Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Thames

For one person, living is cheaper in Thames: $1,966 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Thames
Learn more

Thames Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Thames

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,966

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Thames

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $1,966 in Thames.

Melbourne $2,821
Thames $1,966

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $2,999 in Thames.

Melbourne $4,235
Thames $2,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $4,032 in Thames.

Melbourne $5,650
Thames $4,032

Living in Melbourne is roughly 43% more expensive than in Thames, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Thames 46% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$13.93 NZ$24.63

25.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$68.4 NZ$121

23.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$8.89 NZ$15.72

40.16%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$3.42 NZ$6.06

20.18%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$2.02 NZ$3.57

51.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$1.74 NZ$3.08

44.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$6.88 NZ$12.16

42.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$6.73 NZ$11.90

27.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.87 NZ$3.31

-20.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$2.22 NZ$3.93

32.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.79 NZ$3.16

48.60%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$6.20 NZ$10.97

-10.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$8.79 NZ$15.55

19.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$9.68 NZ$17.11

-0.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$16.82 NZ$29.74

-9.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.80 NZ$4.95

42.50%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$2.16 NZ$3.82

39.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.91 NZ$5.14

6.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$5.75 NZ$10.17

-16.17%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.13 NZ$3.77

42.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.52 NZ$2.69

60.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.98 NZ$3.50

24.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$1.04 NZ$1.84

56.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$26.57 NZ$46.99

65.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$10.25 NZ$18.12

23.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.84 NZ$5.02

95.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$3.38 NZ$5.98

54.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$1.45 NZ$2.56

157.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$75.4 NZ$133

82.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$2.30 NZ$4.06

96.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$1.92 NZ$3.40

-29.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$32.20 NZ$56.9

-5.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.87 NZ$3.31

-21.39%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$25.1K NZ$44.5K

15.32%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$21.7K NZ$38.4K

22.05%

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

$234 A$336

$183 NZ$324

27.36%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$26.20 NZ$46.33

6.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$50.7 NZ$89.6

10.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$41.84 NZ$74.0

18.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$13.10 NZ$23.17

15.19%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$1,135 NZ$2,007

108.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$19.2K NZ$34.0K

57.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$79.2 NZ$140

1.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$39.93 NZ$70.6

26.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$92.3 NZ$163

30.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$111 NZ$197

17.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$930 NZ$1,645

89.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$821 NZ$1,451

69.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,484 NZ$2,624

135.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$1,486 NZ$2,629

67.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$4,552 NZ$8,050

52.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$3,773 NZ$6,673

70.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.37

9.87%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Thames: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Thames

$821 41.7% 40.9% $569

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Thames

$337 17.1% 12.3% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Thames

$260 13.2% 18% $57

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Thames

$242 12.3% 23% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Thames

$145 7.4% 15.4% $27

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Thames

$93 4.7% 43.2% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Thames

$68 3.5% 14.5% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $930 in Thames. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $68.0 in Thames for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $337 per month, with Thames cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇳🇿 Thames

🕒 Local time

05:39 5:39 AM

07:39 7:39 AM

2 h ahead of Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

7,500

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Thames 2,690 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Thames

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 Thames: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Thames differ by about 43% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $1,966 including rent). Thames is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $4,231 in Melbourne and $2,949 in Thames 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: $1,759 in Melbourne versus $930 in Thames. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $1,135 in Thames. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,966 in Thames versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Thames but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Thames 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 Thames 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 Thames gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.