Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Sudbury

For one person, living is cheaper in Sudbury: $2,511 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 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
120

Cost of Living Index in Sudbury
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Sudbury Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Sudbury

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,511

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Sudbury

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $2,511 in Sudbury.

Melbourne $2,849
Sudbury $2,511

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $3,633 in Sudbury.

Melbourne $4,274
Sudbury $3,633

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $4,754 in Sudbury.

Melbourne $5,699
Sudbury $4,754

Living in Melbourne is roughly 13% more expensive than in Sudbury, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Sudbury 84% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.86

$17.73 CA$24.89

-1.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$70.4 CA$98.7

19.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.29

$10.81 CA$15.17

12.58%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.79

$2.98 CA$4.18

36.58%

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

$3.18 A$4.52

$2.12 CA$2.97

50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.55

$1.75 CA$2.45

42.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.60

$5.38 CA$7.56

77.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.72

$6.72 CA$9.44

22.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.14

$2.46 CA$3.46

-39.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.22

$2.06 CA$2.90

44.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.81

$4.48 CA$6.28

-40.18%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.75

$3.75 CA$5.27

45.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.22

$11.14 CA$15.63

-3.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.28

$13.89 CA$19.50

-27.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.31

$12.82 CA$17.99

17.00%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.78

$4.42 CA$6.21

-7.92%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.46

$1.24 CA$1.74

153.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.43

$3.71 CA$5.20

-15.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.72

$4.22 CA$5.92

12.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.23

$3.99 CA$5.60

-25.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.55

$2.71 CA$3.80

-8.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.53

$1.87 CA$2.62

32.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.27

$2.16 CA$3.03

-25.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.4

$14.03 CA$19.69

218.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.02

$14.21 CA$19.95

-10.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.88

$3.00 CA$4.21

85.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.37

$2.82 CA$3.95

83.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.45

$2.91 CA$4.08

31.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$197

$71.6 CA$101

93.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.19

$3.15 CA$4.43

38.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$2.34 CA$3.28

-41.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.23

$27.80 CA$39.01

6.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.11

$1.21 CA$1.70

23.14%

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

$29.1K A$41.3K

$28.6K CA$40.1K

1.88%

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

$25.7K A$36.5K

$20.9K CA$29.4K

22.71%

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

$236 A$335

$172 CA$241

37.22%

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

$28.01 A$39.80

$52.1 CA$73.1

-46.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.3

$74.5 CA$105

-23.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.8

$53.2 CA$74.6

-8.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.50

$14.16 CA$19.87

51.55%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.10

$11.85 CA$16.63

49.11%

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

$2,461 A$3,497

$545 CA$764

351.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.2K

$8,523 CA$12.0K

248.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$115

$56.7 CA$79.6

43.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.0

$33.51 CA$47.03

47.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$170

$104 CA$146

14.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$148 CA$208

-11.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,419

$1,424 CA$1,998

19.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,002

$1,233 CA$1,730

14.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,967

$2,183 CA$3,064

60.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,590

$1,927 CA$2,704

31.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

$2,733 CA$3,835

191.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,805

$1,958 CA$2,748

252.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,049

$3,049 CA$4,279

39.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.01

17.76%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sudbury: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Sudbury

$1.2K 49.1% 12.5% $176

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Sudbury

$385 15.3% 0.4% $1.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Sudbury

$298 11.9% 7.1% $23

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Sudbury

$266 10.6% 14.9% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Sudbury

$154 6.1% 10.1% $17

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Sudbury

$98 3.9% 40.6% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Sudbury

$77 3.1% 8.2% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $1,424 in Sudbury. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 40% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $70 in Sudbury for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $386 vs $385 per month, with Sudbury cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇦 Sudbury

🕒 Local time

05:03 5:03 AM

14:03 2:03 PM

15 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

161,531

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Sudbury 16,160 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Sudbury

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 Sudbury: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Sudbury differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($2,849 vs $2,511 including rent). Sudbury is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 40% 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 $1,424 in Sudbury. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sudbury runs roughly 48% less than in Melbourne. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $2,849 per month in Melbourne versus $2,511 in Sudbury – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Sudbury wins on affordability, Melbourne on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.