Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Vladivostok

For one person, living is cheaper in Vladivostok: $1,241 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $19,300 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Vladivostok
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Vladivostok Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Vladivostok

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,241

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Vladivostok

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,852 in Melbourne versus $1,241 in Vladivostok.

Melbourne $2,852
Vladivostok $1,241

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,297 in Melbourne versus $1,899 in Vladivostok.

Melbourne $4,297
Vladivostok $1,899

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,742 in Melbourne versus $2,557 in Vladivostok.

Melbourne $5,742
Vladivostok $2,557

Living in Melbourne is roughly 130% more expensive than in Vladivostok, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 113% above, Vladivostok is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.75 A$25.40

$11.81 ₽1,005

50.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.8 A$121

$35.20 ₽2,995

140.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 A$17.40

$6.32 ₽538

92.41%

Cappuccino

$3.93 A$5.62

$3.10 ₽264

26.77%

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

$3.14 A$4.49

$1.03 ₽87.7

204.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.47

$0.64 ₽54.3

279.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.90 A$14.17

$1.43 ₽122

592.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.29 A$11.86

$2.27 ₽193

265.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.21

$1.67 ₽142

-7.19%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 A$4.31

$0.66 ₽55.9

356.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.12

$1.59 ₽135

81.13%

Eggs

$5.44 A$7.79

$2.29 ₽195

137.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.59 A$15.16

$13.34 ₽1,136

-20.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 A$13.76

$6.15 ₽524

56.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.99 A$21.46

$11.26 ₽958

33.13%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 A$5.94

$2.80 ₽238

48.21%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.37

$1.99 ₽169

53.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 A$4.72

$2.65 ₽225

24.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.81

$4.28 ₽365

11.21%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.34

$0.98 ₽83.6

210.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.65

$1.04 ₽88.4

145.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.55

$1.32 ₽112

87.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.33

$1.05 ₽89.6

55.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.1

$3.01 ₽256

1364.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.43 A$17.79

$7.75 ₽660

60.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.33 A$7.63

$1.20 ₽102

344.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.38

$2.34 ₽199

120.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.50

$0.61 ₽51.7

529.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$203

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 A$6.29

$2.38 ₽202

84.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.61 ₽52.2

129.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.83 A$42.69

$11.87 ₽1,010

151.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 A$2.09

$0.79 ₽67.2

84.81%

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

$28.1K A$40.3K

$45.6K ₽3.9M

-38.32%

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

$25.9K A$37.1K

$35.0K ₽3.0M

-25.96%

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

$233 A$333

$152 ₽12.9K

53.54%

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

$27.28 A$39.04

$8.30 ₽706

228.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$81.6

$9.36 ₽797

509.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 A$75.4

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.62 A$32.37

Cinema Ticket

$17.10 A$24.48

$5.16 ₽439

231.40%

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

$2,373 A$3,397

$788 ₽67.1K

201.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K A$43.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.2 A$112

$117 ₽9,958

-33.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 A$72.2

$60.0 ₽5,106

-15.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$172

$96.6 ₽8,217

24.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$191

$124 ₽10.6K

7.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 A$2,451

$542 ₽46.1K

216.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 A$2,006

$470 ₽40.0K

198.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,339 A$4,778

$1,303 ₽110.9K

156.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 A$3,619

$779 ₽66.3K

224.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,018 A$10.0K

$3,120 ₽265.5K

124.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,767 A$9,685

$2,293 ₽195.2K

195.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,228 A$6,051

$989 ₽84.2K

327.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

23.6

-75.00%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Last update for Vladivostok: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Vladivostok

$470 37.4% 66.5% $932

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$385 13.5%

Vladivostok

$250 19.9% 35% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.1%

Vladivostok

$169 13.5% 46.6% $148

Eating Out

Melbourne

$314 11%

Vladivostok

$169 13.5% 46.2% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Vladivostok

$179 14.3% 4.1% $7

Getting Around

Melbourne

$168 5.9%

Vladivostok

$7.9 * 0.6% 95.3% $160

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$87 3.1%

Vladivostok

$10 * 0.8% 88.1% $77

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 $1,713 in Melbourne and $542 in Vladivostok. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 327% 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: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $35.00 in Vladivostok for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $250 per month, with Vladivostok cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇷🇺 Vladivostok

🕒 Local time

14:30 2:30 PM

13:30 1:30 PM

1 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

600,871

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

100 RUB = 1.18 USD

100 RUB = 1.05 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 85.09 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.44 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Vladivostok 9,100 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
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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 Vladivostok: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Vladivostok differ by about 130% in total monthly costs ($2,852 vs $1,241 including rent). Vladivostok is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 327% 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: $1,713 in Melbourne versus $542 in Vladivostok. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 54% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,852 per month in Melbourne versus $1,241 in Vladivostok – a 130% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,241 in Vladivostok versus $2,852 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Vladivostok but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Vladivostok 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 Vladivostok 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 Vladivostok gentler on the wallet – expenses run 130% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.