Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Toowoomba

For one person, living is cheaper in Toowoomba: $2,131 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 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
102

Cost of Living Index in Toowoomba
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Toowoomba Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Toowoomba

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,131

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Toowoomba

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $2,131 in Toowoomba.

Melbourne $2,849
Toowoomba $2,131

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $2,950 in Toowoomba.

Melbourne $4,274
Toowoomba $2,950

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $3,769 in Toowoomba.

Melbourne $5,699
Toowoomba $3,769

Living in Melbourne is roughly 34% more expensive than in Toowoomba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Toowoomba 57% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.98

$16.65 A$23.77

5.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$72.4 A$103

16.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.37

$9.54 A$13.61

27.57%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.82

$3.73 A$5.33

9.12%

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

$3.18 A$4.54

$2.82 A$4.03

12.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.56

$2.46 A$3.51

1.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.66

$6.53 A$9.33

46.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.78

$7.21 A$10.29

14.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.15

$1.51 A$2.15

-0.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.24

$2.26 A$3.22

31.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.83

$1.98 A$2.82

35.35%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.78

$4.71 A$6.73

15.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.29

$8.94 A$12.76

19.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.34

$8.99 A$12.84

11.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.41

$11.88 A$16.95

26.26%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.81

$3.10 A$4.42

31.29%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.48

$1.77 A$2.53

77.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.45

$1.39 A$1.98

124.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.75

$2.15 A$3.07

120.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.25

$2.51 A$3.58

18.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.56

$2.24 A$3.19

11.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.54

$2.42 A$3.46

2.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.28

$1.03 A$1.47

55.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.7

$35.11 A$50.1

27.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.10

$14.25 A$20.34

-11.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.91

$4.68 A$6.68

18.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.40

$6.81 A$9.72

-23.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.48

$3.05 A$4.35

25.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.22

$2.21 A$3.16

97.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.95

$1.60 A$2.28

-14.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.43

$35.25 A$50.3

-15.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.12

$1.36 A$1.94

9.56%

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

$29.1K A$41.5K

$28.9K A$41.2K

0.79%

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

$25.7K A$36.6K

$23.3K A$33.2K

10.35%

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

$236 A$336

$77.3 A$110

204.75%

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

$28.01 A$39.98

$31.09 A$44.38

-9.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.7

$54.6 A$77.9

4.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$69.1

$42.30 A$60.4

14.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.64

$17.86 A$25.49

20.16%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.22

$13.09 A$18.68

34.99%

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

$2,461 A$3,513

$2,103 A$3,002

17.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.4K

$7,119 A$10.2K

317.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$116

$76.2 A$109

6.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.3

$53.8 A$76.9

-8.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$171

$76.5 A$109

56.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$187

$120 A$172

8.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,430

$1,221 A$1,742

39.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,011

$1,141 A$1,629

23.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,989

$1,622 A$2,315

115.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,606

$1,428 A$2,038

76.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.4K

$3,367 A$4,805

136.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,849

$2,742 A$3,913

151.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,076

$3,874 A$5,529

9.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.69

3.69%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Last update for Toowoomba: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Toowoomba

$1.1K 53.6% 19% $267

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Toowoomba

$314 14.7% 18.8% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Toowoomba

$163 7.7% 49.2% $158

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Toowoomba

$275 12.9% 12% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Toowoomba

$147 6.9% 14.1% $24

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Toowoomba

$22 * 1.1% 86.5% $143

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Toowoomba

$68 3.2% 18.2% $15

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 $1,221 in Toowoomba. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 10% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $72 in Toowoomba for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $386 vs $314 per month, with Toowoomba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Toowoomba

🕒 Local time

11:08 11:08 AM

10:08 10:08 AM

1 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

108,398

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.701 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

1 AUD = 0.701 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Toowoomba 1,310 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Toowoomba

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 Toowoomba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,849 in Melbourne and $2,131 in Toowoomba, so Toowoomba is about 25% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 10% 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: $1,703 in Melbourne versus $1,221 in Toowoomba. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% 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 $2,131 in Toowoomba – Toowoomba is about 25% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

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