Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Southern Cross

For one person, living is cheaper in Southern Cross: $2,532 a month against $2,823 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 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 Southern Cross
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Southern Cross Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,823

/mo nomad

Southern Cross

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,532

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Southern Cross

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,823 in Melbourne versus $2,532 in Southern Cross.

Melbourne $2,823
Southern Cross $2,532

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,253 in Melbourne versus $3,583 in Southern Cross.

Melbourne $4,253
Southern Cross $3,583

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,683 in Melbourne versus $4,635 in Southern Cross.

Melbourne $5,683
Southern Cross $4,635

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Southern Cross 87% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.34 A$24.72

$19.39 A$27.64

-10.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.7 A$118

$61.2 A$87.2

35.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.63 A$18.01

$10.68 A$15.22

18.26%

Cappuccino

$4.22 A$6.02

$3.47 A$4.95

21.61%

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

$3.12 A$4.44

$2.40 A$3.42

30.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 A$3.54

$1.77 A$2.53

40.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.69 A$13.82

$6.93 A$9.88

39.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.30 A$11.83

$8.36 A$11.91

-0.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.14

$1.58 A$2.26

-5.06%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 A$4.39

$2.72 A$3.88

13.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 A$3.77

$2.22 A$3.17

18.92%

Eggs

$5.58 A$7.95

$2.76 A$3.94

102.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.78 A$13.95

$9.26 A$13.20

5.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 A$13.57

$9.44 A$13.46

0.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.18 A$21.64

$14.66 A$20.90

3.55%

Apples (1kg)

$4.22 A$6.02

$3.87 A$5.52

9.04%

Banana (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.47

$3.00 A$4.27

4.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 A$4.62

$3.16 A$4.51

2.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.71 A$6.71

$4.63 A$6.61

1.73%

Potato (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.46

$2.62 A$3.74

19.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.46 A$3.51

$2.44 A$3.48

0.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 A$3.42

$2.34 A$3.33

2.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 A$2.10

$1.55 A$2.21

-5.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.76 A$61.0

$35.49 A$50.6

20.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.90 A$18.39

$14.19 A$20.22

-9.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.53 A$7.88

$4.75 A$6.77

16.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.35

$5.35 A$7.63

-3.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.79 A$5.41

$2.71 A$3.86

39.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$141 A$201

$85.7 A$122

64.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.75 A$5.35

$3.56 A$5.07

5.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 A$2.06

$1.57 A$2.24

-8.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.93 A$41.25

$39.44 A$56.2

-26.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.07

$1.27 A$1.81

14.17%

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

$29.6K A$42.2K

$28.9K A$41.2K

2.27%

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

$26.3K A$37.4K

$26.8K A$38.2K

-2.08%

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

$229 A$326

$208 A$296

10.15%

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

$26.76 A$38.15

$27.83 A$39.67

-3.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.5 A$82.0

$57.5 A$81.9

0.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.77 A$71.0

$56.8 A$81.0

-12.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.45 A$30.58

$18.03 A$25.70

18.97%

Cinema Ticket

$17.43 A$24.85

$14.09 A$20.08

23.70%

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

$2,435 A$3,471

$2,165 A$3,087

12.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.6K A$47.9K

$20.6K A$29.4K

63.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 A$115

$76.2 A$109

5.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.5 A$73.4

$55.4 A$79.0

-7.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$173

$109 A$155

11.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$190

$122 A$174

9.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,748 A$2,492

$1,377 A$1,964

26.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,386 A$1,976

$1,227 A$1,749

12.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,468 A$4,944

$2,255 A$3,215

53.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,520 A$3,592

$1,829 A$2,608

37.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,274 A$11.8K

$5,968 A$8,508

38.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,066 A$10.1K

$4,897 A$6,981

44.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,206 A$5,996

$7,095 A$10.1K

-40.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.97

6.25

-4.48%

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

Last update for Melbourne: November 1, 2026

Last update for Southern Cross: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.1%

Southern Cross

$1.2K 48.5% 11.5% $159

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$383 13.6%

Southern Cross

$359 14.2% 6.3% $24

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Southern Cross

$297 11.7% 5.7% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$313 11.1%

Southern Cross

$293 11.6% 6.4% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$174 6.2%

Southern Cross

$163 6.4% 6.2% $11

Getting Around

Melbourne

$167 5.9%

Southern Cross

$108 4.3% 35.5% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$85 3%

Southern Cross

$85 3.4% 0.4% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,748 in Melbourne and $1,377 in Southern Cross. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Southern Cross pays 69% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $83 in Melbourne vs $61 in Southern Cross for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $383 vs $359 per month, with Southern Cross cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Southern Cross

🕒 Local time

23:27 11:27 PM

20:27 8:27 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

700

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.701 USD

1 AUD = 0.626 EUR

1 AUD = 0.701 USD

1 AUD = 0.626 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Southern Cross 2,450 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Southern Cross

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 Southern Cross: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,823 in Melbourne and $2,532 in Southern Cross, so Southern Cross is about 10% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 41% lower in Melbourne. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,748 in Melbourne versus $1,377 in Southern Cross. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,435 in Melbourne versus $2,165 in Southern Cross. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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

Expats usually find Southern Cross gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.