Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Tasmania

For one person, living is cheaper in Tasmania: $2,116 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Tasmania
Learn more

Tasmania Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Tasmania

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,116

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Tasmania

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,853 in Melbourne versus $2,116 in Tasmania.

Melbourne $2,853
Tasmania $2,116

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,275 in Melbourne versus $2,969 in Tasmania.

Melbourne $4,275
Tasmania $2,969

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,697 in Melbourne versus $3,823 in Tasmania.

Melbourne $5,697
Tasmania $3,823

Living in Melbourne is roughly 35% more expensive than in Tasmania, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 111% above, Tasmania 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.20 A$24.75

$28.10 A$40.43

-38.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 A$120

$68.6 A$98.7

21.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 A$17.88

$10.79 A$15.53

15.20%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.82

$3.86 A$5.56

4.92%

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

$3.12 A$4.50

$2.83 A$4.07

10.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.54

$2.03 A$2.93

21.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.52 A$13.71

$11.32 A$16.29

-15.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.74

$6.68 A$9.61

22.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.25

$2.20 A$3.16

-29.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.18

$3.48 A$5.00

-16.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$2.30 A$3.32

15.65%

Eggs

$5.37 A$7.72

$5.30 A$7.63

1.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 A$15.36

$10.09 A$14.52

5.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 A$14.17

$12.40 A$17.85

-20.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 A$22.11

$16.11 A$23.18

-4.66%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$6.00

$3.48 A$5.00

19.83%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$2.59 A$3.73

21.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 A$4.69

$2.83 A$4.07

15.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.85

$3.90 A$5.61

22.05%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.41

$3.92 A$5.64

-21.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.55

$2.72 A$3.91

-9.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.52

$2.98 A$4.29

-17.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.89 A$1.29

83.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.17 A$65.0

$31.04 A$44.67

45.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.25

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.69 A$8.18

$7.41 A$10.67

-23.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.53

$7.37 A$10.61

-29.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 A$5.57

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$204

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 A$6.53

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.04

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.59 A$44.01

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.38 A$1.99

6.52%

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

$28.9K A$41.5K

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

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

$235 A$338

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

$27.45 A$39.51

$20.71 A$29.80

32.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$80.8

$54.8 A$78.9

2.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 A$72.1

$62.4 A$89.8

-19.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.49 A$30.93

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 A$25.56

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

$2,385 A$3,432

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 A$114

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.49 A$71.2

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$170

$139 A$200

-14.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 A$2,537

$1,122 A$1,615

57.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 A$2,031

$1,114 A$1,603

26.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,522 A$5,069

$1,764 A$2,538

99.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 A$3,634

$1,400 A$2,015

80.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,136 A$10.3K

$6,822 A$9,816

4.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,355 A$9,144

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,258 A$6,128

$4,630 A$6,663

-8.04%

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 17, 2026

Last update for Tasmania: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5%

Tasmania

$1.1K 52.6% 21.1% $297

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$388 13.6%

Tasmania

$409 19.3% 5.2% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$319 11.2%

Tasmania

$76 * 3.6% 76.3% $243

Eating Out

Melbourne

$310 10.9%

Tasmania

$393 18.6% 26.9% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Tasmania

$63 * 3% 63.4% $108

Getting Around

Melbourne

$169 5.9%

Tasmania

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$86 3%

Tasmania

$62 * 3% 27.1% $23

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 $1,763 in Melbourne and $1,122 in Tasmania. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tasmania pays 9% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $83.0 in Melbourne vs $69.0 in Tasmania. Groceries flip the comparison at $388 vs $409, with Melbourne cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Tasmania

🕒 Local time

03:57 3:57 AM

Same time as Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

💱 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 Tasmania 500 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Tasmania

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 Tasmania: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Tasmania differ by about 35% in total monthly costs ($2,853 vs $2,116 including rent). Tasmania is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 9% lower in Tasmania. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,763 in Melbourne versus $1,122 in Tasmania. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Tasmania – a meal for two runs $69.0 versus $83.0 in Melbourne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,853 per month in Melbourne versus $2,116 in Tasmania – a 35% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,116 in Tasmania versus $2,853 in Melbourne, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Tasmania but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Tasmania the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Expats usually find Tasmania gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.