Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Toms River, NJ

For one person, living costs are similar in Melbourne and in Toms River, NJ: $2,849 and $2,884 a month, rent and utilities included.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Toms River, NJ
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Toms River, NJ Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Toms River, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,884

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Toms River, NJ

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 Toms River, NJ actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $2,884 in Toms River, NJ.

Melbourne $2,849
Toms River, NJ $2,884

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $4,311 in Toms River, NJ.

Melbourne $4,274
Toms River, NJ $4,311

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $5,738 in Toms River, NJ.

Melbourne $5,699
Toms River, NJ $5,738

Monthly costs are close between Melbourne and Toms River, NJ; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Toms River, NJ 112% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.86

$19.87 $19.87

-11.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$74.2 $74.2

13.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.29

$12.05 $12.05

1.00%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.79

$5.53 $5.53

-26.40%

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

$3.18 A$4.52

$2.57 $2.57

23.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.55

$1.86 $1.86

34.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.60

$5.03 $5.03

90.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.72

$6.89 $6.89

19.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.14

$1.41 $1.41

6.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.22

$4.61 $4.61

-35.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.81

$2.42 $2.42

10.74%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.75

$4.61 $4.61

18.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.22

$16.29 $16.29

-34.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.28

$16.95 $16.95

-40.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.31

$16.81 $16.81

-10.77%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.78

$5.98 $5.98

-31.94%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.46

$1.30 $1.30

141.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.43

$5.15 $5.15

-39.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.72

$5.92 $5.92

-20.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.23

$1.58 $1.58

88.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.55

$2.74 $2.74

-9.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.53

$2.53 $2.53

-1.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.27

$1.94 $1.94

-17.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.4

$9.84 $9.84

353.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.02

$10.09 $10.09

25.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.88

$2.80 $2.80

98.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.37

$3.42 $3.42

51.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.45

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$197

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.19

$2.99 $2.99

45.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$2.13 $2.13

-35.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.23

$41.41 $41.41

-28.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.11

$0.92 $0.92

61.96%

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

$29.1K A$41.3K

$30.8K $30.8K

-5.44%

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

$25.7K A$36.5K

$26.2K $26.2K

-2.06%

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

$236 A$335

$243 $243

-2.83%

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

$28.01 A$39.80

$37.24 $37.24

-24.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.3

$62.0 $62.0

-7.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.8

$30.15 $30.15

60.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.50

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.10

$17.15 $17.15

3.03%

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

$2,461 A$3,497

$3,103 $3,103

-20.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.2K

$34.4K $34.4K

-13.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$115

$69.8 $69.8

16.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.0

$75.8 $75.8

-34.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$170

$120 $120

-0.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$121 $121

7.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,419

$1,617 $1,617

5.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,002

$1,527 $1,527

-7.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,967

$2,900 $2,900

20.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,590

$2,766 $2,766

-8.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,805

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,049

$5,268 $5,268

-19.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

6.67

-11.54%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Last update for Toms River, NJ: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Toms River, NJ

$1.5K 53% 8.4% $118

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Toms River, NJ

$445 15.4% 15.1% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Toms River, NJ

$342 11.9% 6.5% $21

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Toms River, NJ

$318 11% 1.8% $5.7

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Toms River, NJ

$174 6% 1.7% $2.9

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Toms River, NJ

$14 * 0.5% 91.8% $152

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Toms River, NJ

$64 2.2% 23% $19

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 $1,703 in Melbourne and $1,617 in Toms River, NJ. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toms River, NJ pays 24% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $74 in Toms River, NJ. Groceries flip the comparison at $386 vs $445, with Melbourne cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇺🇸 Toms River, NJ

🕒 Local time

09:16 9:16 AM

18:16 6:16 PM

15 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

95,438

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Toms River, NJ 16,640 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Toms River, NJ

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 Toms River, NJ: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 19% lower in Melbourne. 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: $1,703 in Melbourne versus $1,617 in Toms River, NJ. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,461 in Melbourne versus $3,103 in Toms River, NJ. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Toms River, NJ. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 Toms River, NJ are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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