Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Richmond, Australia

Name: Richmond
Address: Richmond, AU

For one person, living is cheaper in Richmond: $2,620 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
119

Cost of Living Index in Richmond
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Richmond Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Richmond

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,620

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Richmond

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $2,620 in Richmond.

Melbourne $2,849
Richmond $2,620

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $3,446 in Richmond.

Melbourne $4,274
Richmond $3,446

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $4,271 in Richmond.

Melbourne $5,699
Richmond $4,271

Living in Melbourne is roughly 9% more expensive than in Richmond, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Richmond 93% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.99

$10.53 A$15.04

66.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$84.9 A$121

-0.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.38

$12.30 A$17.57

-1.06%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.82

$3.49 A$4.98

16.62%

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

$3.18 A$4.54

$3.13 A$4.47

1.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.57

$2.58 A$3.69

-3.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.67

$3.53 A$5.05

171.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.78

$8.57 A$12.24

-3.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.15

$1.57 A$2.24

-4.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.24

$2.88 A$4.12

3.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.83

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.79

$5.57 A$7.96

-2.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.30

$6.95 A$9.93

54.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.35

$6.95 A$9.93

44.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.42

$7.04 A$10.06

113.07%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.81

$4.04 A$5.76

0.74%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.48

$3.03 A$4.32

3.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.45

$3.17 A$4.53

-1.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.76

$4.63 A$6.61

2.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.26

$2.98 A$4.25

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.56

$2.57 A$3.68

-3.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.54

$2.47 A$3.53

0.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.28

$1.58 A$2.26

1.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.8

$35.11 A$50.1

27.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.11

$6.86 A$9.80

84.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.92

$5.60 A$8.00

-0.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.40

$5.20 A$7.42

-0.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.48

$2.50 A$3.57

53.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$198

$72.4 A$103

91.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.22

$4.37 A$6.24

-0.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.95

$1.42 A$2.03

-3.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.45

$29.92 A$42.73

-0.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.12

$1.45 A$2.07

2.76%

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

$29.1K A$41.5K

$29.8K A$42.5K

-2.27%

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

$25.7K A$36.7K

$26.2K A$37.5K

-2.16%

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

$236 A$337

-0.11%

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

$28.01 A$40.01

$28.28 A$40.39

-0.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.7

$56.1 A$80.1

2.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$69.1

$47.82 A$68.3

1.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.65

$16.63 A$23.75

29.04%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.23

$17.41 A$24.86

1.49%

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

$2,461 A$3,515

$2,452 A$3,501

0.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.4K

$30.6K A$43.6K

-2.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$116

$81.5 A$116

-0.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.4

$49.65 A$70.9

-0.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$171

$121 A$172

-0.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$187

$132 A$189

-0.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,432

$1,238 A$1,769

37.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,012

$1,407 A$2,009

0.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,992

$1,937 A$2,766

80.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,608

$1,577 A$2,253

60.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.4K

$5,307 A$7,579

50.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,854

$5,536 A$7,907

24.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,079

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Last update for Richmond: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Richmond

$1.4K 53.7% 0.1% $1.9

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Richmond

$323 12.3% 16.3% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Richmond

$320 12.2% 0.2% $0.6

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Richmond

$221 8.4% 29.4% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Richmond

$173 6.6% 0.8% $1.3

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Richmond

$94 3.6% 43.2% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Richmond

$83 3.2% 1.3% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $1,238 in Richmond. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $85 in Richmond. Groceries flip the comparison at $386 vs $323, with Richmond cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Richmond

🕒 Local time

19:21 7:21 PM

Same time as Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

28,587

💱 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

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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 Richmond: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,849 in Melbourne and $2,620 in Richmond, so Richmond is about 8% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $4,273 in Melbourne and $3,931 in Richmond 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: $1,703 in Melbourne versus $1,238 in Richmond. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

All in, you’ll spend $2,849 per month in Melbourne versus $2,620 in Richmond – Richmond is about 8% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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