Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Upper Hutt

For one person, living is cheaper in Upper Hutt: $1,830 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index
91

Cost of Living Index in Upper Hutt
Learn more

Upper Hutt Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Upper Hutt

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,830

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Upper Hutt

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $1,830 in Upper Hutt.

Melbourne $2,821
Upper Hutt $1,830

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $2,844 in Upper Hutt.

Melbourne $4,235
Upper Hutt $2,844

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $3,857 in Upper Hutt.

Melbourne $5,650
Upper Hutt $3,857

Living in Melbourne is roughly 54% more expensive than in Upper Hutt, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Upper Hutt 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$8.28 NZ$14.64

110.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$55.8 NZ$98.7

51.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$8.43 NZ$14.91

47.81%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.83 NZ$5.00

45.23%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$2.48 NZ$4.38

23.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$1.69 NZ$2.98

49.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$7.36 NZ$13.02

33.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$6.55 NZ$11.58

30.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.85 NZ$3.27

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$2.13 NZ$3.77

38.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.89 NZ$3.35

40.74%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$6.72 NZ$11.88

-17.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$5.49 NZ$9.71

91.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$9.71 NZ$17.17

-0.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$15.01 NZ$26.55

1.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$3.14 NZ$5.55

27.07%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$2.14 NZ$3.78

41.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.96 NZ$5.23

4.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$6.54 NZ$11.56

-26.30%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.09 NZ$3.69

44.98%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.23 NZ$2.18

98.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$2.08 NZ$3.68

18.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$1.19 NZ$2.11

36.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$25.35 NZ$44.83

73.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$11.10 NZ$19.63

14.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$3.13 NZ$5.53

77.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$2.81 NZ$4.97

86.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$1.49 NZ$2.63

151.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$82.7 NZ$146

66.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$1.86 NZ$3.29

142.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$1.74 NZ$3.08

-21.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$33.07 NZ$58.5

-7.92%

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

$25.2K NZ$44.6K

14.98%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$25.1K NZ$44.3K

5.65%

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

$234 A$336

$109 NZ$192

115.31%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$25.17 NZ$44.52

10.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$53.1 NZ$93.9

4.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$36.65 NZ$64.8

34.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$12.00 NZ$21.22

25.75%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$1,074 NZ$1,899

120.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$12.8K NZ$22.7K

135.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$78.5 NZ$139

1.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$28.14 NZ$49.77

80.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$103 NZ$183

16.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$155 NZ$274

-15.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$910 NZ$1,609

93.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$795 NZ$1,407

74.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,733 NZ$3,065

101.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$1,537 NZ$2,719

62.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$5,062 NZ$8,953

36.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$3,581 NZ$6,332

79.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.39

9.46%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Upper Hutt: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Upper Hutt

$795 43.5% 42.8% $594

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Upper Hutt

$332 18.1% 13.5% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Upper Hutt

$187 10.2% 41.1% $131

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Upper Hutt

$192 10.5% 38.9% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Upper Hutt

$164 9% 4.4% $7.5

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Upper Hutt

$99 5.4% 39.4% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Upper Hutt

$61 3.3% 23.8% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $910 in Upper Hutt. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $56.0 in Upper Hutt for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $332 per month, with Upper Hutt cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇳🇿 Upper Hutt

🕒 Local time

05:39 5:39 AM

07:39 7:39 AM

2 h ahead of Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

44,600

💱 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 Upper Hutt 2,600 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Upper Hutt

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 Upper Hutt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Upper Hutt differ by about 54% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $1,830 including rent). Upper Hutt 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 $2,746 in Upper Hutt 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 $910 in Upper Hutt. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $1,074 in Upper Hutt. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,830 in Upper Hutt versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Upper Hutt but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Upper Hutt 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 Upper Hutt 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 Upper Hutt gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.