Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Milwaukee, WI and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Milwaukee, WI: $2,553 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Milwaukee, WI
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Milwaukee, WI Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Milwaukee, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,553

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Milwaukee, WI 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 Milwaukee, WI and in Melbourne actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,553 in Milwaukee, WI versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Milwaukee, WI $2,553
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,695 in Milwaukee, WI versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Milwaukee, WI $3,695
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,838 in Milwaukee, WI versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Milwaukee, WI $4,838
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Milwaukee, WI costs roughly 9% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Milwaukee, WI 89% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.69 $19.69

$17.43 A$25.08

12.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.0 $74.0

$84.6 A$122

-12.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.97 $9.97

$12.46 A$17.92

-19.98%

Cappuccino

$5.08 $5.08

$4.11 A$5.91

23.60%

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

$2.83 $2.83

$3.06 A$4.40

-7.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$2.52 A$3.62

-18.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.10 $6.10

$9.80 A$14.10

-37.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.67 $7.67

$8.57 A$12.33

-10.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.48 A$2.14

-44.59%

White Bread (500g)

$3.40 $3.40

$2.94 A$4.23

15.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.06 $5.06

$2.66 A$3.82

90.23%

Eggs

$4.65 $4.65

$5.54 A$7.97

-16.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.01 $10.01

$10.51 A$15.13

-4.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.00 $14.00

$9.65 A$13.89

45.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.70 $16.70

$15.22 A$21.91

9.72%

Apples (1kg)

$5.22 $5.22

$3.99 A$5.75

30.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$3.02 A$4.34

-50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$3.10 A$4.46

45.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.04 $5.04

$4.82 A$6.93

4.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$3.03 A$4.36

-14.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 $2.54

$2.44 A$3.52

4.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 $2.33

$2.46 A$3.54

-5.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.63 A$2.34

46.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.53 $10.53

$44.07 A$63.4

-76.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.53 $15.53

$12.70 A$18.28

22.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 $2.00

$5.54 A$7.97

-63.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 $3.51

$5.23 A$7.52

-32.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.18 $2.18

$3.74 A$5.38

-41.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.4 $71.4

$138 A$198

-48.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.78 $2.78

$4.51 A$6.50

-38.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.36 A$1.96

16.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.74 $20.74

$30.45 A$43.81

-31.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.47 A$2.12

-29.93%

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

$35.9K $35.9K

$29.0K A$41.7K

23.71%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$26.5K A$38.1K

-4.43%

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

$202 $202

$234 A$336

-13.40%

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

$66.7 $66.7

$27.93 A$40.19

138.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.8 $70.8

$55.7 A$80.2

26.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.84 $41.84

$49.40 A$71.1

-15.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.53 $18.53

$21.48 A$30.91

-13.73%

Cinema Ticket

$14.46 $14.46

$15.09 A$21.72

-4.17%

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

$1,812 $1,812

$2,371 A$3,412

-23.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K $23.8K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-21.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 $54.8

$80.0 A$115

-31.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.51 $40.51

$50.7 A$73.0

-20.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.1 $94.1

$121 A$174

-21.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 $118

$130 A$188

-9.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,760 $1,760

$1,759 A$2,531

0.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 $1,191

$1,390 A$2,000

-14.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,798 $2,798

$3,494 A$5,027

-19.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,840 $1,840

$2,493 A$3,588

-26.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,716 $2,716

$6,926 A$9,967

-60.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,696 $1,696

$6,445 A$9,274

-73.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,744 $3,744

$4,383 A$6,307

-14.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

5.9

12.71%

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

Last update for Milwaukee, WI: October 11, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Milwaukee, WI

$1.2K 46.6%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 16.7% $199

Groceries & Markets

Milwaukee, WI

$408 16%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 6% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Milwaukee, WI

$340 13.3%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 6.6% $22

Eating Out

Milwaukee, WI

$314 12.3%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 0.2% $0.6

Clothing & Footwear

Milwaukee, WI

$138 5.4%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 24.2% $33

Getting Around

Milwaukee, WI

$91 3.6%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 80.4% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Milwaukee, WI

$71 2.8%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 12.5% $8.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,760 in Milwaukee, WI and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 17% 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: $74.0 in Milwaukee, WI vs $85.0 in Melbourne. Groceries flip the comparison at $408 vs $384, with Melbourne cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Milwaukee, WI

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

16:25 4:25 PM

08:25 8:25 AM

16 h ahead of Milwaukee, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

605,013

5,031,195

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

AUD to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Milwaukee, WI Melbourne 15,580 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Milwaukee, WI
Melbourne

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

Milwaukee, WI vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Milwaukee, WI and Melbourne differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($2,553 vs $2,821 including rent). Milwaukee, WI is meaningfully more affordable – 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: $1,760 in Milwaukee, WI versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,812 in Milwaukee, WI versus $2,371 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Melbourne pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Milwaukee, WI is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Milwaukee, WI 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 Milwaukee, WI gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.