Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Wangaratta

For one person, living is cheaper in Wangaratta: $2,426 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 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
125

Cost of Living Index in Wangaratta
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Wangaratta Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Wangaratta

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,426

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Wangaratta

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $2,426 in Wangaratta.

Melbourne $2,849
Wangaratta $2,426

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $3,648 in Wangaratta.

Melbourne $4,274
Wangaratta $3,648

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $4,870 in Wangaratta.

Melbourne $5,699
Wangaratta $4,870

Living in Melbourne is roughly 17% more expensive than in Wangaratta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Wangaratta 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.86

$17.74 A$25.20

-1.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$85.4 A$121

-1.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.29

$9.35 A$13.28

30.16%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.79

$3.78 A$5.37

7.67%

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

$3.18 A$4.52

$2.74 A$3.90

16.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.55

$2.48 A$3.53

0.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.60

$8.28 A$11.76

15.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.72

$8.53 A$12.12

-3.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.14

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.22

$2.96 A$4.21

0.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.81

$2.58 A$3.66

3.88%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.75

$5.54 A$7.88

-1.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.22

$10.77 A$15.30

-0.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.28

$10.06 A$14.30

-0.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.31

$14.90 A$21.17

0.67%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.78

$4.12 A$5.85

-1.21%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.46

$3.01 A$4.28

4.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.43

$3.26 A$4.63

-4.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.72

$4.65 A$6.60

1.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.23

$3.00 A$4.27

-0.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.55

$2.51 A$3.57

-0.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.53

$2.40 A$3.40

3.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.27

$1.59 A$2.26

0.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.4

$44.66 A$63.5

-0.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.02

$12.84 A$18.25

-1.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.88

$5.69 A$8.08

-2.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.37

$5.25 A$7.46

-1.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.45

$2.36 A$3.36

62.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$197

$89.5 A$127

54.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.19

$4.48 A$6.37

-2.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$1.36 A$1.93

0.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.23

$29.93 A$42.52

-0.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.11

$1.42 A$2.02

4.93%

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

$29.1K A$41.3K

$29.6K A$42.1K

-1.83%

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

$25.7K A$36.5K

-0.17%

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

$236 A$335

$237 A$337

-0.50%

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

$28.01 A$39.80

$28.09 A$39.92

-0.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.3

$55.8 A$79.2

2.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.8

$52.7 A$74.8

-8.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.50

$15.36 A$21.83

39.71%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.10

$17.73 A$25.19

-0.34%

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

$2,461 A$3,497

$2,445 A$3,474

0.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.2K

$29.5K A$41.9K

0.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$115

$82.4 A$117

-1.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.0

$50.5 A$71.8

-2.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$170

$119 A$169

0.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$131 A$187

-0.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,419

$1,611 A$2,289

5.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,002

$1,053 A$1,497

33.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,967

$1,950 A$2,771

79.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,590

$1,828 A$2,598

38.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

$5,505 A$7,822

44.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,805

$4,353 A$6,185

58.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,049

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Last update for Wangaratta: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Wangaratta

$1.1K 43.4% 25.2% $355

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Wangaratta

$387 15.9% 0.1% $0.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Wangaratta

$321 13.2% 0.1% $0.2

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Wangaratta

$295 12.1% 5.7% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Wangaratta

$173 7.1% 0.7% $1.1

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Wangaratta

$110 4.5% 33.3% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Wangaratta

$88 3.6% 5.2% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $1,611 in Wangaratta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $85 in Wangaratta for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $386 vs $387 per month, with Melbourne cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Wangaratta

🕒 Local time

06:49 6:49 AM

Same time as Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

19,712

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Wangaratta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,849 in Melbourne and $2,426 in Wangaratta, so Wangaratta is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $4,273 in Melbourne and $3,639 in Wangaratta 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: $1,703 in Melbourne versus $1,611 in Wangaratta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,461 in Melbourne versus $2,445 in Wangaratta. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $2,849 per month in Melbourne versus $2,426 in Wangaratta – Wangaratta is about 15% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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