Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Wodonga

For one person, living is cheaper in Wodonga: $2,487 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 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
120

Cost of Living Index in Wodonga
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Wodonga Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Wodonga

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,487

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Wodonga

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $2,487 in Wodonga.

Melbourne $2,821
Wodonga $2,487

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $3,625 in Wodonga.

Melbourne $4,235
Wodonga $3,625

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $4,762 in Wodonga.

Melbourne $5,650
Wodonga $4,762

Living in Melbourne is roughly 13% more expensive than in Wodonga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Wodonga 84% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$17.54 A$25.25

-0.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$84.1 A$121

0.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$10.61 A$15.27

17.44%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.74 A$3.94

50.00%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$2.71 A$3.90

12.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$2.12 A$3.04

18.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$4.96 A$7.14

97.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$9.98 A$14.36

-14.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.51 A$2.17

-1.99%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$3.33 A$4.79

-11.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$2.68 A$3.86

-0.75%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$5.37 A$7.73

3.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$13.16 A$18.93

-20.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$10.14 A$14.59

-4.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$15.20 A$21.87

0.13%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$4.05 A$5.82

-1.48%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$3.14 A$4.51

-3.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$3.41 A$4.91

-9.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$5.28 A$7.59

-8.71%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$3.19 A$4.59

-5.02%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$2.73 A$3.93

-10.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$2.54 A$3.66

-3.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$1.55 A$2.24

5.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$45.16 A$65.0

-2.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$13.77 A$19.81

-7.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$4.81 A$6.93

15.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$5.48 A$7.89

-4.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$2.86 A$4.12

30.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$79.4 A$114

73.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$3.93 A$5.66

14.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$1.64 A$2.36

-17.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$43.38 A$62.4

-29.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.38 A$1.98

6.52%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$26.6K A$38.2K

9.16%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$29.5K A$42.4K

-10.13%

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

$234 A$336

$184 A$264

27.17%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$17.27 A$24.85

61.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$45.16 A$65.0

23.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$54.9 A$79.0

-9.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$17.73 A$25.52

21.15%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$15.39 A$22.15

-1.95%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$2,353 A$3,386

0.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$20.7K A$29.8K

45.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$75.5 A$109

5.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$55.5 A$79.8

-8.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$117 A$169

2.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$131 A$189

-0.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$962 A$1,385

82.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$1,211 A$1,742

14.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,498 A$2,156

133.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$1,840 A$2,647

35.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$5,777 A$8,313

19.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$4,969 A$7,150

29.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$4,167 A$5,996

5.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.95

-0.84%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Wodonga: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Wodonga

$1.2K 48.7% 12.9% $179

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Wodonga

$402 16.2% 4.7% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Wodonga

$246 9.9% 22.4% $71

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Wodonga

$269 10.8% 14.4% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Wodonga

$171 6.9% 0.6% $1

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Wodonga

$103 4.1% 37.1% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Wodonga

$86 3.4% 7.6% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $962 in Wodonga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 5% 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 $84.0 in Wodonga. Groceries flip the comparison at $384 vs $402, with Melbourne cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Wodonga

🕒 Local time

04:15 4:15 AM

Same time as Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

20,259

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Wodonga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Wodonga differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $2,487 including rent). Wodonga is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 5% 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: $1,759 in Melbourne versus $962 in Wodonga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $2,353 in Wodonga. 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 $2,487 in Wodonga versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Wodonga but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Wodonga 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 Wodonga 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 Wodonga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.