Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and South Yarra

For one person, living is cheaper in South Yarra: $2,514 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 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
121

Cost of Living Index in South Yarra
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South Yarra Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

South Yarra

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,514

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in South Yarra

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $2,514 in South Yarra.

Melbourne $2,849
South Yarra $2,514

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $3,591 in South Yarra.

Melbourne $4,274
South Yarra $3,591

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $4,668 in South Yarra.

Melbourne $5,699
South Yarra $4,668

Living in Melbourne is roughly 13% more expensive than in South Yarra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, South Yarra 85% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.86

$17.66 A$25.10

-0.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$83.6 A$119

0.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.29

$8.62 A$12.25

41.18%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.79

$3.61 A$5.13

12.74%

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

$3.18 A$4.52

$2.06 A$2.93

54.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.55

$1.76 A$2.51

42.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.60

$10.09 A$14.34

-5.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.72

$8.31 A$11.81

-0.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.14

$1.57 A$2.23

-4.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.22

$2.85 A$4.05

4.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.81

$1.42 A$2.02

88.73%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.75

$4.12 A$5.85

32.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.22

$10.72 A$15.24

-0.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.28

$6.85 A$9.74

46.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.31

$14.97 A$21.27

0.20%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.78

$2.75 A$3.91

48.00%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.46

$2.16 A$3.06

45.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.43

$1.42 A$2.01

119.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.72

$2.83 A$4.02

67.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.23

$1.36 A$1.94

119.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.55

$2.16 A$3.07

15.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.53

$2.38 A$3.39

4.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.27

$1.57 A$2.23

1.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.4

$31.45 A$44.68

41.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.02

$12.67 A$18.01

0.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.88

$5.56 A$7.90

-0.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.37

$5.21 A$7.40

-0.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.45

$2.70 A$3.84

42.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$197

$85.6 A$122

61.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.19

$4.43 A$6.30

-1.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$1.39 A$1.97

-1.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.23

$29.94 A$42.54

-0.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.11

$1.34 A$1.90

11.19%

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

$29.1K A$41.3K

$29.9K A$42.5K

-2.83%

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

$25.7K A$36.5K

-0.02%

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

$236 A$335

$233 A$331

1.15%

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

$28.01 A$39.80

$28.22 A$40.10

-0.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.3

$41.43 A$58.9

38.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.8

$55.9 A$79.5

-13.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.50

$15.24 A$21.66

40.81%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.10

$16.70 A$23.73

5.81%

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

$2,461 A$3,497

$2,427 A$3,449

1.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.2K

$30.0K A$42.6K

-1.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$115

$80.6 A$115

0.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.0

$50.0 A$71.0

-1.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$170

$121 A$172

-1.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$131 A$187

-0.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,419

$1,415 A$2,011

20.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,002

$1,225 A$1,740

15.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,967

$2,227 A$3,164

56.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,590

$1,812 A$2,574

39.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

$5,985 A$8,504

33.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,805

$4,234 A$6,016

62.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,049

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 South Yarra: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

South Yarra

$1.2K 48.7% 13.1% $184

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

South Yarra

$325 12.9% 16% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

South Yarra

$303 12% 5.7% $18

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

South Yarra

$293 11.7% 6.3% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

South Yarra

$172 6.9% 0.6% $1

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

South Yarra

$108 4.3% 34.8% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

South Yarra

$89 3.6% 6.7% $5.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $1,415 in South Yarra. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $84 in South Yarra. Groceries flip the comparison at $386 vs $325, with South Yarra cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 South Yarra

🕒 Local time

10:00 10:00 AM

Same time as Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

25,147

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 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 South Yarra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,849 in Melbourne and $2,514 in South Yarra, so South Yarra is about 12% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $4,273 in Melbourne and $3,771 in South Yarra 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 $1,415 in South Yarra. 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 $2,514 in South Yarra – South Yarra is about 12% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. South Yarra 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 South Yarra are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.