Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Northam and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Northam: $2,498 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Northam
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Northam Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Northam

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,498

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,498 in Northam versus $2,853 in Melbourne.

Northam $2,498
Melbourne $2,853

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,618 in Northam versus $4,275 in Melbourne.

Northam $3,618
Melbourne $4,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,737 in Northam versus $5,697 in Melbourne.

Northam $4,737
Melbourne $5,697

Living in Northam costs roughly 12% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Northam 84% above, Melbourne 111% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.97 A$28.37

$17.20 A$24.44

16.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.1 A$121

$83.1 A$118

2.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.55 A$15.00

$12.43 A$17.66

-15.12%

Cappuccino

$4.48 A$6.36

$4.05 A$5.75

10.62%

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

$2.84 A$4.03

$3.12 A$4.44

-8.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 A$3.25

$2.46 A$3.49

-6.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.30 A$11.79

$9.52 A$13.53

-12.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.10 A$11.51

$8.16 A$11.59

-0.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 A$2.48

$1.56 A$2.22

11.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 A$3.66

$2.90 A$4.12

-11.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 A$2.82

$2.66 A$3.78

-25.56%

Eggs

$4.48 A$6.36

$5.37 A$7.63

-16.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.37 A$9.05

$10.67 A$15.16

-40.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 A$12.96

$9.85 A$13.99

-7.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.08 A$20.01

$15.36 A$21.83

-8.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 A$3.88

$4.17 A$5.93

-34.53%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.62

$3.15 A$4.47

3.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.89

$3.26 A$4.63

5.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.92 A$6.99

$4.76 A$6.77

3.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.89 A$4.11

$3.06 A$4.35

-5.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 A$2.81

$2.47 A$3.50

-20.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 A$3.20

$2.45 A$3.48

-8.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 A$1.04

$1.63 A$2.31

-55.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$41.37 A$58.8

$45.17 A$64.2

-8.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.49 A$4.96

$12.68 A$18.02

-72.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.40 A$6.25

$5.69 A$8.08

-22.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 A$4.99

$5.23 A$7.44

-32.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.92 A$4.15

$3.87 A$5.50

-24.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.6 A$114

$142 A$202

-43.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 A$5.02

$4.54 A$6.45

-22.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 A$2.07

$1.42 A$2.01

2.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.14 A$58.5

$30.59 A$43.46

34.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 A$1.91

$1.47 A$2.09

-8.16%

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

$26.9K A$38.2K

$28.9K A$41.0K

-6.97%

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

$29.5K A$41.9K

$25.9K A$36.8K

13.68%

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

$196 A$278

$235 A$334

-16.70%

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

$24.09 A$34.24

$27.45 A$39.01

-12.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.3 A$91.4

$56.1 A$79.8

14.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.5 A$80.2

$50.1 A$71.2

12.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.81 A$25.31

$21.49 A$30.54

-17.12%

Cinema Ticket

$17.30 A$24.59

$17.76 A$25.24

-2.59%

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

$2,328 A$3,307

$2,385 A$3,389

-2.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.2K A$33.0K

$29.7K A$42.1K

-21.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.3 A$110

$79.2 A$112

-2.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.3 A$94.2

$49.49 A$70.3

33.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 A$174

$118 A$168

3.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$161 A$229

$132 A$188

21.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 A$1,976

$1,763 A$2,505

-21.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 A$1,691

$1,411 A$2,005

-15.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,173 A$3,088

$3,522 A$5,005

-38.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,783 A$2,533

$2,525 A$3,588

-29.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,780 A$8,213

$7,136 A$10.1K

-19.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,889 A$6,947

$6,355 A$9,029

-23.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,258 A$6,051

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.91

5.9

0.17%

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

Last update for Northam: 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

Northam

$1.2K 47.6%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5% 18.6% $221

Eating Out

Northam

$323 12.9%

Melbourne

$310 10.9% 4.2% $14

Groceries & Markets

Northam

$314 12.6%

Melbourne

$388 13.6% 23.7% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Northam

$284 11.4%

Melbourne

$319 11.2% 12.1% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Northam

$192 7.7%

Melbourne

$171 6% 11.2% $22

Getting Around

Northam

$103 4.1%

Melbourne

$169 5.9% 64% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Northam

$91 3.7%

Melbourne

$86 3% 6% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,391 in Northam and $1,763 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85 in Northam vs $83 in Melbourne. Groceries flip the comparison at $314 vs $388, with Northam cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Northam

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

05:35 5:35 AM

08:35 8:35 AM

3 h ahead of Northam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,000

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

On the map

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Between locations

Northam Melbourne 2,660 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Northam
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

Northam vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Northam and Melbourne differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($2,498 vs $2,853 including rent). Northam is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,747 in Northam and $4,280 in Melbourne to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,391 in Northam versus $1,763 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,498 per month in Northam versus $2,853 in Melbourne – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Northam 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, Northam 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.