Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Yamba NSW

For one person, living is cheaper in Yamba NSW: $2,331 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 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
120

Cost of Living Index in Yamba NSW
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Yamba NSW Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Yamba NSW

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,331

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Yamba NSW

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $2,331 in Yamba NSW.

Melbourne $2,849
Yamba NSW $2,331

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $3,399 in Yamba NSW.

Melbourne $4,274
Yamba NSW $3,399

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $4,466 in Yamba NSW.

Melbourne $5,699
Yamba NSW $4,466

Living in Melbourne is roughly 22% more expensive than in Yamba NSW, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Yamba NSW 71% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.79

$17.85 A$25.28

-1.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$119

$50.9 A$72.0

65.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.24

$11.11 A$15.73

9.54%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.77

$4.52 A$6.40

-9.96%

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

$3.18 A$4.50

$2.44 A$3.46

30.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.54

$2.05 A$2.90

21.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.56

$7.90 A$11.19

21.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.69

$6.96 A$9.86

18.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.13

$1.62 A$2.30

-7.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.21

$2.68 A$3.79

10.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.80

$2.25 A$3.19

19.11%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.73

$4.90 A$6.94

11.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.18

$9.25 A$13.10

15.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.24

$9.10 A$12.89

10.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.25

$14.23 A$20.16

5.41%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.76

$4.34 A$6.14

-6.22%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.44

$3.17 A$4.50

-0.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.42

$3.02 A$4.28

3.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.70

$4.82 A$6.82

-1.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.22

$2.87 A$4.06

3.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.53

$2.34 A$3.32

6.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.52

$2.33 A$3.30

6.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.27

$1.24 A$1.75

29.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.3

$38.44 A$54.5

16.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$17.96

$12.66 A$17.93

0.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.86

$5.30 A$7.50

4.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.35

$4.92 A$6.97

5.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.44

$2.74 A$3.88

40.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$196

$73.1 A$104

89.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.17

$3.09 A$4.38

41.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$1.87 A$2.65

-26.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.11

$41.70 A$59.1

-28.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.10

$1.41 A$1.99

5.67%

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

$29.1K A$41.2K

$29.8K A$42.2K

-2.41%

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

$25.7K A$36.4K

$25.5K A$36.1K

0.60%

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

$236 A$334

$162 A$230

45.05%

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

$28.01 A$39.68

$26.59 A$37.67

5.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.1

$60.3 A$85.4

-5.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.6

$58.0 A$82.2

-16.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.41

$19.49 A$27.61

10.11%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.03

$14.27 A$20.21

23.83%

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

$2,461 A$3,486

$1,974 A$2,796

24.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.1K

$12.8K A$18.2K

131.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$115

$84.8 A$120

-4.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$69.8

$44.72 A$63.4

10.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$169

$111 A$158

7.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$110 A$156

19.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,412

$1,424 A$2,017

19.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$1,996

$1,076 A$1,524

30.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,952

$2,037 A$2,886

71.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,579

$1,765 A$2,500

43.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

$5,125 A$7,260

55.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,775

$5,432 A$7,695

27.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,030

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.81

1.55%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Last update for Yamba NSW: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Yamba NSW

$1.1K 46.2% 23.6% $333

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Yamba NSW

$363 15.6% 6% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Yamba NSW

$249 10.7% 22.3% $72

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Yamba NSW

$302 12.9% 3.5% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Yamba NSW

$158 6.8% 7.9% $14

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Yamba NSW

$97 4.1% 41.6% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Yamba NSW

$87 3.7% 3.4% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $1,424 in Yamba NSW. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $51 in Yamba NSW for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $386 vs $363 per month, with Yamba NSW cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Yamba NSW

🕒 Local time

19:35 7:35 PM

Same time as Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

6,913

💱 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

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Between locations

Melbourne Yamba NSW 1,210 km ≈ 2 h 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 Yamba NSW: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,849 in Melbourne and $2,331 in Yamba NSW, so Yamba NSW is about 18% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $4,273 in Melbourne and $3,497 in Yamba NSW to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,703 in Melbourne versus $1,424 in Yamba NSW. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,461 in Melbourne versus $1,974 in Yamba NSW. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 Yamba NSW are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Yamba NSW gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.