Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Wichita, KS

For one person, living is cheaper in Wichita, KS: $2,195 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index
105

Cost of Living Index in Wichita, KS
Learn more

Wichita, KS Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Wichita, KS

🇺🇸 United States

$2,195

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Wichita, KS

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,853 in Melbourne versus $2,195 in Wichita, KS.

Melbourne $2,853
Wichita, KS $2,195

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,275 in Melbourne versus $3,219 in Wichita, KS.

Melbourne $4,275
Wichita, KS $3,219

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,697 in Melbourne versus $4,243 in Wichita, KS.

Melbourne $5,697
Wichita, KS $4,243

Living in Melbourne is roughly 30% more expensive than in Wichita, KS, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 111% above, Wichita, KS 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.20 A$24.75

$17.98 $17.98

-4.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 A$120

$59.7 $59.7

39.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 A$17.88

$10.81 $10.81

14.99%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.82

$5.30 $5.30

-23.58%

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

$3.12 A$4.50

$2.51 $2.51

24.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.82 $1.82

35.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.52 A$13.71

$5.04 $5.04

88.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.74

$6.10 $6.10

33.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.25

$0.86 $0.86

81.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.18

$3.82 $3.82

-24.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$4.66 $4.66

-42.92%

Eggs

$5.37 A$7.72

$4.07 $4.07

31.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 A$15.36

$11.56 $11.56

-7.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 A$14.17

$10.13 $10.13

-2.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 A$22.11

$18.14 $18.14

-15.33%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$6.00

$5.98 $5.98

-30.27%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$1.73 $1.73

82.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 A$4.69

$5.06 $5.06

-35.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.85

$5.26 $5.26

-9.51%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.41

$2.82 $2.82

8.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.55

$2.75 $2.75

-10.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.52

$2.30 $2.30

6.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$2.30 $2.30

-29.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.17 A$65.0

$9.51 $9.51

374.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.25

$14.79 $14.79

-14.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.69 A$8.18

$2.16 $2.16

163.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.53

$3.78 $3.78

38.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 A$5.57

$1.70 $1.70

127.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$204

$54.1 $54.1

162.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 A$6.53

$2.51 $2.51

80.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.04

$1.52 $1.52

-6.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.59 A$44.01

$40.29 $40.29

-24.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$0.98 $0.98

50.00%

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

$28.9K A$41.5K

$28.2K $28.2K

2.33%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$25.9K $25.9K

0.12%

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

$235 A$338

$277 $277

-15.15%

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

$27.45 A$39.51

$82.3 $82.3

-66.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$80.8

$69.9 $69.9

-19.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 A$72.1

$30.57 $30.57

63.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.49 A$30.93

$19.66 $19.66

9.31%

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 A$25.56

$15.26 $15.26

16.38%

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

$2,385 A$3,432

$922 $922

158.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.7K

$16.3K $16.3K

82.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 A$114

$47.32 $47.32

67.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.49 A$71.2

$30.83 $30.83

60.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$170

$110 $110

8.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$141 $141

-6.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 A$2,537

$994 $994

77.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 A$2,031

$784 $784

79.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,522 A$5,069

$1,575 $1,575

123.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 A$3,634

$1,289 $1,289

95.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,136 A$10.3K

$1,510 $1,510

372.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,355 A$9,144

$1,508 $1,508

321.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,258 A$6,128

$3,571 $3,571

19.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

6.65

-11.28%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 17, 2026

Last update for Wichita, KS: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5%

Wichita, KS

$784 35.7% 44.4% $627

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$388 13.6%

Wichita, KS

$407 18.5% 4.8% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$319 11.2%

Wichita, KS

$429 19.6% 34.7% $111

Eating Out

Melbourne

$310 10.9%

Wichita, KS

$295 13.4% 4.9% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Wichita, KS

$148 6.7% 13.3% $23

Getting Around

Melbourne

$169 5.9%

Wichita, KS

$71 3.2% 58% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$86 3%

Wichita, KS

$61 2.8% 28.6% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,763 in Melbourne and $994 in Wichita, KS. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 19% 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: $83.0 in Melbourne vs $60.0 in Wichita, KS. Groceries flip the comparison at $388 vs $407, with Melbourne cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇺🇸 Wichita, KS

🕒 Local time

13:31 1:31 PM

21:31 9:31 PM

16 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

357,698

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Wichita, KS 14,650 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Wichita, KS

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 Wichita, KS: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Wichita, KS differ by about 30% in total monthly costs ($2,853 vs $2,195 including rent). Wichita, KS is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 19% 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: $1,763 in Melbourne versus $994 in Wichita, KS. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,385 in Melbourne versus $922 in Wichita, KS. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Melbourne pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,195 in Wichita, KS versus $2,853 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Wichita, KS but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Wichita, KS 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 Wichita, KS 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 Wichita, KS gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.