Last update: Oct 2026
Cost of Living Comparison Between New Zealand and Melbourne
For one person, living is cheaper in New Zealand: $2,026 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.
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New Zealand Living Index99Cost of Living Index in New ZealandLearn more -
Melbourne Living Index137Cost of Living Index in MelbourneLearn more
🙂 Solo nomad: New Zealand is 21.8% cheaper than Melbourne without rent, and 28.9% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: New Zealand is 18.2% cheaper than Melbourne without rent, and 30.7% cheaper with rent.
🍽 Eating Out
New Zealand
Melbourne
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.03 NZ$25.00
$17.75 A$25.40
-20.96%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.1 NZ$120
$84.8 A$121
-20.94%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.11 NZ$16.23
$12.16 A$17.40
-25.08%
Cappuccino
$3.26 NZ$5.82
$3.93 A$5.62
-17.05%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.18 NZ$3.88
$3.14 A$4.49
-30.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.87 NZ$3.34
$2.43 A$3.47
-23.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.69 NZ$11.93
$9.90 A$14.17
-32.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.77 NZ$12.06
$8.29 A$11.86
-18.34%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
New Zealand
Melbourne
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.73 NZ$3.09
$1.55 A$2.21
11.61%
White Bread (500g)
$1.86 NZ$3.31
$3.01 A$4.31
-38.21%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.78 NZ$3.16
$2.88 A$4.12
-38.19%
Eggs
$5.96 NZ$10.63
$5.44 A$7.79
9.56%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.07 NZ$14.38
$10.59 A$15.16
-23.80%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.39 NZ$16.74
$9.61 A$13.76
-2.29%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.96 NZ$24.88
$14.99 A$21.46
-6.87%
Apples (1kg)
$2.73 NZ$4.87
$4.15 A$5.94
-34.22%
Banana (1kg)
$2.09 NZ$3.73
$3.05 A$4.37
-31.48%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.94 NZ$5.24
$3.30 A$4.72
-10.91%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.98 NZ$8.87
$4.76 A$6.81
4.62%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 NZ$3.60
$3.04 A$4.34
-33.55%
Onion (1kg)
$1.48 NZ$2.64
$2.55 A$3.65
-41.96%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.05 NZ$3.64
$2.48 A$3.55
-17.34%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.05 NZ$1.88
$1.63 A$2.33
-35.58%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.61 NZ$42.06
$44.07 A$63.1
-46.43%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.93 NZ$15.92
$12.43 A$17.79
-28.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.01 NZ$5.37
$5.33 A$7.63
-43.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.15 NZ$5.62
$5.16 A$7.38
-38.95%
🚌 Getting Around
New Zealand
Melbourne
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.85 NZ$3.30
$3.84 A$5.50
-51.82%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$100 NZ$179
$142 A$203
-29.01%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.26 NZ$4.02
$4.40 A$6.29
-48.64%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.90 NZ$3.38
$1.40 A$2.01
35.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.21 NZ$57.4
$29.83 A$42.69
7.98%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.68 NZ$3.00
$1.46 A$2.09
15.07%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.9K NZ$44.3K
$28.1K A$40.3K
-11.60%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.7K NZ$42.2K
$25.9K A$37.1K
-8.73%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
New Zealand
Melbourne
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$155 NZ$277
$233 A$333
-33.19%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$31.36 NZ$55.9
$27.28 A$39.04
14.96%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$47.95 NZ$85.5
$57.0 A$81.6
-15.94%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
New Zealand
Melbourne
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.82 NZ$62.1
$52.7 A$75.4
-33.90%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.77 NZ$26.33
$22.62 A$32.37
-34.70%
Cinema Ticket
$11.38 NZ$20.27
$17.10 A$24.48
-33.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
New Zealand
Melbourne
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$879 NZ$1,566
$2,373 A$3,397
-62.98%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.4K NZ$29.3K
$30.5K A$43.6K
-46.05%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
New Zealand
Melbourne
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.7 NZ$122
$78.2 A$112
-12.21%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.27 NZ$62.8
$50.5 A$72.2
-30.12%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.6 NZ$163
$121 A$172
-24.00%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 NZ$208
$133 A$191
-12.33%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
New Zealand
Melbourne
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,076 NZ$1,918
$1,713 A$2,451
-37.17%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$921 NZ$1,641
$1,402 A$2,006
-34.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,724 NZ$3,072
$3,339 A$4,778
-48.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,477 NZ$2,631
$2,529 A$3,619
-41.60%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,621 NZ$10.0K
$7,018 A$10.0K
-19.90%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,602 NZ$6,418
$6,767 A$9,685
-46.77%
💵 Salaries & Financials
New Zealand
Melbourne
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,752 NZ$4,903
$4,228 A$6,051
-34.93%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.27
5.9
6.27%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for New Zealand: October 5, 2026
Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
New Zealand $921 45.4%
Melbourne $1.4K 49.3% 52.2% $481
Groceries & Markets
New Zealand $312 15.4%
Melbourne $385 13.5% 23.5% $73
Eating Out
New Zealand $242 11.9%
Melbourne $314 11% 29.8% $72
Monthly Utilities & Internet
New Zealand $235 11.6%
Melbourne $317 11.1% 35% $82
Clothing & Footwear
New Zealand $141 6.9%
Melbourne $172 6.1% 22.4% $32
Getting Around
New Zealand $120 5.9%
Melbourne $168 5.9% 40.7% $49
Sport & Entertainment
New Zealand $58 2.8%
Melbourne $87 3.1% 50.9% $29
Accommodation & Living
New Zealand $1.5K 37.2%
Melbourne $2.5K 44.3% 71.2% $1.1K
Groceries & Markets
New Zealand $727 18.3%
Melbourne $875 15.3% 20.4% $148
Eating Out
New Zealand $817 20.6%
Melbourne $1K 18.3% 27.9% $228
Monthly Utilities & Internet
New Zealand $266 6.7%
Melbourne $344 6% 29.4% $78
Clothing & Footwear
New Zealand $312 7.9%
Melbourne $382 6.7% 22.4% $70
Getting Around
New Zealand $243 6.1%
Melbourne $344 6% 41.7% $101
Sport & Entertainment
New Zealand $130 3.3%
Melbourne $196 3.4% 51.2% $66
Good to know
🇳🇿 New Zealand
🇦🇺 Melbourne
Weather
Population
5,118,700
5,031,195
Exchange rates and currency converter
On the map
Lowest
Highest
Between locations
- New Zealand Melbourne 2,570 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
- New Zealand
- 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
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