Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Sale, Australia

Name: Sale
Address: Sale, AU

For one person, living is cheaper in Sale: $2,520 a month against $2,823 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

136

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Sale
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Sale Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,823

/mo nomad

Sale

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,520

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Sale

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,823 in Melbourne versus $2,520 in Sale.

Melbourne $2,823
Sale $2,520

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,253 in Melbourne versus $3,621 in Sale.

Melbourne $4,253
Sale $3,621

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,683 in Melbourne versus $4,722 in Sale.

Melbourne $5,683
Sale $4,722

Living in Melbourne is roughly 12% more expensive than in Sale, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Sale 86% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.34 A$24.82

$17.47 A$25.01

-0.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.7 A$118

$83.1 A$119

-0.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.63 A$18.08

$10.32 A$14.77

22.38%

Cappuccino

$4.22 A$6.04

$3.93 A$5.62

7.38%

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

$3.12 A$4.46

$2.78 A$3.98

12.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 A$3.55

$2.24 A$3.20

10.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.69 A$13.87

$7.80 A$11.17

24.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.30 A$11.88

$7.67 A$10.98

8.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.15

$1.56 A$2.24

-3.85%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 A$4.40

$2.77 A$3.97

11.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 A$3.78

$2.28 A$3.27

15.79%

Eggs

$5.58 A$7.98

$5.02 A$7.18

11.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.78 A$14.01

$9.37 A$13.41

4.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 A$13.63

$9.47 A$13.55

0.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.18 A$21.73

$14.67 A$21.00

3.48%

Apples (1kg)

$4.22 A$6.04

$3.75 A$5.37

12.53%

Banana (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.48

$2.99 A$4.28

4.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 A$4.64

$3.21 A$4.60

0.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.71 A$6.74

$4.62 A$6.61

1.95%

Potato (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.48

$2.72 A$3.89

15.07%

Onion (1kg)

$2.46 A$3.52

$2.38 A$3.41

3.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 A$3.44

$2.42 A$3.47

-0.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.55 A$2.22

-5.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.76 A$61.2

$42.21 A$60.4

1.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.90 A$18.47

$14.07 A$20.14

-8.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.53 A$7.91

$4.60 A$6.59

20.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.38

$5.38 A$7.71

-4.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.79 A$5.43

$2.71 A$3.88

39.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$141 A$202

$85.1 A$122

66.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.75 A$5.37

$3.47 A$4.96

8.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 A$2.07

$1.65 A$2.36

-12.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.93 A$41.42

$40.26 A$57.6

-28.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.07

$1.31 A$1.88

10.69%

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

$29.6K A$42.3K

$30.0K A$42.9K

-1.27%

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

$26.3K A$37.6K

-0.06%

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

$229 A$328

$206 A$294

11.27%

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

$26.76 A$38.31

$27.59 A$39.50

-3.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.5 A$82.4

$57.3 A$82.1

0.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.77 A$71.3

$55.9 A$80.0

-10.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.45 A$30.70

$17.46 A$25.00

22.85%

Cinema Ticket

$17.43 A$24.96

$13.84 A$19.81

25.94%

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

$2,435 A$3,485

$2,136 A$3,058

13.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.6K A$48.1K

$20.5K A$29.4K

63.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 A$115

$76.6 A$110

4.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.5 A$73.7

$53.6 A$76.7

-3.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$107 A$153

13.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$191

$122 A$175

9.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,748 A$2,503

$1,417 A$2,028

23.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,386 A$1,984

$1,216 A$1,740

14.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,468 A$4,964

$2,260 A$3,236

53.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,520 A$3,607

$1,805 A$2,584

39.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,274 A$11.8K

$5,829 A$8,345

41.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,066 A$10.1K

$5,031 A$7,201

40.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,206 A$6,021

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.97

5.9

1.19%

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

Last update for Melbourne: November 1, 2026

Last update for Sale: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.1%

Sale

$1.2K 48.3% 12.3% $170

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$383 13.6%

Sale

$368 14.6% 3.9% $15

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Sale

$292 11.6% 7.1% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$313 11.1%

Sale

$291 11.5% 7.2% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$174 6.2%

Sale

$162 6.4% 7% $12

Getting Around

Melbourne

$167 5.9%

Sale

$108 4.3% 35.7% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$85 3%

Sale

$84 3.3% 1.3% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,748 in Melbourne and $1,417 in Sale. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $83 in Melbourne vs $83 in Sale. Groceries flip the comparison at $383 vs $368, with Sale cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Sale

🕒 Local time

01:42 1:42 AM

Same time as Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

13,673

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 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 Sale: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,823 in Melbourne and $2,520 in Sale, so Sale 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 $3,779 in Sale 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 $1,417 in Sale. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,823 per month in Melbourne versus $2,520 in Sale – Sale is about 11% 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 Sale are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.