Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mildura and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Mildura: $2,329 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Mildura
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Mildura Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Mildura

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,329

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mildura and in Melbourne

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mildura and in Melbourne actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,329 in Mildura versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Mildura $2,329
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,565 in Mildura versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Mildura $3,565
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,801 in Mildura versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Mildura $4,801
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Mildura costs roughly 17% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mildura 73% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.28 A$21.99

$17.43 A$25.08

-12.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$104 A$150

$84.6 A$122

23.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.50 A$16.55

$12.46 A$17.92

-7.70%

Cappuccino

$3.42 A$4.92

$4.11 A$5.91

-16.79%

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

$2.66 A$3.83

$3.06 A$4.40

-13.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 A$3.87

$2.52 A$3.62

6.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.36 A$9.15

$9.80 A$14.10

-35.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.77 A$9.74

$8.57 A$12.33

-21.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 A$2.93

$1.48 A$2.14

37.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 A$3.90

$2.94 A$4.23

-7.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 A$3.28

$2.66 A$3.82

-14.29%

Eggs

$7.72 A$11.10

$5.54 A$7.97

39.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.41 A$13.54

$10.51 A$15.13

-10.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.45 A$13.60

$9.65 A$13.89

-2.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.55 A$20.94

$15.22 A$21.91

-4.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.94 A$5.68

$3.99 A$5.75

-1.25%

Banana (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$3.02 A$4.34

0.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.63

$3.10 A$4.46

3.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.55 A$6.54

$4.82 A$6.93

-5.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.46 A$3.54

$3.03 A$4.36

-18.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 A$3.33

$2.44 A$3.52

-5.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 A$3.35

$2.46 A$3.54

-5.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 A$2.19

$1.63 A$2.34

-6.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$41.46 A$59.7

$44.07 A$63.4

-5.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.07 A$20.25

$12.70 A$18.28

10.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.79 A$6.90

$5.54 A$7.97

-13.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.10 A$7.34

$5.23 A$7.52

-2.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.81 A$4.04

$3.74 A$5.38

-24.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.8 A$100

$138 A$198

-49.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 A$4.71

$4.51 A$6.50

-27.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 A$2.60

$1.36 A$1.96

33.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.59 A$57.0

$30.45 A$43.81

30.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 A$1.89

$1.47 A$2.12

-10.88%

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

$26.9K A$38.6K

$29.0K A$41.7K

-7.40%

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

$29.8K A$42.8K

$26.5K A$38.1K

12.46%

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

$227 A$327

$234 A$336

-2.70%

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

$28.01 A$40.31

$27.93 A$40.19

0.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$80.8

$55.7 A$80.2

0.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.5 A$81.3

$49.40 A$71.1

14.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.46 A$25.13

$21.48 A$30.91

-18.72%

Cinema Ticket

$14.50 A$20.87

$15.09 A$21.72

-3.91%

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

$2,154 A$3,099

$2,371 A$3,412

-9.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.1K A$31.7K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-26.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.5 A$110

$80.0 A$115

-4.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 A$79.2

$50.7 A$73.0

8.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 A$151

$121 A$174

-13.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 A$173

$130 A$188

-7.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,410 A$2,029

$1,759 A$2,531

-19.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,032 A$1,485

$1,390 A$2,000

-25.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,252 A$3,240

$3,494 A$5,027

-35.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,802 A$2,594

$2,493 A$3,588

-27.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,775 A$8,311

$6,926 A$9,967

-16.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,746 A$6,830

$6,445 A$9,274

-26.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,458 A$4,976

$4,383 A$6,307

-21.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

5.9

-1.02%

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

Last update for Mildura: October 13, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mildura

$1K 44.3%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 34.7% $358

Groceries & Markets

Mildura

$382 16.4%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 0.5% $1.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mildura

$312 13.4%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 1.9% $5.8

Eating Out

Mildura

$265 11.4%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 18.9% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Mildura

$161 6.9%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 7% $11

Getting Around

Mildura

$93 4%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 75.5% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Mildura

$86 3.7%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 6.9% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,410 in Mildura and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 27% 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: $104 in Mildura vs $85.0 in Melbourne. Groceries flip the comparison at $382 vs $384, with Mildura cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Mildura

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

22:36 10:36 PM

Same time as Mildura

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,565

5,031,195

💱 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

Mildura vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mildura and Melbourne differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($2,329 vs $2,821 including rent). Mildura is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 27% 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: $1,410 in Mildura versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,154 in Mildura versus $2,371 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 0% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,329 in Mildura versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Mildura but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Mildura 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, Mildura and Melbourne 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 Mildura gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.