Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Surfers Paradise

For one person, living costs are similar in Melbourne and in Surfers Paradise: $2,821 and $2,824 a month, rent and utilities included.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
136

Cost of Living Index in Surfers Paradise
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Surfers Paradise Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Surfers Paradise

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,824

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Surfers Paradise

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $2,824 in Surfers Paradise.

Melbourne $2,821
Surfers Paradise $2,824

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $4,398 in Surfers Paradise.

Melbourne $4,235
Surfers Paradise $4,398

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $5,973 in Surfers Paradise.

Melbourne $5,650
Surfers Paradise $5,973

Monthly costs are close between Melbourne and Surfers Paradise; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Surfers Paradise 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$17.36 A$24.99

0.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$105 A$151

-19.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$10.85 A$15.62

14.84%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$4.10 A$5.90

0.24%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$2.81 A$4.05

8.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$2.40 A$3.46

5.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$7.86 A$11.31

24.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$7.87 A$11.32

8.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.66 A$2.40

-10.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$2.70 A$3.89

8.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$2.41 A$3.46

10.37%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$4.90 A$7.05

13.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$8.68 A$12.49

21.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$9.09 A$13.07

6.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$14.47 A$20.83

5.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$3.92 A$5.65

1.79%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$3.08 A$4.43

-1.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$3.37 A$4.85

-8.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$4.84 A$6.97

-0.41%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.82 A$4.06

7.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$2.44 A$3.50

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$2.39 A$3.44

2.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$2.07 A$2.98

-21.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$37.58 A$54.1

17.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$14.26 A$20.52

-10.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$5.97 A$8.59

-7.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$5.12 A$7.36

2.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.34 A$0.49

1000.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$2.10 A$3.02

114.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$1.62 A$2.33

-16.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$35.24 A$50.7

-13.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.30 A$1.86

13.08%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$27.0K A$38.9K

7.30%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$28.3K A$40.8K

-6.61%

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

$234 A$336

$212 A$305

10.09%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$29.92 A$43.06

-6.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$55.4 A$79.8

0.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$66.1 A$95.1

-25.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$14.45 A$20.80

48.65%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$17.42 A$25.06

-13.38%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$1,944 A$2,798

21.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$12.4K A$17.8K

144.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$83.1 A$120

-3.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$55.1 A$79.2

-7.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$111 A$160

8.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$121 A$175

7.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$1,912 A$2,752

-8.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$1,570 A$2,260

-11.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$3,770 A$5,425

-7.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$3,067 A$4,413

-18.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$5,895 A$8,483

17.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$4,954 A$7,128

30.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$3,288 A$4,731

33.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.81

1.55%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Surfers Paradise: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Surfers Paradise

$1.6K 55.6% 13% $181

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Surfers Paradise

$380 13.5% 1.1% $4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Surfers Paradise

$298 10.5% 6.2% $20

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Surfers Paradise

$297 10.5% 5.7% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Surfers Paradise

$167 5.9% 3% $5.1

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Surfers Paradise

$12 * 0.4% 92.9% $152

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Surfers Paradise

$101 3.6% 26.7% $21

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $1,912 in Surfers Paradise. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 33% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $105 in Surfers Paradise. Groceries flip the comparison at $384 vs $380, with Surfers Paradise cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Surfers Paradise

🕒 Local time

03:45 3:45 AM

02:45 2:45 AM

1 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

19,668

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Surfers Paradise 1,350 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Surfers Paradise

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 Surfers Paradise: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 33% 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 $1,912 in Surfers Paradise. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $1,944 in Surfers Paradise. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Surfers Paradise pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Melbourne is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

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