Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Townsville Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Townsville

😐 Solo nomad: Melbourne is 8.6% more expensive than Townsville without rent, and 9.6% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Melbourne is 16.3% more expensive than Townsville without rent, and 9.4% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.40 A$26.96

$11.63 A$16.16

66.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.5 A$106

$61.3 A$85.2

24.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.99 A$13.89

$9.79 A$13.60

2.04%

Cappuccino

$3.71 A$5.16

$3.23 A$4.49

14.86%

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

$2.59 A$3.60

$2.49 A$3.46

4.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 A$3.33

$2.22 A$3.09

8.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.13 A$9.92

$6.65 A$9.24

7.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.21 A$10.02

$4.89 A$6.80

47.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 A$2.03

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 A$3.63

$2.09 A$2.90

24.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.29 A$3.18

$1.59 A$2.21

44.03%

Eggs

$4.79 A$6.66

$4.07 A$5.65

17.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.13 A$12.69

$7.30 A$10.15

25.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 A$12.59

$8.24 A$11.45

9.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.98 A$20.82

$11.96 A$16.62

25.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.27 A$4.54

$3.85 A$5.35

-15.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.87 A$3.99

$3.03 A$4.22

-5.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 A$3.96

$3.15 A$4.38

-9.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 A$5.48

$4.36 A$6.06

-9.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.73

$2.67 A$3.71

0.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 A$3.25

$2.38 A$3.31

-1.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 A$3.09

$2.11 A$2.93

5.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 A$2.30

$2.00 A$2.77

-17.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$32.72 A$45.48

$24.27 A$33.73

34.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.40 A$20.01

$10.80 A$15.02

33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.52 A$6.29

$3.35 A$4.66

34.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.27 A$7.33

$7.72 A$10.73

-31.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.63 A$5.05

$2.05 A$2.85

77.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$119 A$165

$73.7 A$102

60.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 A$4.84

$3.61 A$5.02

-3.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 A$1.92

$1.49 A$2.07

-7.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.42 A$38.12

$48.41 A$67.3

-43.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 A$1.64

$1.15 A$1.60

2.61%

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

$28.4K A$39.5K

$22.8K A$31.7K

24.42%

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

$23.2K A$32.3K

$19.8K A$27.6K

17.17%

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

$149 A$207

$155 A$215

-3.79%

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

$20.91 A$29.06

$34.49 A$47.94

-39.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.2 A$71.2

$59.4 A$82.6

-13.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.92 A$68.0

$43.32 A$60.2

12.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.03 A$22.29

$14.33 A$19.92

11.86%

Cinema Ticket

$16.18 A$22.49

$15.36 A$21.35

5.34%

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

$1,733 A$2,409

$1,141 A$1,587

51.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.0K A$26.4K

$11.9K A$16.5K

59.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.3 A$96.3

$96.8 A$135

-28.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 A$75.5

$60.0 A$83.4

-9.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 A$145

$101 A$140

3.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 A$143

$117 A$163

-12.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,571 A$2,183

$1,232 A$1,713

27.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 A$1,647

$1,104 A$1,534

7.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,055 A$4,247

$2,370 A$3,295

28.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,946 A$2,704

$1,885 A$2,620

3.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,396 A$10.3K

$4,976 A$6,916

48.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,684 A$9,291

$4,040 A$5,616

65.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,242 A$5,897

$4,060 A$5,644

4.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.19

6.06

2.15%

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

Last update for Melbourne: April 12, 2026

Last update for Townsville: April 14, 2026

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

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