Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mudgee and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Mudgee: $2,667 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Mudgee
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Mudgee Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Mudgee

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,667

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,667 in Mudgee versus $2,849 in Melbourne.

Mudgee $2,667
Melbourne $2,849

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,586 in Mudgee versus $4,274 in Melbourne.

Mudgee $3,586
Melbourne $4,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,505 in Mudgee versus $5,699 in Melbourne.

Mudgee $4,505
Melbourne $5,699

Living in Mudgee costs roughly 6% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mudgee 96% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.96 A$24.11

$17.50 A$24.88

-3.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.9 A$119

$84.3 A$120

-0.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.39 A$13.35

$12.17 A$17.30

-22.84%

Cappuccino

$3.58 A$5.09

$4.07 A$5.79

-12.04%

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

$2.44 A$3.46

$3.18 A$4.52

-23.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 A$2.96

$2.50 A$3.55

-16.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.11 A$10.11

$9.57 A$13.61

-25.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 A$10.13

$8.25 A$11.73

-13.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 A$1.64

$1.50 A$2.14

-22.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.86 A$4.07

$2.97 A$4.22

-3.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 A$3.00

$2.68 A$3.82

-21.27%

Eggs

$4.00 A$5.69

$5.45 A$7.76

-26.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.60 A$12.22

$10.71 A$15.23

-19.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.39 A$10.51

$10.05 A$14.29

-26.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.61 A$12.24

$15.00 A$21.33

-42.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 A$4.19

$4.07 A$5.79

-27.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.48 A$3.53

$3.14 A$4.46

-21.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.77

$3.12 A$4.43

7.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.09 A$5.82

$4.73 A$6.73

-13.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.30

$2.98 A$4.24

-22.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 A$3.64

$2.49 A$3.55

2.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.60 A$3.70

$2.48 A$3.53

4.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 A$2.59

$1.60 A$2.27

13.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.13 A$64.2

$44.65 A$63.5

1.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.14 A$20.10

$12.68 A$18.03

11.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.50 A$6.39

$5.55 A$7.89

-18.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 A$5.84

$5.18 A$7.37

-20.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.64 A$3.76

$3.84 A$5.46

-31.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 A$106

$139 A$197

-46.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 A$5.04

$4.36 A$6.20

-18.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 A$2.30

$1.37 A$1.94

18.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.92 A$63.9

$29.72 A$42.26

51.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 A$1.87

$1.49 A$2.11

-12.08%

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

$28.9K A$41.1K

$29.1K A$41.4K

-0.66%

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

$24.4K A$34.7K

$25.7K A$36.5K

-5.00%

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

$235 A$334

$236 A$335

-0.31%

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

$32.19 A$45.77

$28.01 A$39.83

14.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.6 A$72.0

$57.2 A$81.4

-11.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 A$81.3

$48.39 A$68.8

18.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.99 A$24.16

$21.46 A$30.52

-20.83%

Cinema Ticket

$13.36 A$19.00

$17.67 A$25.12

-24.39%

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

$2,201 A$3,130

$2,461 A$3,499

-10.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.3K A$27.5K

$29.7K A$42.2K

-34.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.9 A$99.4

$81.2 A$115

-13.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.2 A$89.8

$49.28 A$70.1

28.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 A$202

$120 A$170

19.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 A$158

$131 A$186

-15.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 A$2,176

$1,703 A$2,421

-10.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 A$1,990

$1,409 A$2,003

-0.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,409 A$3,425

$3,496 A$4,971

-31.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,704 A$2,423

$2,527 A$3,593

-32.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,701 A$9,529

$7,978 A$11.3K

-16.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,720 A$6,711

$6,900 A$9,812

-31.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,594 A$7,955

$4,257 A$6,053

31.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

-15.25%

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

Last update for Mudgee: October 25, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mudgee

$1.4K 52.5%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4% 0.6% $8.9

Groceries & Markets

Mudgee

$320 12%

Melbourne

$386 13.6% 20.7% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mudgee

$318 11.9%

Melbourne

$321 11.3% 1% $3.2

Eating Out

Mudgee

$275 10.3%

Melbourne

$312 11% 13.8% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Mudgee

$174 6.5%

Melbourne

$171 6% 1.4% $2.5

Getting Around

Mudgee

$97 3.6%

Melbourne

$165 5.8% 71.2% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Mudgee

$84 3.2%

Melbourne

$84 2.9% 0.2% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,530 in Mudgee and $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mudgee pays 31% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $84 in Mudgee vs $84 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $386 per month, with Mudgee cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Mudgee

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

22:56 10:56 PM

Same time as Mudgee

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,563

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Mudgee Melbourne 720 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mudgee
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

Mudgee vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mudgee and Melbourne differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($2,667 vs $2,849 including rent). Mudgee is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 31% higher in Mudgee, 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: $1,530 in Mudgee versus $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,667 per month in Mudgee versus $2,849 in Melbourne – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Mudgee 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, Mudgee 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.