Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Wanneroo

For one person, living is cheaper in Wanneroo: $2,497 a month against $2,823 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

136

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Wanneroo
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Wanneroo Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,823

/mo nomad

Wanneroo

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,497

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Wanneroo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,823 in Melbourne versus $2,497 in Wanneroo.

Melbourne $2,823
Wanneroo $2,497

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,253 in Melbourne versus $3,600 in Wanneroo.

Melbourne $4,253
Wanneroo $3,600

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,683 in Melbourne versus $4,703 in Wanneroo.

Melbourne $5,683
Wanneroo $4,703

Living in Melbourne is roughly 13% more expensive than in Wanneroo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Wanneroo 85% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.34 A$24.82

$13.79 A$19.75

25.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.7 A$118

$82.8 A$119

-0.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.63 A$18.08

$10.93 A$15.65

15.55%

Cappuccino

$4.22 A$6.04

$1.42 A$2.03

197.18%

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

$3.12 A$4.46

$2.05 A$2.94

52.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 A$3.55

$1.03 A$1.47

140.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.69 A$13.87

$8.49 A$12.16

14.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.30 A$11.88

$8.17 A$11.70

1.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.15

$1.71 A$2.45

-12.28%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 A$4.40

$3.11 A$4.44

-0.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 A$3.78

$1.99 A$2.85

32.66%

Eggs

$5.58 A$7.98

$5.21 A$7.45

7.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.78 A$14.01

$9.47 A$13.56

3.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 A$13.63

$9.38 A$13.42

1.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.18 A$21.73

$14.22 A$20.35

6.75%

Apples (1kg)

$4.22 A$6.04

$4.62 A$6.61

-8.66%

Banana (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.48

$3.10 A$4.43

0.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 A$4.64

$3.49 A$5.00

-7.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.71 A$6.74

$4.93 A$7.06

-4.46%

Potato (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.48

$2.93 A$4.20

6.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.46 A$3.52

$2.00 A$2.86

23.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 A$3.44

$2.20 A$3.15

9.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.39 A$1.99

5.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.76 A$61.2

$42.83 A$61.3

-0.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.90 A$18.47

$12.50 A$17.89

3.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.53 A$7.91

$4.57 A$6.54

21.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.38

$3.45 A$4.94

49.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.79 A$5.43

$2.70 A$3.87

40.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$141 A$202

$85.3 A$122

65.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.75 A$5.37

$3.58 A$5.12

4.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 A$2.07

$1.46 A$2.09

-1.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.93 A$41.42

$39.91 A$57.1

-27.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.07

$1.38 A$1.97

5.07%

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

$29.6K A$42.3K

$29.7K A$42.5K

-0.45%

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

$26.3K A$37.6K

$27.7K A$39.6K

-5.07%

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

$229 A$328

$201 A$288

13.63%

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

$26.76 A$38.31

$33.50 A$47.95

-20.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.5 A$82.4

$63.8 A$91.3

-9.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.77 A$71.3

$55.9 A$80.1

-11.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.45 A$30.70

$17.65 A$25.26

21.53%

Cinema Ticket

$17.43 A$24.96

$17.20 A$24.62

1.34%

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

$2,435 A$3,485

$2,267 A$3,246

7.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.6K A$48.1K

$23.2K A$33.2K

44.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 A$115

$76.2 A$109

5.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.5 A$73.7

$63.3 A$90.6

-18.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$125 A$179

-2.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$191

$162 A$232

-17.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,748 A$2,503

$1,406 A$2,013

24.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,386 A$1,984

$1,210 A$1,732

14.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,468 A$4,964

$2,267 A$3,245

52.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,520 A$3,607

$1,814 A$2,597

38.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,274 A$11.8K

$5,936 A$8,498

39.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,066 A$10.1K

$5,049 A$7,228

39.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,206 A$6,021

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.97

5.96

0.17%

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

Last update for Melbourne: November 1, 2026

Last update for Wanneroo: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.1%

Wanneroo

$1.2K 48.5% 12.7% $176

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$383 13.6%

Wanneroo

$368 14.7% 3.9% $15

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Wanneroo

$231 9.3% 26.5% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$313 11.1%

Wanneroo

$299 12% 4.6% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$174 6.2%

Wanneroo

$192 7.7% 10.3% $18

Getting Around

Melbourne

$167 5.9%

Wanneroo

$107 4.3% 36.1% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$85 3%

Wanneroo

$90 3.6% 6.7% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,748 in Melbourne and $1,406 in Wanneroo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $83 in Melbourne vs $83 in Wanneroo. Groceries flip the comparison at $383 vs $368, with Wanneroo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Wanneroo

🕒 Local time

01:14 1:14 AM

22:14 10:14 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

12,113

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Melbourne Wanneroo 2,740 km ≈ 4 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 Wanneroo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,823 in Melbourne and $2,497 in Wanneroo, so Wanneroo is about 12% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $4,234 in Melbourne and $3,746 in Wanneroo 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: $1,748 in Melbourne versus $1,406 in Wanneroo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,823 per month in Melbourne versus $2,497 in Wanneroo – Wanneroo is about 12% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Wanneroo 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 Wanneroo are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.