Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Southern Cross Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Southern Cross

😐 Solo nomad: Melbourne is 21.1% more expensive than Southern Cross without rent, and 8.9% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Melbourne is 18.8% more expensive than Southern Cross without rent, and 10.7% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.2 A$29.41

$18.16 A$27.82

5.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.6 A$120

$57.8 A$88.6

35.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 A$15.35

$9.92 A$15.19

1.01%

Cappuccino

$3.67 A$5.62

$3.18 A$4.88

15.41%

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

$2.54 A$3.89

$2.23 A$3.42

13.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 A$3.49

$1.65 A$2.53

38.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.28 A$11.15

$6.52 A$9.98

11.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.3 A$11.18

$7.59 A$11.63

-3.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 A$2.2

$1.47 A$2.25

-2.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 A$4.02

$2.32 A$3.56

13.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.27 A$3.48

$2.03 A$3.11

11.82%

Eggs

$4.86 A$7.45

$2.64 A$4.05

84.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.74 A$13.39

$8.55 A$13.1

2.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 A$14.07

$8.59 A$13.16

6.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.95 A$22.9

$13.43 A$20.57

11.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.33 A$5.1

$3.28 A$5.02

1.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.84 A$4.35

$2.83 A$4.33

0.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$3 A$4.6

$2.88 A$4.41

4.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 A$6.05

$4.09 A$6.27

-3.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.67 A$4.09

$2.42 A$3.71

10.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 A$3.58

$2.15 A$3.3

8.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.15 A$3.3

$2.11 A$3.23

1.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 A$2.5

$1.58 A$2.42

3.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$32.11 A$49.19

$33.03 A$50.6

-2.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.13 A$20.11

$13.03 A$19.96

0.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.54 A$6.96

$4.48 A$6.87

1.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.05 A$7.74

$5.41 A$8.29

-6.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.67 A$5.62

$2.56 A$3.92

43.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$118 A$180

$64.1 A$98.2

83.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.65 A$5.6

$3.63 A$5.55

0.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 A$2.05

$1.54 A$2.36

-12.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.26 A$41.77

$33.7 A$51.6

-19.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 A$1.82

$1.18 A$1.81

0.85%

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

$28.6K A$43.9K

$28.6K A$43.8K

0.23%

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

$23.5K A$36K

$22.4K A$34.3K

5.02%

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

$150 A$230

$180 A$276

-16.51%

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

$20.8 A$31.86

$27.49 A$42.12

-24.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51 A$78.2

$53.5 A$82

-4.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.23 A$73.9

$47.95 A$73.5

0.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.91 A$24.38

$15.82 A$24.24

0.57%

Cinema Ticket

$16.53 A$25.32

$12.85 A$19.69

28.64%

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

$1,730 A$2,651

$1,630 A$2,497

6.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.1K A$29.3K

$12.2K A$18.8K

56.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 A$104

$68 A$104

-0.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.7 A$82.2

$51.5 A$78.9

4.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 A$165

$101 A$155

6.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 A$162

$108 A$165

-1.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,548 A$2,371

$1,265 A$1,938

22.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,228 A$1,881

$1,059 A$1,622

15.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,973 A$4,555

$1,989 A$3,048

49.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,956 A$2,997

$1,670 A$2,558

17.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,110 A$10.9K

$6,010 A$9,208

18.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,790 A$8,871

$5,301 A$8,122

9.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,045 A$6,198

$6,672 A$10.2K

-39.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.19

6.25

-0.96%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 28, 2025

Last update for Southern Cross: October 29, 2025

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