Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Redcliffe

For one person, living is cheaper in Redcliffe: $2,501 a month against $2,823 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

136

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
120

Cost of Living Index in Redcliffe
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Redcliffe Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,823

/mo nomad

Redcliffe

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,501

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Redcliffe

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,823 in Melbourne versus $2,501 in Redcliffe.

Melbourne $2,823
Redcliffe $2,501

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,253 in Melbourne versus $3,525 in Redcliffe.

Melbourne $4,253
Redcliffe $3,525

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,683 in Melbourne versus $4,548 in Redcliffe.

Melbourne $5,683
Redcliffe $4,548

Living in Melbourne is roughly 13% more expensive than in Redcliffe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Redcliffe 85% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.34 A$24.76

$17.72 A$25.30

-2.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.7 A$118

$68.9 A$98.5

19.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.63 A$18.04

$10.66 A$15.22

18.48%

Cappuccino

$4.22 A$6.03

$3.53 A$5.05

19.55%

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

$3.12 A$4.45

$2.43 A$3.46

28.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 A$3.54

$2.05 A$2.93

20.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.69 A$13.84

$6.94 A$9.91

39.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.30 A$11.86

$6.47 A$9.25

28.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.15

$1.24 A$1.76

20.97%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 A$4.39

$2.06 A$2.95

49.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 A$3.77

$2.13 A$3.04

23.94%

Eggs

$5.58 A$7.96

$3.57 A$5.09

56.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.78 A$13.97

$8.73 A$12.47

12.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 A$13.60

$8.24 A$11.77

15.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.18 A$21.68

$14.90 A$21.28

1.88%

Apples (1kg)

$4.22 A$6.03

$2.78 A$3.97

51.80%

Banana (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.47

$2.05 A$2.93

52.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 A$4.63

$2.87 A$4.10

12.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.71 A$6.72

$2.77 A$3.95

70.04%

Potato (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.47

$1.80 A$2.56

73.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.46 A$3.51

$2.08 A$2.97

18.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 A$3.43

$1.78 A$2.54

34.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 A$2.10

$1.43 A$2.04

2.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.76 A$61.1

$17.64 A$25.19

142.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.90 A$18.42

$13.82 A$19.74

-6.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.53 A$7.90

$5.69 A$8.13

-2.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.36

$6.41 A$9.16

-19.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.79 A$5.42

$2.63 A$3.75

44.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$141 A$202

$96.6 A$138

46.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.75 A$5.36

$2.69 A$3.85

39.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 A$2.06

$1.98 A$2.83

-27.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.93 A$41.32

$43.47 A$62.1

-33.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.07

$1.36 A$1.94

6.62%

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

$29.6K A$42.2K

$29.1K A$41.6K

1.57%

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

$26.3K A$37.5K

$26.6K A$38.0K

-1.37%

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

$229 A$327

$221 A$316

3.60%

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

$26.76 A$38.22

$30.16 A$43.07

-11.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.5 A$82.2

$54.5 A$77.8

5.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.77 A$71.1

$57.3 A$81.8

-13.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.45 A$30.63

$17.54 A$25.05

22.29%

Cinema Ticket

$17.43 A$24.90

$13.10 A$18.71

33.05%

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

$2,435 A$3,477

$1,140 A$1,627

113.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.6K A$48.0K

$22.8K A$32.6K

47.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 A$115

$76.7 A$110

4.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.5 A$73.5

$54.6 A$78.0

-5.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$173

$104 A$149

16.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$191

$121 A$172

10.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,748 A$2,497

$1,598 A$2,282

9.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,386 A$1,979

$1,228 A$1,754

12.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,468 A$4,952

$2,296 A$3,279

51.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,520 A$3,598

$1,800 A$2,571

39.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,274 A$11.8K

$6,398 A$9,137

29.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,066 A$10.1K

$4,914 A$7,018

43.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,206 A$6,007

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.97

5.69

4.92%

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

Last update for Melbourne: November 1, 2026

Last update for Redcliffe: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.1%

Redcliffe

$1.2K 49.1% 11.4% $158

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$383 13.6%

Redcliffe

$322 12.9% 15.9% $61

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Redcliffe

$282 11.3% 10.5% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$313 11.1%

Redcliffe

$306 12.2% 2.4% $7.6

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$174 6.2%

Redcliffe

$160 6.4% 7.8% $14

Getting Around

Melbourne

$167 5.9%

Redcliffe

$120 4.8% 28.5% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$85 3%

Redcliffe

$83 3.3% 1.4% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,748 in Melbourne and $1,598 in Redcliffe. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $83 in Melbourne vs $69 in Redcliffe for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $383 vs $322 per month, with Redcliffe cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Redcliffe

🕒 Local time

01:14 1:14 AM

00:14 12:14 AM

1 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

10,460

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Redcliffe 1,400 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Redcliffe

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 Redcliffe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,823 in Melbourne and $2,501 in Redcliffe, so Redcliffe is about 11% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $4,234 in Melbourne and $3,752 in Redcliffe 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 $1,598 in Redcliffe. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,435 in Melbourne versus $1,140 in Redcliffe. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Redcliffe 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 Redcliffe are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Redcliffe gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.