Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nowra NSW and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Nowra NSW: $2,649 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Nowra NSW
Learn more

Nowra NSW Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index

Jump to prices

Nowra NSW

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,649

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,649 in Nowra NSW versus $2,849 in Melbourne.

Nowra NSW $2,649
Melbourne $2,849

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,808 in Nowra NSW versus $4,274 in Melbourne.

Nowra NSW $3,808
Melbourne $4,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,968 in Nowra NSW versus $5,699 in Melbourne.

Nowra NSW $4,968
Melbourne $5,699

Living in Nowra NSW costs roughly 7% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nowra NSW 95% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.83 A$29.74

$17.50 A$24.99

19.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.7 A$128

$84.3 A$120

6.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.57 A$15.10

$12.17 A$17.38

-13.15%

Cappuccino

$4.04 A$5.77

$4.07 A$5.82

-0.74%

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

$3.09 A$4.42

$3.18 A$4.54

-2.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.58

$2.50 A$3.57

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.65 A$12.36

$9.57 A$13.67

-9.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.96 A$14.22

$8.25 A$11.78

20.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 A$1.84

$1.50 A$2.15

-14.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.99 A$4.27

$2.97 A$4.24

0.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 A$3.67

$2.68 A$3.83

-4.10%

Eggs

$5.28 A$7.54

$5.45 A$7.79

-3.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.82 A$16.89

$10.71 A$15.30

10.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.72 A$13.88

$10.05 A$14.35

-3.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.33 A$21.90

$15.00 A$21.42

2.20%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 A$5.71

$4.07 A$5.81

-1.72%

Banana (1kg)

$3.21 A$4.58

$3.14 A$4.48

2.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 A$4.95

$3.12 A$4.45

11.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.02 A$7.17

$4.73 A$6.76

6.13%

Potato (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.50

$2.98 A$4.26

5.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.87 A$4.09

$2.49 A$3.56

15.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.55

$2.48 A$3.54

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 A$1.99

$1.60 A$2.28

-13.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.62 A$63.7

$44.65 A$63.8

-0.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.82 A$19.73

$12.68 A$18.11

8.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.59 A$6.55

$5.55 A$7.92

-17.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.49 A$7.84

$5.18 A$7.40

5.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.69 A$3.85

$3.84 A$5.48

-29.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.1 A$116

$139 A$198

-41.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.06 A$5.79

$4.36 A$6.22

-6.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 A$2.27

$1.37 A$1.95

16.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.76 A$62.5

$29.72 A$42.45

47.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 A$1.87

$1.49 A$2.12

-12.08%

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

$27.8K A$39.8K

$29.1K A$41.5K

-4.30%

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

$26.3K A$37.5K

$25.7K A$36.7K

2.38%

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

$183 A$262

$236 A$337

-22.18%

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

$27.16 A$38.79

$28.01 A$40.01

-3.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.6 A$80.8

$57.2 A$81.7

-1.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.5 A$76.3

$48.39 A$69.1

10.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.21 A$21.71

$21.46 A$30.65

-29.12%

Cinema Ticket

$15.48 A$22.10

$17.67 A$25.23

-12.39%

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

$2,496 A$3,564

$2,461 A$3,515

1.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.2K A$28.8K

$29.7K A$42.4K

-32.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.4 A$111

$81.2 A$116

-4.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.0 A$80.0

$49.28 A$70.4

13.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 A$153

$120 A$171

-10.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 A$192

$131 A$187

2.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,293 A$1,847

$1,703 A$2,432

-24.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,307 A$1,866

$1,409 A$2,012

-7.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,454 A$3,504

$3,496 A$4,992

-29.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,904 A$2,719

$2,527 A$3,608

-24.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,702 A$9,572

$7,978 A$11.4K

-15.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,378 A$7,680

$6,900 A$9,854

-22.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,079

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.95

5.9

0.85%

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

Last update for Nowra NSW: October 25, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nowra NSW

$1.3K 49.3%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4% 7.8% $102

Groceries & Markets

Nowra NSW

$386 14.6%

Melbourne

$386 13.6% 0.2% $0.6

Eating Out

Nowra NSW

$332 12.6%

Melbourne

$312 11% 6% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nowra NSW

$267 10.1%

Melbourne

$321 11.3% 20.1% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Nowra NSW

$169 6.4%

Melbourne

$171 6% 1.5% $2.5

Getting Around

Nowra NSW

$104 3.9%

Melbourne

$165 5.8% 59.1% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Nowra NSW

$84 3.2%

Melbourne

$84 2.9% 0.8% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,293 in Nowra NSW and $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $90 in Nowra NSW vs $84 in Melbourne. Groceries flip the comparison at $386 vs $386, with Nowra NSW cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Nowra NSW

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

21:24 9:24 PM

Same time as Nowra NSW

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,598

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nowra NSW Melbourne 600 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Nowra NSW
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

Nowra NSW vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,649 in Nowra NSW and $2,849 in Melbourne, so Nowra NSW is about 7% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,974 in Nowra NSW and $4,273 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: $1,293 in Nowra NSW versus $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Nowra NSW runs roughly 42% less than in Melbourne. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $2,649 per month in Nowra NSW versus $2,849 in Melbourne – Nowra NSW is about 7% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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, Nowra NSW and Melbourne are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.