Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New Plymouth and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in New Plymouth: $1,821 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in New Plymouth
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New Plymouth Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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New Plymouth

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,821

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,821 in New Plymouth versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

New Plymouth $1,821
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,787 in New Plymouth versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

New Plymouth $2,787
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,753 in New Plymouth versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

New Plymouth $3,753
Melbourne $5,650

Living in New Plymouth costs roughly 35% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: New Plymouth 35% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.79 NZ$20.86

$17.43 A$25.08

-32.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 NZ$118

$84.6 A$122

-21.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 NZ$14.89

$12.46 A$17.92

-32.42%

Cappuccino

$3.31 NZ$5.85

$4.11 A$5.91

-19.46%

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

$2.10 NZ$3.71

$3.06 A$4.40

-31.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 NZ$3.25

$2.52 A$3.62

-26.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.25 NZ$9.28

$9.80 A$14.10

-46.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.51 NZ$9.75

$8.57 A$12.33

-35.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 NZ$2.58

$1.48 A$2.14

-1.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 NZ$2.21

$2.94 A$4.23

-57.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 NZ$2.86

$2.66 A$3.82

-39.10%

Eggs

$5.35 NZ$9.47

$5.54 A$7.97

-3.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.48 NZ$9.69

$10.51 A$15.13

-47.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.23 NZ$12.79

$9.65 A$13.89

-25.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.60 NZ$20.52

$15.22 A$21.91

-23.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.45 NZ$4.33

$3.99 A$5.75

-38.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 NZ$3.36

$3.02 A$4.34

-37.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 NZ$5.22

$3.10 A$4.46

-4.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.26 NZ$11.08

$4.82 A$6.93

29.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 NZ$3.60

$3.03 A$4.36

-33.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 NZ$2.48

$2.44 A$3.52

-42.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 NZ$3.14

$2.46 A$3.54

-28.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 NZ$2.22

$1.63 A$2.34

-22.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.05 NZ$39.00

$44.07 A$63.4

-49.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.41 NZ$14.88

$12.70 A$18.28

-33.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 NZ$5.14

$5.54 A$7.97

-47.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 NZ$6.65

$5.23 A$7.52

-28.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 NZ$3.00

$3.74 A$5.38

-54.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 NZ$131

$138 A$198

-45.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.61 NZ$6.39

$4.51 A$6.50

-19.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 NZ$2.92

$1.47 A$2.12

12.24%

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

$26.4K NZ$46.8K

$29.0K A$41.7K

-8.84%

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

$22.6K NZ$39.9K

$26.5K A$38.1K

-14.74%

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

$127 NZ$225

$234 A$336

-45.60%

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

$27.63 NZ$48.87

$27.93 A$40.19

-1.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.97 NZ$84.8

$55.7 A$80.2

-13.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.55 NZ$75.3

$49.40 A$71.1

-13.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$8.00 NZ$14.14

$15.09 A$21.72

-46.98%

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

$669 NZ$1,183

$2,371 A$3,412

-71.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K NZ$40.2K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-24.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.6 NZ$109

$80.0 A$115

-22.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.35 NZ$67.8

$50.7 A$73.0

-24.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.7 NZ$155

$121 A$174

-27.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 NZ$182

$130 A$188

-21.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$911 NZ$1,612

$1,759 A$2,531

-48.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$853 NZ$1,508

$1,390 A$2,000

-38.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,719 NZ$3,040

$3,494 A$5,027

-50.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,542 NZ$2,727

$2,493 A$3,588

-38.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,136 NZ$5,547

$6,926 A$9,967

-54.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,566 NZ$4,539

$6,445 A$9,274

-60.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,766 NZ$4,891

$4,383 A$6,307

-36.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.93

5.9

0.51%

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

Last update for New Plymouth: October 12, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New Plymouth

$853 46.8%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 62.9% $537

Groceries & Markets

New Plymouth

$279 15.3%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 37.6% $105

Eating Out

New Plymouth

$212 11.7%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 48.1% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New Plymouth

$203 11.1%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 56.5% $115

Clothing & Footwear

New Plymouth

$131 7.2%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 31.5% $41

Getting Around

New Plymouth

$85 * 4.7%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 93.4% $79

Sport & Entertainment

New Plymouth

$59 3.2%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 35.9% $21

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $911 in New Plymouth and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 58% 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: $67.0 in New Plymouth vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $279 vs $384 per month, with New Plymouth cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 New Plymouth

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

10:48 10:48 AM

08:48 8:48 AM

2 h behind New Plymouth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,400

5,031,195

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 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).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

New Plymouth Melbourne 2,530 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

New Plymouth
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

New Plymouth vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New Plymouth and Melbourne differ by about 55% in total monthly costs ($1,821 vs $2,821 including rent). New Plymouth is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 58% 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: $911 in New Plymouth versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $669 in New Plymouth versus $2,371 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,821 in New Plymouth versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $3,000 budget is realistic in New Plymouth but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes New Plymouth 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, New Plymouth 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 New Plymouth gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.