Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Shepparton

For one person, living is cheaper in Shepparton: $2,224 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 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
107

Cost of Living Index in Shepparton
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Shepparton Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Shepparton

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,224

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Shepparton

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $2,224 in Shepparton.

Melbourne $2,849
Shepparton $2,224

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $3,308 in Shepparton.

Melbourne $4,274
Shepparton $3,308

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $4,392 in Shepparton.

Melbourne $5,699
Shepparton $4,392

Living in Melbourne is roughly 28% more expensive than in Shepparton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Shepparton 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.87

$17.62 A$25.05

-0.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$66.5 A$94.5

26.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.30

$9.48 A$13.48

28.38%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.79

$4.15 A$5.89

-1.93%

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

$3.18 A$4.52

$3.15 A$4.48

0.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.55

$2.46 A$3.50

1.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.60

$7.18 A$10.20

33.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.73

$8.60 A$12.22

-4.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.14

$1.44 A$2.04

4.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.22

$2.72 A$3.86

9.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.81

$2.56 A$3.64

4.69%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.75

$4.00 A$5.69

36.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.23

$10.53 A$14.96

1.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.28

$9.46 A$13.44

6.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.32

$15.43 A$21.93

-2.79%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.78

$3.99 A$5.68

2.01%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.46

$2.98 A$4.24

5.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.43

$3.27 A$4.64

-4.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.73

$4.80 A$6.82

-1.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.24

$2.94 A$4.18

1.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.55

$2.48 A$3.53

0.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.53

$2.43 A$3.45

2.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.27

$1.58 A$2.25

1.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.5

$31.27 A$44.45

42.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.02

$12.15 A$17.27

4.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.88

$5.71 A$8.12

-2.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.37

$5.19 A$7.38

-0.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.45

$2.78 A$3.95

38.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$197

$85.2 A$121

62.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.19

$3.87 A$5.51

12.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$1.43 A$2.03

-4.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.25

$30.72 A$43.66

-3.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.11

$1.43 A$2.03

4.20%

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

$29.1K A$41.3K

$29.3K A$41.7K

-0.87%

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

$25.7K A$36.5K

$26.3K A$37.4K

-2.36%

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

$236 A$335

$231 A$328

2.02%

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

$28.01 A$39.82

$27.70 A$39.38

1.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.4

$55.8 A$79.3

2.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.8

$64.5 A$91.7

-25.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.51

$17.64 A$25.08

21.66%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.11

$17.39 A$24.71

1.61%

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

$2,461 A$3,498

$2,091 A$2,973

17.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.2K

$29.9K A$42.5K

-0.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$115

$79.4 A$113

2.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.0

$50.1 A$71.1

-1.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$170

$123 A$174

-2.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$121 A$172

8.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,420

$1,090 A$1,550

56.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,002

$867 A$1,232

62.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,969

$1,714 A$2,437

103.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,591

$1,475 A$2,097

71.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

$6,596 A$9,376

20.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,808

$4,806 A$6,831

43.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,051

$2,563 A$3,642

66.12%

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 Shepparton: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Shepparton

$867 39% 38.5% $542

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Shepparton

$374 16.8% 3.3% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Shepparton

$314 14.1% 2% $6.4

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Shepparton

$295 13.3% 5.7% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Shepparton

$168 7.6% 2% $3.4

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Shepparton

$107 4.8% 35.1% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Shepparton

$99 4.5% 18.6% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $1,090 in Shepparton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 66% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $66 in Shepparton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $386 vs $374 per month, with Shepparton cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Shepparton

🕒 Local time

08:38 8:38 AM

Same time as Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

49,862

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 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 Shepparton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,849 in Melbourne and $2,224 in Shepparton, so Shepparton is about 22% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 66% 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: $1,703 in Melbourne versus $1,090 in Shepparton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,461 in Melbourne versus $2,091 in Shepparton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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

Expats usually find Shepparton gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.