Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Muswellbrook and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Muswellbrook: $2,294 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

118

Cost of Living Index in Muswellbrook
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Muswellbrook Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Muswellbrook

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,294

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,294 in Muswellbrook versus $2,849 in Melbourne.

Muswellbrook $2,294
Melbourne $2,849

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,598 in Muswellbrook versus $4,274 in Melbourne.

Muswellbrook $3,598
Melbourne $4,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,902 in Muswellbrook versus $5,699 in Melbourne.

Muswellbrook $4,902
Melbourne $5,699

Living in Muswellbrook costs roughly 19% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Muswellbrook 69% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.21 A$24.45

$17.50 A$24.86

-1.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.1 A$121

$84.3 A$120

0.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.58 A$15.04

$12.17 A$17.29

-13.06%

Cappuccino

$3.42 A$4.86

$4.07 A$5.79

-15.97%

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

$2.72 A$3.87

$3.18 A$4.52

-14.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 A$3.17

$2.50 A$3.55

-10.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.99 A$9.93

$9.57 A$13.60

-26.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.04 A$10.01

$8.25 A$11.72

-14.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 A$1.70

$1.50 A$2.14

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.13

$2.97 A$4.22

-2.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 A$3.10

$2.68 A$3.81

-18.28%

Eggs

$4.04 A$5.74

$5.45 A$7.75

-25.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.36 A$14.73

$10.71 A$15.22

-3.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.57 A$13.60

$10.05 A$14.28

-4.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.41 A$23.31

$15.00 A$21.31

9.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 A$4.17

$4.07 A$5.78

-27.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.58 A$3.67

$3.14 A$4.46

-17.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.78 A$3.95

$3.12 A$4.43

-10.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.50 A$6.39

$4.73 A$6.72

-4.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 A$3.39

$2.98 A$4.23

-19.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.53

$2.49 A$3.55

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.77 A$3.94

$2.48 A$3.53

11.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 A$2.44

$1.60 A$2.27

7.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$41.91 A$59.6

$44.65 A$63.4

-6.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.03 A$19.94

$12.68 A$18.02

10.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.43 A$6.30

$5.55 A$7.88

-20.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.68 A$6.65

$5.18 A$7.37

-9.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.74 A$3.89

$3.84 A$5.45

-28.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.9 A$133

$139 A$197

-32.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 A$5.42

$4.36 A$6.19

-12.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 A$2.04

$1.37 A$1.94

5.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.81 A$59.4

$29.72 A$42.23

40.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 A$1.90

$1.49 A$2.11

-10.07%

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

$29.5K A$42.0K

$29.1K A$41.3K

1.55%

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

$24.5K A$34.7K

$25.7K A$36.5K

-4.73%

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

$138 A$197

$236 A$335

-41.28%

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

$31.16 A$44.28

$28.01 A$39.80

11.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.96 A$71.0

$57.2 A$81.3

-12.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.7 A$79.1

$48.39 A$68.8

15.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.21 A$21.61

$21.46 A$30.50

-29.12%

Cinema Ticket

$13.12 A$18.65

$17.67 A$25.10

-25.75%

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

$2,205 A$3,133

$2,461 A$3,497

-10.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K A$32.8K

$29.7K A$42.2K

-22.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.1 A$101

$81.2 A$115

-12.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.9 A$89.4

$49.28 A$70.0

27.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$145 A$207

$120 A$170

21.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 A$153

$131 A$186

-17.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 A$1,707

$1,703 A$2,419

-29.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 A$1,508

$1,409 A$2,002

-24.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,222 A$3,157

$3,496 A$4,967

-36.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,048 A$2,910

$2,527 A$3,590

-18.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,189 A$8,794

$7,978 A$11.3K

-22.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,686 A$6,659

$6,900 A$9,805

-32.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,419 A$9,121

$4,257 A$6,049

50.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.23

5.9

-11.36%

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

Last update for Muswellbrook: 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

Muswellbrook

$1.1K 46.3%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4% 32.7% $347

Groceries & Markets

Muswellbrook

$361 15.8%

Melbourne

$386 13.6% 7% $25

Eating Out

Muswellbrook

$279 12.2%

Melbourne

$312 11% 11.9% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Muswellbrook

$220 9.6%

Melbourne

$321 11.3% 46.2% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Muswellbrook

$174 7.6%

Melbourne

$171 6% 1.6% $2.8

Getting Around

Muswellbrook

$116 5.1%

Melbourne

$165 5.8% 42.6% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Muswellbrook

$82 3.6%

Melbourne

$84 2.9% 2.2% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,201 in Muswellbrook and $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Muswellbrook pays 51% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $85 in Muswellbrook vs $84 in Melbourne. Groceries flip the comparison at $361 vs $386, with Muswellbrook cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Muswellbrook

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

07:27 7:27 AM

Same time as Muswellbrook

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,000

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

Muswellbrook Melbourne 780 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Muswellbrook
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

Muswellbrook vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,294 in Muswellbrook and $2,849 in Melbourne, so Muswellbrook is about 19% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 51% higher in Muswellbrook, 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: $1,201 in Muswellbrook versus $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,294 per month in Muswellbrook versus $2,849 in Melbourne – Muswellbrook is about 19% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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, Muswellbrook and Melbourne are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.