Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Windsor

For one person, living is cheaper in Windsor: $2,154 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
104

Cost of Living Index in Windsor
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Windsor Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Windsor

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,154

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Windsor

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,853 in Melbourne versus $2,154 in Windsor.

Melbourne $2,853
Windsor $2,154

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,275 in Melbourne versus $3,520 in Windsor.

Melbourne $4,275
Windsor $3,520

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,697 in Melbourne versus $4,886 in Windsor.

Melbourne $5,697
Windsor $4,886

Living in Melbourne is roughly 32% more expensive than in Windsor, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 111% above, Windsor 59% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.20 A$24.75

$21.39 £16.04

-19.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 A$120

$93.5 £70.2

-11.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 A$17.88

$10.59 £7.94

17.37%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.82

$4.78 £3.59

-15.27%

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

$3.12 A$4.50

$2.64 £1.98

18.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.82 £1.37

35.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.52 A$13.71

$5.99 £4.49

58.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.74

$5.42 £4.06

50.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.25

$1.42 £1.06

9.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.18

$1.32 £0.99

119.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.62 £1.21

64.20%

Eggs

$5.37 A$7.72

$2.97 £2.22

80.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 A$15.36

$9.19 £6.90

16.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 A$14.17

$7.81 £5.86

26.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 A$22.11

$14.85 £11.14

3.43%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$6.00

$3.11 £2.34

34.08%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$1.46 £1.09

115.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 A$4.69

$2.71 £2.03

20.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.85

$3.17 £2.38

50.16%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.41

$1.60 £1.20

91.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.55

$1.47 £1.10

68.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.52

$1.67 £1.25

46.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$1.47 £1.10

10.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.17 A$65.0

$23.48 £17.62

92.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.25

$10.97 £8.23

15.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.69 A$8.18

$2.65 £1.99

114.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.53

$3.70 £2.78

41.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 A$5.57

$3.38 £2.54

14.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$204

$97.0 £72.7

46.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 A$6.53

$5.83 £4.37

-22.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.04

$1.35 £1.01

5.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.59 A$44.01

$21.36 £16.03

43.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.83 £1.37

-19.67%

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

$28.9K A$41.5K

$36.9K £27.6K

-21.68%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$40.8K £30.6K

-36.44%

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

$235 A$338

$157 £118

49.94%

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

$27.45 A$39.51

$24.75 £18.57

10.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$80.8

$32.89 £24.68

70.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 A$72.1

$45.06 £33.81

11.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.49 A$30.93

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 A$25.56

$21.43 £16.08

-17.13%

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

$2,385 A$3,432

$1,037 £778

129.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.7K

$23.4K £17.6K

26.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 A$114

$69.7 £52.3

13.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.49 A$71.2

$31.89 £23.92

55.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$170

$77.3 £58.0

53.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$51.4 £38.58

156.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 A$2,537

$1,231 £924

43.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 A$2,031

$1,024 £768

37.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,522 A$5,069

$2,120 £1,591

66.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 A$3,634

$2,225 £1,669

13.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,136 A$10.3K

$4,961 £3,722

43.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,355 A$9,144

$3,791 £2,844

67.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,258 A$6,128

$3,242 £2,432

31.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

4.91

20.16%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 17, 2026

Last update for Windsor: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5%

Windsor

$1K 47.5% 27.5% $387

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$388 13.6%

Windsor

$283 13.1% 27.3% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$319 11.2%

Windsor

$214 10% 32.7% $104

Eating Out

Melbourne

$310 10.9%

Windsor

$319 14.8% 3% $9.2

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Windsor

$104 4.8% 39.3% $67

Getting Around

Melbourne

$169 5.9%

Windsor

$123 5.7% 27.2% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$86 3%

Windsor

$88 4.1% 2.7% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,763 in Melbourne and $1,231 in Windsor. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 31% 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 $94.0 in Windsor. Groceries flip the comparison at $388 vs $283, with Windsor cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇬🇧 Windsor

🕒 Local time

23:30 11:30 PM

13:30 1:30 PM

10 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

31,225

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Windsor 16,940 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Windsor

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 Windsor: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Windsor differ by about 32% in total monthly costs ($2,853 vs $2,154 including rent). Windsor is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 31% 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 $1,231 in Windsor. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,385 in Melbourne versus $1,037 in Windsor. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,154 in Windsor versus $2,853 in Melbourne, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Windsor but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Windsor 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 Windsor 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 Windsor gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.