Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Romsey

For one person, living is cheaper in Romsey: $2,694 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 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
126

Cost of Living Index in Romsey
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Romsey Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Romsey

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,694

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Romsey

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $2,694 in Romsey.

Melbourne $2,849
Romsey $2,694

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $3,837 in Romsey.

Melbourne $4,274
Romsey $3,837

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $4,980 in Romsey.

Melbourne $5,699
Romsey $4,980

Living in Melbourne is roughly 6% more expensive than in Romsey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Romsey 98% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.79

$17.31 A$24.52

1.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$119

$84.8 A$120

-0.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.24

$12.32 A$17.45

-1.22%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.77

$3.96 A$5.62

2.78%

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

$3.18 A$4.50

$3.15 A$4.46

0.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.54

$2.45 A$3.47

2.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.56

$9.96 A$14.12

-3.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.69

$8.29 A$11.75

-0.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.13

$1.51 A$2.13

-0.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.21

$3.00 A$4.26

-1.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.80

$2.58 A$3.65

3.88%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.73

$5.67 A$8.03

-3.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.18

$10.44 A$14.78

2.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.24

$9.68 A$13.72

3.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.25

$15.27 A$21.63

-1.77%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.76

$4.02 A$5.70

1.24%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.44

$3.03 A$4.30

3.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.42

$3.23 A$4.57

-3.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.70

$4.68 A$6.63

1.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.22

$3.11 A$4.40

-4.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.53

$2.60 A$3.68

-4.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.52

$2.51 A$3.56

-1.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.27

$1.65 A$2.34

-3.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.3

$45.54 A$64.5

-1.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$17.96

$12.43 A$17.61

2.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.86

$5.54 A$7.85

0.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.35

$5.30 A$7.51

-2.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.44

$2.92 A$4.13

31.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$196

$92.0 A$130

50.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.17

$4.47 A$6.33

-2.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$1.42 A$2.01

-3.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.11

$30.19 A$42.77

-1.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.10

$1.45 A$2.05

2.76%

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

$29.1K A$41.2K

$29.0K A$41.1K

0.36%

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

$25.7K A$36.4K

$26.3K A$37.3K

-2.39%

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

$236 A$334

$235 A$334

0.09%

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

$28.01 A$39.68

$27.75 A$39.31

0.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.1

$56.5 A$80.0

1.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.6

$53.6 A$75.9

-9.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.41

$15.43 A$21.85

39.08%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.03

$17.79 A$25.20

-0.67%

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

$2,461 A$3,486

$2,419 A$3,426

1.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.1K

$30.0K A$42.5K

-1.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$115

$80.5 A$114

0.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$69.8

$51.2 A$72.6

-3.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$169

$120 A$170

-0.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$136 A$192

-3.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,412

$1,439 A$2,039

18.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$1,996

$1,298 A$1,839

8.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,952

$1,944 A$2,754

79.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,579

$1,900 A$2,692

32.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

$5,239 A$7,421

52.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,775

$4,491 A$6,362

53.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,030

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 Romsey: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Romsey

$1.3K 48.2% 7.8% $110

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Romsey

$386 14.3% 0.2% $0.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Romsey

$320 11.9% 0.4% $1.3

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Romsey

$312 11.6% 0.2% $0.6

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Romsey

$174 6.5% 1.7% $2.9

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Romsey

$115 4.3% 30.3% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Romsey

$89 3.3% 6.5% $5.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $1,439 in Romsey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $85 in Romsey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $386 vs $386 per month, with Melbourne cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Romsey

🕒 Local time

15:05 3:05 PM

Same time as Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

4,400

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.634 EUR

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.634 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Melbourne Romsey 55 km

From you

Melbourne
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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 Romsey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,849 in Melbourne and $2,694 in Romsey, so Romsey is about 5% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $4,273 in Melbourne and $4,042 in Romsey 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 $1,439 in Romsey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,461 in Melbourne versus $2,419 in Romsey. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $2,849 per month in Melbourne versus $2,694 in Romsey – Romsey is about 5% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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 Romsey are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.