Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Wellington

For one person, living is cheaper in Wellington: $2,342 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 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
114

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
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Wellington Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,342

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Wellington

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,852 in Melbourne versus $2,342 in Wellington.

Melbourne $2,852
Wellington $2,342

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,297 in Melbourne versus $3,316 in Wellington.

Melbourne $4,297
Wellington $3,316

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,742 in Melbourne versus $4,291 in Wellington.

Melbourne $5,742
Wellington $4,291

Living in Melbourne is roughly 22% more expensive than in Wellington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 113% above, Wellington 75% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.75 A$25.49

$13.89 NZ$24.77

27.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.8 A$122

$64.2 NZ$114

32.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 A$17.46

$8.95 NZ$15.97

35.87%

Cappuccino

$3.93 A$5.64

$3.29 NZ$5.86

19.45%

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

$3.14 A$4.51

$2.35 NZ$4.20

33.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.49

$1.67 NZ$2.98

45.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.90 A$14.22

$7.24 NZ$12.91

36.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.29 A$11.91

$6.75 NZ$12.04

22.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.22

$1.90 NZ$3.38

-18.42%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 A$4.32

$2.15 NZ$3.83

40.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.14

$1.82 NZ$3.24

58.24%

Eggs

$5.44 A$7.82

$6.73 NZ$12.00

-19.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.59 A$15.22

$9.05 NZ$16.15

17.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 A$13.81

$9.54 NZ$17.02

0.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.99 A$21.54

$15.30 NZ$27.29

-2.03%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 A$5.96

$3.16 NZ$5.64

31.33%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.38

$2.23 NZ$3.98

36.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 A$4.74

$2.97 NZ$5.29

11.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.83

$6.33 NZ$11.28

-24.80%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.36

$2.06 NZ$3.67

47.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.66

$1.24 NZ$2.20

105.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.56

$1.99 NZ$3.55

24.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$1.19 NZ$2.13

36.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.3

$25.37 NZ$45.25

73.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.43 A$17.85

$11.37 NZ$20.28

9.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.33 A$7.65

$3.17 NZ$5.66

68.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.41

$2.76 NZ$4.92

86.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.52

$2.74 NZ$4.89

40.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$203

$102 NZ$182

38.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 A$6.32

$1.82 NZ$3.24

141.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.77 NZ$3.17

-20.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.83 A$42.84

$33.17 NZ$59.2

-10.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 A$2.09

$1.83 NZ$3.27

-20.22%

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

$28.1K A$40.4K

$25.6K NZ$45.7K

9.82%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$25.4K NZ$45.3K

2.08%

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

$233 A$334

$199 NZ$354

17.06%

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

$27.28 A$39.19

$32.79 NZ$58.5

-16.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$81.9

$53.5 NZ$95.4

6.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 A$75.7

$38.58 NZ$68.8

36.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.62 A$32.49

$16.40 NZ$29.25

37.93%

Cinema Ticket

$17.10 A$24.57

$12.14 NZ$21.66

40.86%

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

$2,373 A$3,409

$1,036 NZ$1,849

129.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K A$43.8K

$12.9K NZ$22.9K

136.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.2 A$112

$78.4 NZ$140

-0.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 A$72.5

$28.23 NZ$50.4

78.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$173

$103 NZ$184

16.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$191

$155 NZ$276

-13.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 A$2,460

$1,228 NZ$2,190

39.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 A$2,014

$1,139 NZ$2,032

23.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,339 A$4,796

$2,171 NZ$3,873

53.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 A$3,632

$1,670 NZ$2,978

51.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,018 A$10.1K

$6,719 NZ$12.0K

4.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,767 A$9,721

$3,505 NZ$6,252

93.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,228 A$6,074

$2,818 NZ$5,027

50.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.39

9.46%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Last update for Wellington: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Wellington

$1.1K 48.3% 18.7% $262

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$385 13.5%

Wellington

$343 14.5% 10.9% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.1%

Wellington

$285 12.1% 10.1% $32

Eating Out

Melbourne

$314 11%

Wellington

$243 10.3% 22.5% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Wellington

$164 7% 4.6% $8

Getting Around

Melbourne

$168 5.9%

Wellington

$124 5.2% 26.5% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$87 3.1%

Wellington

$63 2.7% 27.6% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,713 in Melbourne and $1,228 in Wellington. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 50% 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 $64.0 in Wellington for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $343 per month, with Wellington cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇳🇿 Wellington

🕒 Local time

18:12 6:12 PM

20:12 8:12 PM

2 h ahead of Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

215,900 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.621 EUR

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.5 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.621 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 2 NZD (1 NZD = 0.5 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Melbourne Wellington 2,570 km ≈ 3 h 45 min 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 Wellington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Wellington differ by about 22% in total monthly costs ($2,852 vs $2,342 including rent). Wellington is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 50% 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 $1,228 in Wellington. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,373 in Melbourne versus $1,036 in Wellington. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,342 in Wellington versus $2,852 in Melbourne, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Wellington but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Wellington 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 Wellington 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 Wellington gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.