Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Taree

For one person, living is cheaper in Taree: $2,586 a month against $2,823 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

136

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
119

Cost of Living Index in Taree
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Taree Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,823

/mo nomad

Taree

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Taree

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,823 in Melbourne versus $2,586 in Taree.

Melbourne $2,823
Taree $2,586

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,253 in Melbourne versus $3,602 in Taree.

Melbourne $4,253
Taree $3,602

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,683 in Melbourne versus $4,618 in Taree.

Melbourne $5,683
Taree $4,618

Living in Melbourne is roughly 9% more expensive than in Taree, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Taree 91% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.34 A$24.82

$17.44 A$24.96

-0.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.7 A$118

$85.6 A$123

-3.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.63 A$18.08

$10.29 A$14.73

22.74%

Cappuccino

$4.22 A$6.04

$4.03 A$5.77

4.71%

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

$3.12 A$4.46

$2.82 A$4.03

10.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 A$3.55

$2.23 A$3.20

11.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.69 A$13.87

$7.78 A$11.13

24.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.30 A$11.88

$7.31 A$10.46

13.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.15

$1.23 A$1.77

21.95%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 A$4.40

$1.51 A$2.16

103.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 A$3.78

$0.86 A$1.24

206.98%

Eggs

$5.58 A$7.98

$3.72 A$5.32

50.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.78 A$14.01

$7.92 A$11.33

23.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 A$13.63

$6.93 A$9.91

37.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.18 A$21.73

$16.31 A$23.35

-6.93%

Apples (1kg)

$4.22 A$6.04

$2.82 A$4.04

49.65%

Banana (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.48

$2.42 A$3.46

29.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 A$4.64

$1.62 A$2.31

100.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.71 A$6.74

$3.80 A$5.43

23.95%

Potato (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.48

$2.30 A$3.29

36.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.46 A$3.52

$1.71 A$2.44

43.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 A$3.44

$2.42 A$3.46

-0.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.87 A$2.68

-21.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.76 A$61.2

$29.96 A$42.89

42.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.90 A$18.47

$7.50 A$10.74

72.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.53 A$7.91

$2.43 A$3.47

127.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.38

$5.12 A$7.33

0.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.79 A$5.43

$2.86 A$4.09

32.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$141 A$202

$99.2 A$142

42.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.75 A$5.37

$3.31 A$4.74

13.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 A$2.07

$2.04 A$2.91

-29.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.93 A$41.42

$42.32 A$60.6

-31.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.07

$1.27 A$1.82

14.17%

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

$29.6K A$42.3K

$25.7K A$36.7K

15.22%

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

$26.3K A$37.6K

$25.0K A$35.9K

4.83%

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

$229 A$328

$217 A$310

5.71%

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

$26.76 A$38.31

$23.29 A$33.33

14.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.5 A$82.4

$52.3 A$74.9

9.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.77 A$71.3

$60.4 A$86.5

-17.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.45 A$30.70

$16.44 A$23.54

30.47%

Cinema Ticket

$17.43 A$24.96

$14.08 A$20.16

23.79%

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

$2,435 A$3,485

$2,040 A$2,920

19.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.6K A$48.1K

$22.2K A$31.8K

51.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 A$115

$85.5 A$122

-5.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.5 A$73.7

$57.0 A$81.6

-9.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$104 A$148

17.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$191

$115 A$165

15.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,748 A$2,503

$1,247 A$1,785

40.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,386 A$1,984

$1,340 A$1,918

3.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,468 A$4,964

$2,465 A$3,529

40.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,520 A$3,607

$1,817 A$2,601

38.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,274 A$11.8K

$6,610 A$9,462

25.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,066 A$10.1K

$4,570 A$6,542

54.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,206 A$6,021

$2,952 A$4,225

42.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.97

5.91

1.02%

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

Last update for Melbourne: November 1, 2026

Last update for Taree: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.1%

Taree

$1.3K 51.8% 3.4% $47

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$383 13.6%

Taree

$287 11.1% 25.1% $96

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Taree

$292 11.3% 7.1% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$313 11.1%

Taree

$292 11.3% 6.7% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$174 6.2%

Taree

$163 6.3% 6.6% $11

Getting Around

Melbourne

$167 5.9%

Taree

$124 4.8% 25.8% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$85 3%

Taree

$89 3.4% 4.7% $4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,748 in Melbourne and $1,247 in Taree. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 43% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $83 in Melbourne vs $86 in Taree. Groceries flip the comparison at $383 vs $287, with Taree cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Taree

🕒 Local time

00:21 12:21 AM

Same time as Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

18,110

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Taree 950 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Taree

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 Taree: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,823 in Melbourne and $2,586 in Taree, so Taree is about 8% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 43% 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: $1,748 in Melbourne versus $1,247 in Taree. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,435 in Melbourne versus $2,040 in Taree. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Taree 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 Taree are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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