Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Tarneit

For one person, living is cheaper in Tarneit: $2,519 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 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
122

Cost of Living Index in Tarneit
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Tarneit Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Tarneit

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Tarneit

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $2,519 in Tarneit.

Melbourne $2,849
Tarneit $2,519

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $3,640 in Tarneit.

Melbourne $4,274
Tarneit $3,640

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $4,760 in Tarneit.

Melbourne $5,699
Tarneit $4,760

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Tarneit 85% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.88

$17.61 A$25.03

-0.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$84.9 A$121

-0.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.30

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.79

$4.02 A$5.71

1.24%

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

$3.18 A$4.52

$3.06 A$4.36

3.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.55

$2.48 A$3.53

0.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.61

$9.61 A$13.67

-0.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.73

$8.45 A$12.01

-2.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.14

$0.87 A$1.23

72.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.22

$1.24 A$1.77

139.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.82

$1.37 A$1.94

95.62%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.75

$5.16 A$7.34

5.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.23

$10.41 A$14.80

2.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.29

$9.89 A$14.06

1.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.33

$14.98 A$21.30

0.13%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.78

$4.17 A$5.93

-2.40%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.46

$3.13 A$4.45

0.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.43

$3.11 A$4.43

0.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.73

$4.86 A$6.91

-2.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.24

$3.08 A$4.38

-3.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.55

$2.47 A$3.52

0.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.53

$2.46 A$3.50

0.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.27

$1.57 A$2.24

1.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.5

$45.03 A$64.0

-0.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.03

$12.54 A$17.83

1.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.88

$5.71 A$8.11

-2.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.37

$5.29 A$7.53

-2.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.46

$2.78 A$3.96

38.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$197

$94.4 A$134

46.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.20

$4.43 A$6.29

-1.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$1.37 A$1.95

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.26

$30.03 A$42.69

-1.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.11

$1.42 A$2.01

4.93%

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

$26.4K A$37.5K

-2.71%

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

$236 A$335

$178 A$253

32.66%

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

$28.01 A$39.83

$28.26 A$40.18

-0.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.4

$56.9 A$80.9

0.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.8

$56.8 A$80.7

-14.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.52

$16.11 A$22.90

33.21%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.12

$17.30 A$24.59

2.14%

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

$2,461 A$3,499

$2,489 A$3,538

-1.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.2K

$30.0K A$42.6K

-0.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$115

$80.4 A$114

1.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.1

$50.6 A$71.9

-2.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$170

$120 A$171

-0.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$131 A$187

-0.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,421

$1,380 A$1,962

23.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,003

$1,207 A$1,716

16.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,970

$2,347 A$3,337

48.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,592

$1,797 A$2,555

40.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

$6,047 A$8,598

31.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,811

$4,601 A$6,542

49.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,053

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tarneit: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Tarneit

$1.2K 47.9% 14.3% $202

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Tarneit

$356 14.1% 7.8% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Tarneit

$263 10.4% 18.1% $58

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Tarneit

$313 12.4% 0.1% $0.3

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Tarneit

$172 6.8% 0.3% $0.6

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Tarneit

$117 4.6% 29.3% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Tarneit

$91 3.6% 9.1% $7.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $1,380 in Tarneit. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $85 in Tarneit. Groceries flip the comparison at $386 vs $356, with Tarneit cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Tarneit

🕒 Local time

04:12 4:12 AM

Same time as Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

34,562

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Tarneit: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,849 in Melbourne and $2,519 in Tarneit, so Tarneit is about 12% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $4,273 in Melbourne and $3,779 in Tarneit to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,703 in Melbourne versus $1,380 in Tarneit. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,849 per month in Melbourne versus $2,519 in Tarneit – Tarneit is about 12% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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