Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Melbourne: $2,849 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
157

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Sydney

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $3,267 in Sydney.

Melbourne $2,849
Sydney $3,267

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $4,847 in Sydney.

Melbourne $4,274
Sydney $4,847

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $6,428 in Sydney.

Melbourne $5,699
Sydney $6,428

Living in Melbourne costs roughly 13% less than in Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Sydney 140% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.88

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$90.4 A$128

-6.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.30

$11.96 A$17.00

1.76%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.79

$4.00 A$5.69

1.75%

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

$3.18 A$4.52

$2.81 A$4.00

13.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.55

$2.22 A$3.16

12.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.61

$8.13 A$11.57

17.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.73

$7.20 A$10.24

14.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.14

$1.70 A$2.42

-11.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.22

$2.94 A$4.18

1.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.82

$2.51 A$3.58

6.77%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.76

$5.66 A$8.05

-3.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.23

$12.22 A$17.37

-12.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.29

$9.31 A$13.24

7.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.33

$16.87 A$23.99

-11.08%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.79

$3.90 A$5.55

4.36%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.46

$3.22 A$4.58

-2.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.43

$3.43 A$4.88

-9.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.73

$4.33 A$6.16

9.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.24

$3.35 A$4.76

-11.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.55

$2.40 A$3.41

3.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.53

$2.34 A$3.33

5.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.27

$1.16 A$1.65

37.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.5

$45.47 A$64.7

-1.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.03

$13.99 A$19.89

-9.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.89

$4.11 A$5.84

35.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.37

$4.18 A$5.94

23.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.46

$3.12 A$4.44

23.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$197

$152 A$216

-8.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.20

$3.46 A$4.92

26.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$1.56 A$2.22

-12.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.26

$39.54 A$56.2

-24.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.11

$1.45 A$2.06

2.76%

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

$29.1K A$41.4K

$29.9K A$42.5K

-2.71%

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

$25.7K A$36.5K

$27.5K A$39.1K

-6.72%

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

$236 A$335

$251 A$357

-6.05%

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

$28.01 A$39.83

$27.76 A$39.47

0.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.4

$58.0 A$82.5

-1.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.8

$70.7 A$100

-31.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.52

$23.25 A$33.06

-7.70%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.12

$17.83 A$25.35

-0.90%

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

$2,461 A$3,499

$2,358 A$3,353

4.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.2K

$27.2K A$38.7K

9.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$115

$80.5 A$114

0.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.1

$69.3 A$98.5

-28.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$170

$111 A$157

7.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$127 A$181

2.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,421

$2,566 A$3,648

-33.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,003

$1,792 A$2,549

-21.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,971

$5,202 A$7,396

-32.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,593

$3,156 A$4,488

-19.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

$13.4K A$19.0K

-40.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,812

$8,727 A$12.4K

-20.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,053

$4,118 A$5,856

3.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.92

-0.34%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sydney: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9% 27.2% $384

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Sydney

$382 11.7% 1.1% $4.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Sydney

$337 10.3% 4.9% $16

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Sydney

$299 9.2% 4.3% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Sydney

$175 5.3% 1.8% $3.1

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Sydney

$176 5.4% 6.2% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Sydney

$106 3.3% 27% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $2,566 in Sydney. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $90 in Sydney. Groceries flip the comparison at $386 vs $382, with Sydney cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

11:55 11:55 AM

Same time as Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

4,840,600

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.631 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.631 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Sydney 710 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
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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 Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Sydney differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($2,849 vs $3,267 including rent). Melbourne is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 3% 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 $2,566 in Sydney. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Melbourne runs roughly 9% less than in Sydney. 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 $3,267 in Sydney – a 15% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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