Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Stuttgart

For one person, living is cheaper in Stuttgart: $2,187 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Stuttgart
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Stuttgart Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Stuttgart

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,187

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Stuttgart

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $2,187 in Stuttgart.

Melbourne $2,821
Stuttgart $2,187

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $3,329 in Stuttgart.

Melbourne $4,235
Stuttgart $3,329

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $4,471 in Stuttgart.

Melbourne $5,650
Stuttgart $4,471

Living in Melbourne is roughly 29% more expensive than in Stuttgart, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Stuttgart 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$20.37 €18.12

-14.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$74.0 €65.8

14.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$13.60 €12.10

-8.38%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$4.03 €3.58

1.99%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$4.14 €3.68

-26.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$4.03 €3.59

-37.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$5.07 €4.51

93.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$5.85 €5.21

46.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.32 €1.18

12.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$2.13 €1.90

38.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$3.14 €2.79

-15.29%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$4.50 €4.00

23.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$16.50 €14.68

-36.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$12.67 €11.27

-23.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$17.98 €15.99

-15.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$3.10 €2.76

28.71%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.95 €1.73

54.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.03 €1.81

52.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$3.74 €3.33

28.88%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.32 €1.17

129.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.42 €1.26

71.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.44 €1.28

70.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.93 €0.83

75.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$9.66 €8.59

356.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$5.62 €5.00

125.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.01 €0.90

448.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.65 €1.47

216.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$3.99 €3.55

-6.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$71.5 €63.6

92.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$4.62 €4.11

-2.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$2.84 €2.52

-52.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$40.64 €36.14

-25.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$2.25 €2.00

-34.67%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$33.2K €29.5K

-12.55%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$38.7K €34.4K

-31.64%

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

$234 A$336

$309 €275

-24.46%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$17.36 €15.45

60.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$41.56 €36.97

34.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$56.1 €49.88

-11.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$33.43 €29.73

-35.75%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$12.74 €11.33

18.45%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$1,026 €913

131.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$17.8K €15.8K

70.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$89.3 €79.5

-10.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$42.61 €37.90

18.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$95.5 €84.9

26.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$139 €123

-5.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$1,262 €1,123

39.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$815 €725

70.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,901 €1,691

83.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$1,505 €1,338

65.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$6,672 €5,935

3.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$4,291 €3,817

50.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$4,070 €3,620

7.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.85

53.25%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Stuttgart: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Stuttgart

$815 37.3% 41.4% $575

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Stuttgart

$329 15.1% 14.2% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Stuttgart

$368 16.8% 16% $51

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Stuttgart

$322 14.7% 2.3% $7.3

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Stuttgart

$165 7.5% 4.1% $7.1

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Stuttgart

$106 4.9% 35.1% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Stuttgart

$82 3.7% 2.5% $2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $1,262 in Stuttgart. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 8% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $74.0 in Stuttgart for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $329 per month, with Stuttgart cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇩🇪 Stuttgart

🕒 Local time

13:39 1:39 PM

04:39 4:39 AM

9 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

613,392

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Stuttgart 16,290 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Stuttgart

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 Stuttgart: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Stuttgart differ by about 29% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $2,187 including rent). Stuttgart is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 8% 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: $1,759 in Melbourne versus $1,262 in Stuttgart. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $1,026 in Stuttgart. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,187 in Stuttgart versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Stuttgart but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Stuttgart the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Stuttgart are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Stuttgart gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.