Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mount Isa and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Mount Isa: $2,629 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Mount Isa
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Mount Isa Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Mount Isa

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,629

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,629 in Mount Isa versus $2,849 in Melbourne.

Mount Isa $2,629
Melbourne $2,849

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,759 in Mount Isa versus $4,274 in Melbourne.

Mount Isa $3,759
Melbourne $4,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,890 in Mount Isa versus $5,699 in Melbourne.

Mount Isa $4,890
Melbourne $5,699

Living in Mount Isa costs roughly 8% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mount Isa 93% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.94 A$28.33

$17.50 A$24.86

13.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.2 A$127

$84.3 A$120

5.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.28 A$14.61

$12.17 A$17.29

-15.53%

Cappuccino

$3.96 A$5.62

$4.07 A$5.79

-2.70%

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

$2.91 A$4.14

$3.18 A$4.52

-8.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.20

$2.50 A$3.55

-10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.33 A$11.84

$9.57 A$13.60

-12.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.18

$8.25 A$11.72

3.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 A$2.31

$1.50 A$2.14

8.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 A$3.91

$2.97 A$4.22

-7.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.30

$2.68 A$3.81

-13.43%

Eggs

$5.02 A$7.13

$5.45 A$7.75

-7.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.66 A$12.31

$10.71 A$15.22

-19.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.60 A$15.06

$10.05 A$14.28

5.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.02 A$19.93

$15.00 A$21.31

-6.53%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 A$5.26

$4.07 A$5.78

-9.09%

Banana (1kg)

$3.09 A$4.39

$3.14 A$4.46

-1.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.33 A$4.73

$3.12 A$4.43

6.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.14 A$7.30

$4.73 A$6.72

8.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 A$3.86

$2.98 A$4.23

-8.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.50 A$3.55

$2.49 A$3.55

0.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.32 A$3.30

$2.48 A$3.53

-6.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 A$2.17

$1.60 A$2.27

-4.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.25 A$61.5

$44.65 A$63.4

-3.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.05 A$18.55

$12.68 A$18.02

2.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.80 A$6.82

$5.55 A$7.88

-13.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.10 A$7.24

$5.18 A$7.37

-1.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.09 A$4.39

$3.84 A$5.45

-19.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.6 A$134

$139 A$197

-31.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.16 A$4.49

$4.36 A$6.19

-27.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 A$2.32

$1.37 A$1.94

19.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.14 A$62.7

$29.72 A$42.23

48.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 A$1.95

$1.49 A$2.11

-8.05%

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

$32.0K A$45.5K

$29.1K A$41.3K

10.15%

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

$23.0K A$32.7K

$25.7K A$36.5K

-10.30%

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

$208 A$296

$236 A$335

-11.72%

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

$27.46 A$39.01

$28.01 A$39.80

-1.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$79.7

$57.2 A$81.3

-1.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.4 A$84.4

$48.39 A$68.8

22.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.78 A$23.84

$21.46 A$30.50

-21.81%

Cinema Ticket

$11.97 A$17.01

$17.67 A$25.10

-32.26%

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

$1,856 A$2,638

$2,461 A$3,497

-24.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.7K A$32.3K

$29.7K A$42.2K

-23.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.1 A$119

$81.2 A$115

3.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.6 A$84.7

$49.28 A$70.0

21.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 A$173

$120 A$170

2.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 A$151

$131 A$186

-18.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,304 A$1,852

$1,703 A$2,419

-23.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,279 A$1,818

$1,409 A$2,002

-9.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,545 A$3,616

$3,496 A$4,967

-27.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,845 A$2,622

$2,527 A$3,590

-26.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,578 A$7,926

$7,978 A$11.3K

-30.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,767 A$6,773

$6,900 A$9,805

-30.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,462 A$6,340

$4,257 A$6,049

4.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

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

Last update for Mount Isa: October 26, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mount Isa

$1.3K 48.7%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4% 10.1% $129

Groceries & Markets

Mount Isa

$371 14.1%

Melbourne

$386 13.6% 4.1% $15

Eating Out

Mount Isa

$317 12.1%

Melbourne

$312 11% 1.5% $4.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mount Isa

$292 11.1%

Melbourne

$321 11.3% 10.1% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Mount Isa

$167 6.4%

Melbourne

$171 6% 2.4% $4

Getting Around

Mount Isa

$118 4.5%

Melbourne

$165 5.8% 39.7% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Mount Isa

$83 3.2%

Melbourne

$84 2.9% 0.4% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,304 in Mount Isa and $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mount Isa pays 5% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $89 in Mount Isa vs $84 in Melbourne. Groceries flip the comparison at $371 vs $386, with Mount Isa cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Mount Isa

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

12:13 12:13 PM

13:13 1:13 PM

1 h ahead of Mount Isa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,936

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Mount Isa Melbourne 1,970 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Mount Isa
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,629 in Mount Isa and $2,849 in Melbourne, so Mount Isa is about 8% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 5% higher in Mount Isa, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,304 in Mount Isa versus $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,856 in Mount Isa versus $2,461 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Mount Isa 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, Mount Isa and Melbourne are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.