Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Vancouver, WA

For one person, living is cheaper in Vancouver, WA: $2,757 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
131

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver, WA
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Vancouver, WA Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Vancouver, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,757

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Vancouver, WA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $2,757 in Vancouver, WA.

Melbourne $2,849
Vancouver, WA $2,757

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $3,901 in Vancouver, WA.

Melbourne $4,274
Vancouver, WA $3,901

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $5,044 in Vancouver, WA.

Melbourne $5,699
Vancouver, WA $5,044

Living in Melbourne is roughly 3% more expensive than in Vancouver, WA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Vancouver, WA 103% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.79

$21.78 $21.78

-19.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$119

$93.1 $93.1

-9.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.24

$12.97 $12.97

-6.17%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.77

$5.95 $5.95

-31.60%

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

$3.18 A$4.50

$3.03 $3.03

4.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.54

$1.92 $1.92

30.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.56

$6.31 $6.31

51.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.69

$8.09 $8.09

1.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.13

$1.04 $1.04

44.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.21

$4.13 $4.13

-28.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.80

$4.55 $4.55

-41.10%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.73

$4.33 $4.33

25.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.18

$11.90 $11.90

-10.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.24

$10.32 $10.32

-2.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.25

$16.87 $16.87

-11.08%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.76

$4.28 $4.28

-4.91%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.44

$1.40 $1.40

124.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.42

$2.81 $2.81

11.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.70

$2.64 $2.64

79.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.22

$2.20 $2.20

35.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.53

$1.85 $1.85

34.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.52

$2.07 $2.07

19.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.27

$1.71 $1.71

-6.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.3

$12.45 $12.45

258.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$17.96

$10.92 $10.92

16.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.86

$2.21 $2.21

151.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.35

$4.43 $4.43

16.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.44

$2.44 $2.44

57.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$196

$90.9 $90.9

52.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.17

$4.38 $4.38

-0.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$0.79 $0.79

73.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.11

$24.06 $24.06

23.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.10

$1.37 $1.37

8.76%

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

$29.1K A$41.2K

$28.0K $28.0K

3.84%

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

$25.7K A$36.4K

$27.2K $27.2K

-5.50%

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

$236 A$334

$202 $202

16.66%

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

$28.01 A$39.68

$72.4 $72.4

-61.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.1

$64.2 $64.2

-10.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.6

$41.86 $41.86

15.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.41

$26.31 $26.31

-18.43%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.03

$15.27 $15.27

15.72%

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

$2,461 A$3,486

$1,333 $1,333

84.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.1K

$13.0K $13.0K

128.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$115

$41.81 $41.81

94.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$69.8

$30.32 $30.32

62.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$169

$85.0 $85.0

40.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$84.3 $84.3

55.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,412

$1,776 $1,776

-4.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$1,996

$1,416 $1,416

-0.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,952

$2,455 $2,455

42.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,579

$1,996 $1,996

26.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

$4,007 $4,007

99.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,775

$3,192 $3,192

116.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,030

$4,435 $4,435

-4.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

6.69

-11.81%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Last update for Vancouver, WA: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Vancouver, WA

$1.4K 51.4% 0.5% $7.7

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Vancouver, WA

$360 13.1% 6.8% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Vancouver, WA

$339 12.3% 5.5% $18

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Vancouver, WA

$352 12.8% 12.7% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Vancouver, WA

$109 3.9% 36.6% $63

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Vancouver, WA

$109 4% 34% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Vancouver, WA

$72 2.6% 13.5% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $1,776 in Vancouver, WA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vancouver, WA pays 4% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $93 in Vancouver, WA. Groceries flip the comparison at $386 vs $360, with Vancouver, WA cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇺🇸 Vancouver, WA

🕒 Local time

13:47 1:47 PM

19:47 7:47 PM

18 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

190,915

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.634 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.706 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.634 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Melbourne Vancouver, WA 13,060 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Vancouver, WA

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 Vancouver, WA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,849 in Melbourne and $2,757 in Vancouver, WA, so Vancouver, WA is about 3% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 4% 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 $1,776 in Vancouver, WA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,461 in Melbourne versus $1,333 in Vancouver, WA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Vancouver, WA is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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