Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Wollongong

For one person, living is cheaper in Wollongong: $2,467 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index
119

Cost of Living Index in Wollongong
Learn more

Wollongong Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Wollongong

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,467

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Wollongong

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $2,467 in Wollongong.

Melbourne $2,849
Wollongong $2,467

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $3,619 in Wollongong.

Melbourne $4,274
Wollongong $3,619

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $4,772 in Wollongong.

Melbourne $5,699
Wollongong $4,772

Living in Melbourne is roughly 15% more expensive than in Wollongong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Wollongong 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.79

$17.38 A$24.62

0.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$119

$83.8 A$119

0.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.24

$10.66 A$15.10

14.17%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.77

$3.47 A$4.92

17.29%

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

$3.18 A$4.50

$3.03 A$4.30

4.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.54

$2.28 A$3.23

9.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.56

$7.17 A$10.16

33.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.69

$7.05 A$9.99

17.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.13

$1.19 A$1.68

26.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.21

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.80

$2.21 A$3.13

21.27%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.73

$3.96 A$5.61

37.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.18

$10.35 A$14.66

3.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.24

$9.43 A$13.36

6.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.25

$15.68 A$22.22

-4.34%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.76

$2.91 A$4.12

39.86%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.44

$2.54 A$3.60

23.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.42

$3.34 A$4.73

-6.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.70

$4.71 A$6.67

0.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.22

$2.31 A$3.28

29.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.53

$2.58 A$3.66

-3.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.52

$2.54 A$3.59

-2.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.27

$1.34 A$1.90

19.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.3

$45.34 A$64.2

-1.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$17.96

$13.90 A$19.70

-8.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.86

$4.48 A$6.35

23.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.35

$4.87 A$6.90

6.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.44

$2.35 A$3.32

63.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$196

$138 A$196

0.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.17

$3.98 A$5.64

9.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$1.56 A$2.21

-12.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.11

$43.53 A$61.7

-31.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.10

$1.33 A$1.89

12.03%

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

$29.1K A$41.2K

$28.5K A$40.4K

1.89%

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

$25.7K A$36.4K

$24.8K A$35.1K

3.55%

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

$236 A$334

$186 A$263

26.88%

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

$28.01 A$39.68

$26.37 A$37.36

6.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.1

$49.87 A$70.7

14.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.6

$61.3 A$86.9

-21.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.41

$13.78 A$19.52

55.73%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.03

$13.51 A$19.14

30.79%

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

$2,461 A$3,486

$2,193 A$3,107

12.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.1K

$20.3K A$28.7K

46.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$115

$70.8 A$100

14.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$69.8

$55.8 A$79.0

-11.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$169

$106 A$151

12.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$110 A$156

18.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,412

$1,400 A$1,984

21.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$1,996

$1,162 A$1,646

21.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,952

$2,398 A$3,397

45.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,579

$1,833 A$2,597

37.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

$4,469 A$6,330

78.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,775

$3,568 A$5,055

93.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,030

$5,107 A$7,234

-16.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.23

12.81%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Last update for Wollongong: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Wollongong

$1.2K 47.1% 17.5% $247

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Wollongong

$357 14.5% 7.7% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Wollongong

$262 10.6% 18.4% $59

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Wollongong

$284 11.5% 9.1% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Wollongong

$155 6.3% 9.9% $17

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Wollongong

$159 6.5% 3.5% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Wollongong

$88 3.6% 5.5% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $1,400 in Wollongong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wollongong pays 20% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $84 in Wollongong. Groceries flip the comparison at $386 vs $357, with Wollongong cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Wollongong

🕒 Local time

18:59 6:59 PM

Same time as Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

280,153

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.633 EUR

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.633 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Wollongong 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Wollongong

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 Wollongong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,849 in Melbourne and $2,467 in Wollongong, so Wollongong is about 13% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 17% lower in Melbourne. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,703 in Melbourne versus $1,400 in Wollongong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,461 in Melbourne versus $2,193 in Wollongong. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $2,849 per month in Melbourne versus $2,467 in Wollongong – Wollongong is about 13% 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 Wollongong are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.