Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Warrnambool

For one person, living is cheaper in Warrnambool: $2,544 a month against $2,823 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

136

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Warrnambool
Learn more

Warrnambool Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,823

/mo nomad

Warrnambool

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,544

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Warrnambool

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,823 in Melbourne versus $2,544 in Warrnambool.

Melbourne $2,823
Warrnambool $2,544

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,253 in Melbourne versus $3,638 in Warrnambool.

Melbourne $4,253
Warrnambool $3,638

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,683 in Melbourne versus $4,733 in Warrnambool.

Melbourne $5,683
Warrnambool $4,733

Living in Melbourne is roughly 11% more expensive than in Warrnambool, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Warrnambool 88% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.34 A$24.76

$17.21 A$24.58

0.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.7 A$118

$83.3 A$119

-0.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.63 A$18.04

$9.35 A$13.35

35.08%

Cappuccino

$4.22 A$6.03

$4.15 A$5.92

1.69%

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

$3.12 A$4.45

$3.16 A$4.51

-1.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 A$3.54

$2.58 A$3.68

-3.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.69 A$13.84

$9.76 A$13.94

-0.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.30 A$11.86

$8.24 A$11.77

0.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.15

$1.57 A$2.24

-4.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 A$4.39

$2.97 A$4.24

3.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 A$3.77

$2.56 A$3.65

3.13%

Eggs

$5.58 A$7.96

$4.69 A$6.70

18.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.78 A$13.97

$10.71 A$15.30

-8.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 A$13.60

$10.02 A$14.31

-4.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.18 A$21.68

$14.89 A$21.26

1.95%

Apples (1kg)

$4.22 A$6.03

$4.05 A$5.79

4.20%

Banana (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.47

$1.70 A$2.43

84.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 A$4.63

$3.22 A$4.60

0.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.71 A$6.72

$4.80 A$6.85

-1.87%

Potato (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.47

$3.01 A$4.30

3.99%

Onion (1kg)

$2.46 A$3.51

$2.55 A$3.64

-3.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 A$3.43

$2.51 A$3.58

-4.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 A$2.10

$1.62 A$2.31

-9.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.76 A$61.1

$44.83 A$64.0

-4.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.90 A$18.42

$12.43 A$17.76

3.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.53 A$7.90

$5.56 A$7.94

-0.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.36

$5.19 A$7.41

-0.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.79 A$5.42

$2.72 A$3.89

39.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$141 A$202

$83.9 A$120

68.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.75 A$5.36

$4.58 A$6.54

-18.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 A$2.06

$1.38 A$1.98

4.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.93 A$41.32

$30.49 A$43.54

-5.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.07

$1.25 A$1.79

16.00%

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

$29.6K A$42.2K

$28.9K A$41.3K

2.36%

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

$26.3K A$37.5K

$25.9K A$37.0K

1.47%

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

$229 A$327

$233 A$332

-1.64%

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

$26.76 A$38.22

$28.40 A$40.55

-5.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.5 A$82.2

$57.0 A$81.4

0.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.77 A$71.1

$56.5 A$80.7

-11.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.45 A$30.63

$17.48 A$24.96

22.71%

Cinema Ticket

$17.43 A$24.90

$17.62 A$25.17

-1.08%

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

$2,435 A$3,477

$2,420 A$3,456

0.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.6K A$48.0K

$30.1K A$43.0K

11.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 A$115

$79.2 A$113

1.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.5 A$73.5

$51.0 A$72.9

0.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$173

$49.69 A$71.0

144.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$191

-0.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,748 A$2,497

$1,412 A$2,017

23.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,386 A$1,979

$1,208 A$1,725

14.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,468 A$4,952

$2,273 A$3,246

52.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,520 A$3,598

$1,789 A$2,555

40.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,274 A$11.8K

$5,883 A$8,402

40.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,066 A$10.1K

$4,959 A$7,082

42.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,206 A$6,007

$1,347 A$1,924

212.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.97

4.87

22.59%

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

Last update for Melbourne: November 1, 2026

Last update for Warrnambool: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.1%

Warrnambool

$1.2K 47.5% 12.9% $178

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$383 13.6%

Warrnambool

$375 14.8% 2% $7.7

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Warrnambool

$304 11.9% 3.5% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$313 11.1%

Warrnambool

$318 12.5% 1.6% $4.9

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$174 6.2%

Warrnambool

$141 5.6% 18.8% $33

Getting Around

Melbourne

$167 5.9%

Warrnambool

$106 4.2% 36.5% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$85 3%

Warrnambool

$92 3.6% 8.4% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,748 in Melbourne and $1,412 in Warrnambool. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays about 3.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $83 in Melbourne vs $83 in Warrnambool. Groceries flip the comparison at $383 vs $375, with Warrnambool cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Warrnambool

🕒 Local time

22:57 10:57 PM

Same time as Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

29,284

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Warrnambool 230 km

From you

Melbourne
Warrnambool

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 Warrnambool: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,823 in Melbourne and $2,544 in Warrnambool, so Warrnambool is about 10% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Melbourne is about 3.1 times higher, 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: $1,748 in Melbourne versus $1,412 in Warrnambool. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,435 in Melbourne versus $2,420 in Warrnambool. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $2,823 per month in Melbourne versus $2,544 in Warrnambool – Warrnambool is about 10% 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 Warrnambool are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Warrnambool wins on affordability, Melbourne on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.