Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Rhodes

For one person, living is cheaper in Rhodes: $1,732 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Rhodes
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Rhodes Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Rhodes

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,732

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Rhodes

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $1,732 in Rhodes.

Melbourne $2,849
Rhodes $1,732

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $2,687 in Rhodes.

Melbourne $4,274
Rhodes $2,687

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $3,642 in Rhodes.

Melbourne $5,699
Rhodes $3,642

Living in Melbourne is roughly 65% more expensive than in Rhodes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Rhodes 27% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.86

$18.78 €16.87

-6.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$68.2 €61.2

23.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.29

$9.31 €8.37

30.72%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.79

$4.37 €3.93

-6.86%

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

$3.18 A$4.52

$2.51 €2.26

26.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.55

$0.91 €0.82

174.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.60

$5.50 €4.94

74.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.72

$3.98 €3.57

107.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.14

$2.18 €1.95

-31.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.22

$1.83 €1.64

62.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.81

$5.17 €4.64

-48.16%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.75

$6.17 €5.54

-11.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.22

$16.04 €14.41

-33.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.28

$11.42 €10.26

-12.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.31

$18.75 €16.85

-20.00%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.78

$2.20 €1.98

85.00%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.46

$2.14 €1.92

46.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.43

$1.47 €1.32

112.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.72

$2.44 €2.19

93.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.23

$1.68 €1.51

77.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.55

$1.88 €1.68

32.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.53

$1.32 €1.19

87.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.27

$0.74 €0.67

116.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.4

$5.25 €4.72

750.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.02

$7.92 €7.12

60.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.88

$2.63 €2.36

111.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.37

$1.67 €1.50

210.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.45

$2.45 €2.20

56.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$197

$73.6 €66.1

88.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.19

$3.41 €3.07

27.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$1.47 €1.32

-6.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.23

$11.22 €10.08

164.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.11

$2.19 €1.97

-31.96%

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

$29.1K A$41.3K

$28.3K €25.4K

2.77%

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

$25.7K A$36.5K

$26.3K €23.6K

-2.42%

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

$236 A$335

$220 €198

7.09%

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

$28.01 A$39.80

$26.46 €23.77

5.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.3

$29.62 €26.61

93.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.8

$60.3 €54.2

-19.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.50

$39.13 €35.15

-45.16%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.10

$8.91 €8.01

98.32%

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

$2,461 A$3,497

$468 €420

425.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.2K

$9,190 €8,255

223.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$115

$150 €135

-45.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.0

$33.70 €30.27

46.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$170

$114 €102

4.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$163 €147

-19.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,419

$559 €502

204.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,002

$452 €406

211.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,967

$1,030 €925

239.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,590

$772 €693

227.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

$3,671 €3,297

117.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,805

$1,742 €1,565

296.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,049

$1,342 €1,205

217.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

4.53

30.24%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Last update for Rhodes: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Rhodes

$452 26.1% 67.9% $957

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Rhodes

$344 19.9% 11% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Rhodes

$276 16% 14% $45

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Rhodes

$280 16.2% 10.5% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Rhodes

$207 12% 21% $36

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Rhodes

$94 5.4% 43% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Rhodes

$78 4.5% 6.7% $5.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $559 in Rhodes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays about 3.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $68 in Rhodes for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $386 vs $344 per month, with Rhodes cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇬🇷 Rhodes

🕒 Local time

07:25 7:25 AM

22:25 10:25 PM

9 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

56,128

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Rhodes 14,530 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Rhodes

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 Rhodes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,849 in Melbourne and $1,732 in Rhodes, so Rhodes is about 39% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Melbourne is about 3.2 times higher, 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: $1,703 in Melbourne versus $559 in Rhodes. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,461 in Melbourne versus $468 in Rhodes. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,732 in Rhodes versus $2,849 in Melbourne, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Rhodes but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Rhodes 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 Rhodes are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Rhodes gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.