Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Rolleston

For one person, living is cheaper in Rolleston: $1,142 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $20,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Rolleston
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Rolleston Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Rolleston

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,142

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Rolleston

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $1,142 in Rolleston.

Melbourne $2,821
Rolleston $1,142

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $2,160 in Rolleston.

Melbourne $4,235
Rolleston $2,160

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $3,178 in Rolleston.

Melbourne $5,650
Rolleston $3,178

Living in Melbourne is roughly 147% more expensive than in Rolleston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Rolleston is 15% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$14.22 NZ$25.14

22.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$68.1 NZ$120

24.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$8.79 NZ$15.54

41.75%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$3.28 NZ$5.81

25.30%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$2.13 NZ$3.77

43.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$1.76 NZ$3.12

43.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$6.62 NZ$11.70

48.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$6.18 NZ$10.93

38.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.65 NZ$2.92

-10.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.81 NZ$3.19

62.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.50 NZ$2.66

77.33%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$5.66 NZ$10.02

-2.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$7.09 NZ$12.53

48.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$9.38 NZ$16.58

2.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$13.71 NZ$24.25

11.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.57 NZ$4.55

55.25%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$2.32 NZ$4.11

30.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.73 NZ$4.82

13.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$5.10 NZ$9.01

-5.49%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.79 NZ$3.16

69.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.45 NZ$2.57

68.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$2.29 NZ$4.05

7.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.59 NZ$1.05

176.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$23.39 NZ$41.36

88.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$8.16 NZ$14.43

55.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$3.33 NZ$5.89

66.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$3.30 NZ$5.83

58.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$1.14 NZ$2.02

228.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$2.44 NZ$4.32

84.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$1.71 NZ$3.02

-20.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$27.51 NZ$48.65

10.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.74 NZ$3.07

-15.52%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$24.8K NZ$43.8K

17.00%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$24.0K NZ$42.5K

10.28%

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

$234 A$336

$108 NZ$191

116.21%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$22.38 NZ$39.58

24.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$45.15 NZ$79.9

23.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$10.08 NZ$17.82

49.70%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$341 NZ$602

596.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$6,755 NZ$11.9K

347.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$57.5 NZ$102

38.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$35.21 NZ$62.3

43.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$89.5 NZ$158

34.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$122 NZ$215

7.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$278 NZ$491

533.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$254 NZ$449

447.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,025 NZ$1,813

240.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$1,082 NZ$1,914

130.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$2,022 NZ$3,576

242.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,805 NZ$3,192

257.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$4,358 NZ$7,707

0.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.91

-0.17%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Rolleston: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Rolleston

$254 22.2% 81.7% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Rolleston

$300 26.3% 21.9% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Rolleston

$176 15.4% 44.7% $142

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Rolleston

$241 21.1% 23.5% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Rolleston

$137 12% 20.4% $35

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Rolleston

$16 * 1.4% 90.5% $148

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Rolleston

$20 * 1.8% 74.7% $59

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $278 in Rolleston. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 1% 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 $68.0 in Rolleston for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $300 per month, with Rolleston cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇳🇿 Rolleston

🕒 Local time

15:03 3:03 PM

17:03 5:03 PM

2 h ahead of Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

28,000

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Rolleston 2,390 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Rolleston

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 Rolleston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Rolleston differ by about 147% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $1,142 including rent). Rolleston is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1% 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: $1,759 in Melbourne versus $278 in Rolleston. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,821 per month in Melbourne versus $1,142 in Rolleston – a 147% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,142 in Rolleston versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rolleston but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Rolleston 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 Rolleston 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 Rolleston gentler on the wallet – expenses run 147% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.