$6.40 NZ$11.40

-19.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.50

$1.44 NZ$2.56

166.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$203

$119 NZ$212

18.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 A$6.29

$2.59 NZ$4.61

69.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.87 NZ$3.32

-25.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.83 A$42.69

$29.12 NZ$51.9

2.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 A$2.09

$1.72 NZ$3.06

-15.12%

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

$28.1K A$40.3K

$24.9K NZ$44.4K

12.97%

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

$25.9K A$37.1K

$23.2K NZ$41.4K

11.64%

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

$233 A$333

$112 NZ$199

108.04%

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

$27.28 A$39.04

$28.02 NZ$49.93

-2.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$81.6

$51.5 NZ$91.8

10.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 A$75.4

$54.3 NZ$96.8

-3.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.62 A$32.37

$26.80 NZ$47.75

-15.60%

Cinema Ticket

$17.10 A$24.48

$10.41 NZ$18.54

64.27%

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

$2,373 A$3,397

$973 NZ$1,734

143.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K A$43.6K

$7,592 NZ$13.5K

301.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.2 A$112

$58.2 NZ$104

34.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 A$72.2

$45.11 NZ$80.4

11.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$172

$90.3 NZ$161

33.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$191

$136 NZ$242

-1.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 A$2,451

$1,512 NZ$2,693

13.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 A$2,006

$1,270 NZ$2,263

10.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,339 A$4,778

$2,853 NZ$5,084

17.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 A$3,619

$2,522 NZ$4,493

0.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,018 A$10.0K

$7,599 NZ$13.5K

-7.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,767 A$9,685

$5,285 NZ$9,417

28.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,228 A$6,051

$3,052 NZ$5,438

38.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

6.12

-3.59%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Last update for Queenstown: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Queenstown

$1.3K 52.5% 9.4% $132

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$385 13.5%

Queenstown

$359 14.8% 6.8% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.1%

Queenstown

$191 7.9% 39.6% $126

Eating Out

Melbourne

$314 11%

Queenstown

$241 10% 23.2% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Queenstown

$148 6.1% 13.8% $24

Getting Around

Melbourne

$168 5.9%

Queenstown

$137 5.7% 18.7% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$87 3.1%

Queenstown

$75 3.1% 13.5% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,713 in Melbourne and $1,512 in Queenstown. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 39% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $61.0 in Queenstown for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $359 per month, with Queenstown cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇳🇿 Queenstown

🕒 Local time

16:48 4:48 PM

18:48 6:48 PM

2 h ahead of Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

15,450

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.5 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 2 NZD (1 NZD = 0.5 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Between locations

Melbourne Queenstown 2,120 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Queenstown

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 Queenstown: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Queenstown differ by about 20% in total monthly costs ($2,852 vs $2,380 including rent). Queenstown is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 39% 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: $1,713 in Melbourne versus $1,512 in Queenstown. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,373 in Melbourne versus $973 in Queenstown. 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 $2,380 in Queenstown versus $2,852 in Melbourne, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Queenstown but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Queenstown 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 Queenstown 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 Queenstown gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.