Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oulu and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Oulu: $1,878 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

91

Cost of Living Index in Oulu
Learn more

Oulu Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index

Jump to prices

Oulu

🇫🇮 Finland

$1,878

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,878 in Oulu versus $2,849 in Melbourne.

Oulu $1,878
Melbourne $2,849

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,905 in Oulu versus $4,274 in Melbourne.

Oulu $2,905
Melbourne $4,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,932 in Oulu versus $5,699 in Melbourne.

Oulu $3,932
Melbourne $5,699

Living in Oulu costs roughly 34% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Oulu 38% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.48 €15.65

$17.50 A$24.87

-0.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.5 €81.0

$84.3 A$120

7.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.02 €13.45

$12.17 A$17.30

23.42%

Cappuccino

$4.83 €4.32

$4.07 A$5.79

18.67%

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

$2.95 €2.65

$3.18 A$4.52

-7.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.04

$2.50 A$3.55

-8.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.68 €6.87

$9.57 A$13.60

-19.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.96 €7.13

$8.25 A$11.73

-3.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 €1.07

$1.50 A$2.14

-20.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 €2.04

$2.97 A$4.22

-23.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.78 €2.49

$2.68 A$3.81

3.73%

Eggs

$3.16 €2.83

$5.45 A$7.75

-42.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.40 €6.63

$10.71 A$15.23

-30.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.67 €12.24

$10.05 A$14.28

36.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.93 €20.54

$15.00 A$21.32

52.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$4.07 A$5.78

-43.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$3.14 A$4.46

-37.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 €1.88

$3.12 A$4.43

-32.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.20 €3.76

$4.73 A$6.73

-11.21%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 €0.87

$2.98 A$4.24

-67.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 €1.47

$2.49 A$3.55

-34.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.69 €2.41

$2.48 A$3.53

8.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 €1.44

$1.60 A$2.27

0.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.25 €11.86

$44.65 A$63.5

-70.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.35 €11.06

$12.68 A$18.02

-2.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.62 €3.24

$5.55 A$7.88

-34.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 €2.77

$5.18 A$7.37

-40.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.68

$3.84 A$5.45

-22.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.4 €56.8

$139 A$197

-54.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.58 €8.58

$4.36 A$6.19

119.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 €1.41

$1.37 A$1.94

15.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$55.5 €49.67

$29.72 A$42.25

86.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.24 €2.01

$1.49 A$2.11

50.34%

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

$35.9K €32.2K

$29.1K A$41.3K

23.48%

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

$37.0K €33.1K

$25.7K A$36.5K

44.05%

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

$116 €104

$236 A$335

-50.85%

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

$25.74 €23.05

$28.01 A$39.82

-8.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.15 €18.94

$57.2 A$81.4

-63.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.45 €33.54

$48.39 A$68.8

-22.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.34 €17.32

$21.46 A$30.51

-9.88%

Cinema Ticket

$17.03 €15.25

$17.67 A$25.11

-3.62%

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

$519 €465

$2,461 A$3,498

-78.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.4 €81.9

$81.2 A$115

12.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 €39.45

$49.28 A$70.0

-10.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €97.9

$120 A$170

-8.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$209 €188

$131 A$186

59.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$848 €759

$1,703 A$2,420

-50.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$673 €602

$1,409 A$2,002

-52.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,384 €1,240

$3,496 A$4,969

-60.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,040 €931

$2,527 A$3,591

-58.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,725 €3,336

$7,978 A$11.3K

-53.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,990 €1,782

$6,900 A$9,808

-71.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,504 €2,242

$4,257 A$6,051

-41.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.1

5.9

-30.51%

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

Last update for Oulu: October 24, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oulu

$673 35.8%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4% 110% $736

Groceries & Markets

Oulu

$356 19%

Melbourne

$386 13.6% 8.6% $31

Eating Out

Oulu

$318 16.9%

Melbourne

$312 11% 1.8% $5.6

Clothing & Footwear

Oulu

$204 10.9%

Melbourne

$171 6% 16.1% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oulu

$163 8.7%

Melbourne

$321 11.3% 97.2% $158

Getting Around

Oulu

$93 4.9%

Melbourne

$165 5.8% 78% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Oulu

$72 3.8%

Melbourne

$84 2.9% 17.1% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $848 in Oulu and $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 70% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $90 in Oulu vs $84 in Melbourne. Groceries flip the comparison at $356 vs $386, with Oulu cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇫🇮 Oulu

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

17:52 5:52 PM

02:52 2:52 AM

9 h ahead of Oulu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

214,651

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Oulu Melbourne 15,130 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Oulu
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

Oulu vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,878 in Oulu and $2,849 in Melbourne, so Oulu is about 34% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 41% lower in Oulu. 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: $848 in Oulu versus $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $519 in Oulu versus $2,461 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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

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