Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Sunshine Coast

For one person, living is cheaper in Sunshine Coast: $2,343 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 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
113

Cost of Living Index in Sunshine Coast
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Sunshine Coast Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Sunshine Coast

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,343

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Sunshine Coast

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $2,343 in Sunshine Coast.

Melbourne $2,849
Sunshine Coast $2,343

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $3,553 in Sunshine Coast.

Melbourne $4,274
Sunshine Coast $3,553

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $4,762 in Sunshine Coast.

Melbourne $5,699
Sunshine Coast $4,762

Living in Melbourne is roughly 22% more expensive than in Sunshine Coast, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Sunshine Coast 72% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.86

$17.72 A$25.18

-1.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$73.9 A$105

14.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.29

$10.54 A$14.98

15.46%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.79

$3.96 A$5.63

2.78%

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

$3.18 A$4.52

$2.88 A$4.09

10.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.55

$2.74 A$3.89

-8.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.60

$7.48 A$10.63

27.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.72

$9.21 A$13.08

-10.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.14

$1.33 A$1.89

12.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.22

$1.97 A$2.79

50.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.81

$2.05 A$2.91

30.73%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.75

$4.74 A$6.73

14.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.22

$11.17 A$15.87

-4.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.28

$7.99 A$11.35

25.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.31

$21.27 A$30.22

-29.48%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.78

$3.15 A$4.47

29.21%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.46

$2.46 A$3.50

27.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.43

$3.15 A$4.47

-0.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.72

$4.05 A$5.75

16.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.23

$2.17 A$3.08

37.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.55

$1.68 A$2.39

48.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.53

$2.22 A$3.15

11.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.27

$2.31 A$3.28

-30.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.4

$47.13 A$67.0

-5.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.02

$15.54 A$22.08

-18.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.88

$5.51 A$7.83

0.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.37

$5.92 A$8.41

-12.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.45

$0.37 A$0.52

937.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$197

$24.32 A$34.56

470.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.19

$2.12 A$3.02

105.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$1.60 A$2.27

-14.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.23

$36.31 A$51.6

-18.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.11

$1.33 A$1.89

12.03%

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

$29.1K A$41.3K

$31.3K A$44.5K

-7.05%

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

$25.7K A$36.5K

$31.1K A$44.2K

-17.44%

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

$236 A$335

$139 A$198

69.25%

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

$28.01 A$39.80

$43.15 A$61.3

-35.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.3

$66.7 A$94.8

-14.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.8

$51.8 A$73.5

-6.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.50

$16.50 A$23.45

30.06%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.10

$15.63 A$22.20

13.05%

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

$2,461 A$3,497

$2,168 A$3,080

13.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$115

$65.0 A$92.4

24.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.0

$112 A$160

-56.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$170

$96.4 A$137

23.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$99.8 A$142

31.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,419

$1,351 A$1,920

26.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,002

$1,130 A$1,606

24.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,967

$2,410 A$3,424

45.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,590

$2,026 A$2,879

24.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

$5,540 A$7,872

44.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,805

$5,183 A$7,365

33.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,049

$3,508 A$4,985

21.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.75

2.61%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sunshine Coast: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Sunshine Coast

$1.1K 48.3% 19.8% $278

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Sunshine Coast

$378 16.1% 2.3% $8.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Sunshine Coast

$249 10.6% 22.4% $72

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Sunshine Coast

$299 12.8% 4.2% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Sunshine Coast

$168 7.2% 2% $3.4

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Sunshine Coast

$36 1.5% 78.3% $129

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Sunshine Coast

$83 3.5% 0.8% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $1,351 in Sunshine Coast. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 21% 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: $84 in Melbourne vs $74 in Sunshine Coast for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $386 vs $378 per month, with Sunshine Coast cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Sunshine Coast

🕒 Local time

07:29 7:29 AM

06:29 6:29 AM

1 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

284,131

💱 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

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Sunshine Coast 1,460 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Sunshine Coast

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 Sunshine Coast: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,849 in Melbourne and $2,343 in Sunshine Coast, so Sunshine Coast is about 18% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 21% 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 $1,351 in Sunshine Coast. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sunshine Coast runs roughly 82% less than in Melbourne. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $2,849 per month in Melbourne versus $2,343 in Sunshine Coast – Sunshine Coast is about 18% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

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