Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Wagga Wagga

For one person, living is cheaper in Wagga Wagga: $1,870 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
91

Cost of Living Index in Wagga Wagga
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Wagga Wagga Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Wagga Wagga

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,870

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Wagga Wagga

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $1,870 in Wagga Wagga.

Melbourne $2,821
Wagga Wagga $1,870

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $2,854 in Wagga Wagga.

Melbourne $4,235
Wagga Wagga $2,854

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $3,837 in Wagga Wagga.

Melbourne $5,650
Wagga Wagga $3,837

Living in Melbourne is roughly 51% more expensive than in Wagga Wagga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Wagga Wagga 39% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$13.69 A$19.70

27.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$88.1 A$127

-4.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$10.62 A$15.28

17.33%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$4.12 A$5.92

-0.24%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$3.15 A$4.54

-2.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$2.57 A$3.69

-1.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$8.13 A$11.70

20.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$9.59 A$13.80

-10.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.56 A$2.25

-5.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$3.29 A$4.73

-10.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$2.68 A$3.85

-0.75%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$5.17 A$7.44

7.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$12.88 A$18.53

-18.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$9.87 A$14.20

-2.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$15.35 A$22.09

-0.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$3.89 A$5.60

2.57%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$3.08 A$4.44

-1.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$3.57 A$5.14

-13.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$5.11 A$7.35

-5.68%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$3.05 A$4.38

-0.66%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$2.72 A$3.91

-10.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$2.49 A$3.58

-1.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$1.33 A$1.92

22.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$44.17 A$63.6

-0.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$13.86 A$19.95

-8.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$4.59 A$6.60

20.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$5.45 A$7.84

-4.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$3.17 A$4.56

17.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$4.12 A$5.93

9.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$1.64 A$2.35

-17.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$43.84 A$63.1

-30.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.33 A$1.91

10.53%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$26.7K A$38.4K

8.55%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$29.3K A$42.2K

-9.69%

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

$234 A$336

$181 A$260

29.38%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$26.41 A$38.00

5.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$56.0 A$80.5

-0.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$27.38 A$39.40

80.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$15.57 A$22.40

-3.08%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$2,183 A$3,142

8.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$19.9K A$28.7K

51.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$75.9 A$109

5.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$56.5 A$81.3

-10.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$105 A$151

14.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$133 A$191

-1.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$916 A$1,317

92.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$690 A$993

101.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,510 A$2,173

131.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$1,129 A$1,625

120.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$3,429 A$4,934

102.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$2,419 A$3,480

166.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.95

-0.84%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Wagga Wagga: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Wagga Wagga

$690 36.9% 50.4% $700

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Wagga Wagga

$394 21.1% 2.6% $9.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Wagga Wagga

$263 14.1% 17.1% $54

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Wagga Wagga

$273 14.6% 13% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Wagga Wagga

$167 8.9% 3% $5.1

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Wagga Wagga

$25 * 1.3% 84.8% $139

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Wagga Wagga

$59 3.1% 26.5% $21

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 $1,759 in Melbourne and $916 in Wagga Wagga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $88.0 in Wagga Wagga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $394 per month, with Melbourne cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Wagga Wagga

🕒 Local time

03:45 3:45 AM

Same time as Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

49,686

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Wagga Wagga 370 km

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 Wagga Wagga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Wagga Wagga differ by about 51% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $1,870 including rent). Wagga Wagga 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 $2,805 in Wagga Wagga 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 $916 in Wagga Wagga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Melbourne pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,821 per month in Melbourne versus $1,870 in Wagga Wagga – a 51% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,870 in Wagga Wagga versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Wagga Wagga but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Wagga Wagga 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 Wagga Wagga 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 Wagga Wagga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.