Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mount Gambier and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Mount Gambier: $2,228 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Melbourne outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

108

Cost of Living Index in Mount Gambier
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Mount Gambier Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Mount Gambier

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,228

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,228 in Mount Gambier versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Mount Gambier $2,228
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,689 in Mount Gambier versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Mount Gambier $3,689
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,150 in Mount Gambier versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Mount Gambier $5,150
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Mount Gambier costs roughly 21% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mount Gambier 65% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.36 A$45.13

$17.43 A$25.08

79.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$120 A$173

$84.6 A$122

42.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.68 A$15.37

$12.46 A$17.92

-14.29%

Cappuccino

$4.76 A$6.85

$4.11 A$5.91

15.82%

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

$2.98 A$4.29

$3.06 A$4.40

-2.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 A$3.70

$2.52 A$3.62

1.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.86 A$6.99

$9.80 A$14.10

-50.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 A$8.86

$8.57 A$12.33

-28.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 A$3.24

$1.48 A$2.14

52.03%

White Bread (500g)

$3.33 A$4.79

$2.94 A$4.23

13.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 A$3.21

$2.66 A$3.82

-16.17%

Eggs

$5.66 A$8.15

$5.54 A$7.97

2.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.27 A$13.34

$10.51 A$15.13

-11.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.98 A$12.92

$9.65 A$13.89

-6.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.83 A$14.15

$15.22 A$21.91

-35.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.63

$3.99 A$5.75

-19.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 A$3.52

$3.02 A$4.34

-18.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.07 A$4.41

$3.10 A$4.46

-0.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.31 A$7.64

$4.82 A$6.93

10.17%

Potato (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.52

$3.03 A$4.36

3.63%

Onion (1kg)

$3.98 A$5.72

$2.44 A$3.52

63.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.70 A$3.89

$2.46 A$3.54

9.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 A$2.15

$1.63 A$2.34

-8.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$31.79 A$45.75

$44.07 A$63.4

-27.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.31 A$33.55

$12.70 A$18.28

83.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.90 A$7.05

$5.54 A$7.97

-11.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.11 A$7.36

$5.23 A$7.52

-2.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.45 A$3.53

$3.74 A$5.38

-34.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.0 A$111

$138 A$198

-43.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 A$5.10

$4.51 A$6.50

-21.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 A$2.31

$1.36 A$1.96

17.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.06 A$62.0

$30.45 A$43.81

41.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.13

$1.47 A$2.12

0.68%

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

$27.1K A$38.9K

$29.0K A$41.7K

-6.69%

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

$29.2K A$42.0K

$26.5K A$38.1K

10.35%

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

$297 A$428

$234 A$336

27.20%

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

$44.31 A$63.8

$27.93 A$40.19

58.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.7 A$88.8

$55.7 A$80.2

10.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.2 A$79.5

$49.40 A$71.1

11.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 A$27.40

$21.48 A$30.91

-11.36%

Cinema Ticket

$11.32 A$16.29

$15.09 A$21.72

-24.98%

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

$2,061 A$2,966

$2,371 A$3,412

-13.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K A$25.9K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-40.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.9 A$126

$80.0 A$115

9.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.08 A$69.2

$50.7 A$73.0

-5.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 A$171

$121 A$174

-1.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 A$159

$130 A$188

-15.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$790 A$1,137

$1,759 A$2,531

-55.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$698 A$1,005

$1,390 A$2,000

-49.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,235 A$1,777

$3,494 A$5,027

-64.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,669 A$2,402

$2,493 A$3,588

-33.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,482 A$7,889

$6,926 A$9,967

-20.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,570 A$6,576

$6,445 A$9,274

-29.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,474 A$3,560

$4,383 A$6,307

-43.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

5.9

12.37%

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

Last update for Mount Gambier: 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

Mount Gambier

$698 31.3%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 99% $691

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mount Gambier

$403 18.1%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 21.3% $86

Eating Out

Mount Gambier

$399 17.9%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 21.2% $84

Groceries & Markets

Mount Gambier

$387 17.4%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 0.7% $2.7

Clothing & Footwear

Mount Gambier

$164 7.4%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 4.6% $7.6

Getting Around

Mount Gambier

$98 4.4%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 66.5% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Mount Gambier

$78 3.5%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 2.2% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $790 in Mount Gambier and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 77% 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: $120 in Mount Gambier vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $387 vs $384 per month, with Melbourne cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Mount Gambier

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

01:17 1:17 AM

01:47 1:47 AM

30 min ahead of Mount Gambier

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,734

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

Mount Gambier vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mount Gambier and Melbourne differ by about 27% in total monthly costs ($2,228 vs $2,821 including rent). Mount Gambier is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 77% 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: $790 in Mount Gambier versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,061 in Mount Gambier 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 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,228 in Mount Gambier versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mount Gambier but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Mount Gambier 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, Mount Gambier 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 Mount Gambier gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.