Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Newcastle, Australia and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Newcastle: $2,577 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Newcastle
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Newcastle Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Newcastle

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,577

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,577 in Newcastle versus $2,853 in Melbourne.

Newcastle $2,577
Melbourne $2,853

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,805 in Newcastle versus $4,275 in Melbourne.

Newcastle $3,805
Melbourne $4,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,033 in Newcastle versus $5,697 in Melbourne.

Newcastle $5,033
Melbourne $5,697

Living in Newcastle costs roughly 10% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Newcastle 90% above, Melbourne 111% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.75 A$29.49

$17.20 A$24.44

20.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$104 A$147

$83.1 A$118

24.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.52 A$14.95

$12.43 A$17.66

-15.37%

Cappuccino

$3.82 A$5.42

$4.05 A$5.75

-5.68%

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

$3.29 A$4.68

$3.12 A$4.44

5.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 A$2.49

$2.46 A$3.49

-28.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.85 A$12.57

$9.52 A$13.53

-7.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.79 A$9.65

$8.16 A$11.59

-16.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 A$2.01

$1.56 A$2.22

-8.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 A$3.84

$2.90 A$4.12

-6.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.95 A$2.78

$2.66 A$3.78

-26.69%

Eggs

$4.67 A$6.63

$5.37 A$7.63

-13.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.17 A$14.45

$10.67 A$15.16

-4.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.86 A$12.59

$9.85 A$13.99

-10.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.94 A$22.64

$15.36 A$21.83

3.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.56 A$5.06

$4.17 A$5.93

-14.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.95 A$4.20

$3.15 A$4.47

-6.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.90 A$4.12

$3.26 A$4.63

-11.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.39 A$6.24

$4.76 A$6.77

-7.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.89 A$4.11

$3.06 A$4.35

-5.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.29

$2.47 A$3.50

-6.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.50 A$3.56

$2.45 A$3.48

2.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 A$1.99

$1.63 A$2.31

-14.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$31.88 A$45.29

$45.17 A$64.2

-29.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.65 A$15.13

$12.68 A$18.02

-16.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.34 A$6.17

$5.69 A$8.08

-23.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 A$4.68

$5.23 A$7.44

-37.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.74 A$3.90

$3.87 A$5.50

-29.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$214

$142 A$202

5.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.48 A$3.52

$4.54 A$6.45

-45.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 A$2.23

$1.42 A$2.01

10.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.98 A$58.2

$30.59 A$43.46

33.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 A$1.68

$1.47 A$2.09

-19.05%

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

$29.7K A$42.3K

$28.9K A$41.0K

3.03%

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

$25.1K A$35.6K

$25.9K A$36.8K

-3.24%

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

$218 A$310

$235 A$334

-7.26%

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

$26.13 A$37.13

$27.45 A$39.01

-4.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.6 A$80.4

$56.1 A$79.8

0.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.94 A$63.9

$50.1 A$71.2

-10.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.86 A$25.38

$21.49 A$30.54

-16.89%

Cinema Ticket

$14.09 A$20.02

$17.76 A$25.24

-20.66%

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

$2,158 A$3,067

$2,385 A$3,389

-9.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.7K A$19.4K

$29.7K A$42.1K

-53.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 A$114

$79.2 A$112

1.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.87 A$66.6

$49.49 A$70.3

-5.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 A$170

$118 A$168

0.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 A$167

$132 A$188

-10.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,550 A$2,203

$1,763 A$2,505

-12.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 A$1,700

$1,411 A$2,005

-15.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,465 A$3,503

$3,522 A$5,005

-30.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,864 A$2,649

$2,525 A$3,588

-26.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.5K A$19.2K

$7,136 A$10.1K

89.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,833 A$8,288

$6,355 A$9,029

-8.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,099 A$4,404

$4,258 A$6,051

-27.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

5.9

11.02%

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

Last update for Newcastle: October 19, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Newcastle

$1.2K 46.4%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5% 17.9% $215

Groceries & Markets

Newcastle

$349 13.6%

Melbourne

$388 13.6% 11.3% $39

Eating Out

Newcastle

$321 12.5%

Melbourne

$310 10.9% 3.6% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Newcastle

$301 11.7%

Melbourne

$319 11.2% 6% $18

Getting Around

Newcastle

$172 6.7%

Melbourne

$169 5.9% 1.5% $2.5

Clothing & Footwear

Newcastle

$164 6.4%

Melbourne

$171 6% 4.1% $6.7

Sport & Entertainment

Newcastle

$73 2.8%

Melbourne

$86 3% 17.1% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,550 in Newcastle and $1,763 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 37% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $104 in Newcastle vs $83 in Melbourne. Groceries flip the comparison at $349 vs $388, with Newcastle cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Newcastle

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

06:16 6:16 AM

Same time as Newcastle

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

508,437

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.628 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.628 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Newcastle Melbourne 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Newcastle
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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

Newcastle vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Newcastle and Melbourne differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($2,577 vs $2,853 including rent). Newcastle is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 27% lower in Newcastle. 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: $1,550 in Newcastle versus $1,763 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,158 in Newcastle versus $2,385 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Newcastle 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, Newcastle 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.

It comes down to priorities – Newcastle wins on affordability, Melbourne on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.