Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between North Shore and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in North Shore: $2,119 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in North Shore
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North Shore Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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North Shore

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,119

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,119 in North Shore versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

North Shore $2,119
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,933 in North Shore versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

North Shore $2,933
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,746 in North Shore versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

North Shore $3,746
Melbourne $5,650

Living in North Shore costs roughly 25% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: North Shore 57% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.08 NZ$24.90

$17.43 A$25.08

-19.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.5 NZ$130

$84.6 A$122

-13.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.46 NZ$14.96

$12.46 A$17.92

-32.10%

Cappuccino

$3.27 NZ$5.78

$4.11 A$5.91

-20.44%

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

$1.93 NZ$3.42

$3.06 A$4.40

-36.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 NZ$3.15

$2.52 A$3.62

-29.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.53 NZ$11.55

$9.80 A$14.10

-33.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.61 NZ$9.92

$8.57 A$12.33

-34.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 NZ$2.85

$1.48 A$2.14

8.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 NZ$2.29

$2.94 A$4.23

-55.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.89 NZ$3.33

$2.66 A$3.82

-28.95%

Eggs

$5.68 NZ$10.05

$5.54 A$7.97

2.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.74 NZ$13.69

$10.51 A$15.13

-26.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.02 NZ$17.72

$9.65 A$13.89

3.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.56 NZ$20.45

$15.22 A$21.91

-24.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.62 NZ$4.63

$3.99 A$5.75

-34.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 NZ$3.63

$3.02 A$4.34

-32.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.14 NZ$5.56

$3.10 A$4.46

1.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.84 NZ$10.33

$4.82 A$6.93

21.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.08 NZ$3.67

$3.03 A$4.36

-31.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 NZ$2.67

$2.44 A$3.52

-38.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.39 NZ$4.22

$2.46 A$3.54

-2.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 NZ$1.68

$1.63 A$2.34

-41.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.48 NZ$45.06

$44.07 A$63.4

-42.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.33 NZ$18.26

$12.70 A$18.28

-18.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 NZ$4.84

$5.54 A$7.97

-50.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 NZ$5.90

$5.23 A$7.52

-36.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.21 NZ$3.90

$3.74 A$5.38

-40.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.5 NZ$105

$138 A$198

-56.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 NZ$3.93

$4.51 A$6.50

-50.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 NZ$3.39

$1.36 A$1.96

41.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.25 NZ$57.0

$30.45 A$43.81

5.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 NZ$3.02

$1.47 A$2.12

16.33%

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

$25.4K NZ$44.9K

$29.0K A$41.7K

-12.50%

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

$22.4K NZ$39.5K

$26.5K A$38.1K

-15.56%

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

$181 NZ$321

$234 A$336

-22.41%

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

$26.42 NZ$46.73

$27.93 A$40.19

-5.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.6 NZ$89.5

$55.7 A$80.2

-9.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.16 NZ$48.03

$49.40 A$71.1

-45.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$13.05 NZ$23.07

$15.09 A$21.72

-13.52%

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

$672 NZ$1,188

$2,371 A$3,412

-71.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K NZ$25.5K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-52.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.9 NZ$122

$80.0 A$115

-13.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.87 NZ$67.0

$50.7 A$73.0

-25.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.1 NZ$165

$121 A$174

-22.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 NZ$182

$130 A$188

-20.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 NZ$2,303

$1,759 A$2,531

-25.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,050 NZ$1,856

$1,390 A$2,000

-24.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,278 NZ$4,029

$3,494 A$5,027

-34.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,339 NZ$2,369

$2,493 A$3,588

-46.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,194 NZ$12.7K

$6,926 A$9,967

3.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,028 NZ$10.7K

$6,445 A$9,274

-6.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,774 NZ$4,905

$4,383 A$6,307

-36.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

5.9

12.37%

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

Last update for North Shore: October 10, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

North Shore

$1K 49.5%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 32.4% $340

Groceries & Markets

North Shore

$306 14.4%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 25.6% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

North Shore

$258 12.2%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 22.8% $59

Eating Out

North Shore

$236 11.1%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 33.3% $79

Clothing & Footwear

North Shore

$136 6.4%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 26% $35

Getting Around

North Shore

$80 3.8%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 104% $84

Sport & Entertainment

North Shore

$53 2.5%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 49.5% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,302 in North Shore 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: $73.0 in North Shore vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $306 vs $384 per month, with North Shore cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 North Shore

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

10:36 10:36 AM

08:36 8:36 AM

2 h behind North Shore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

258,697

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 17, 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 17, 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

North Shore Melbourne 2,630 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

North Shore
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

North Shore vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

North Shore and Melbourne differ by about 33% in total monthly costs ($2,119 vs $2,821 including rent). North Shore 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: $1,302 in North Shore versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $672 in North Shore 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 26% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,119 in North Shore versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $3,000 budget is realistic in North Shore but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes North Shore 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, North Shore 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 North Shore gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.