Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pakenham and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Pakenham: $2,643 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Pakenham
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Pakenham Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Pakenham

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,643

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,643 in Pakenham versus $2,849 in Melbourne.

Pakenham $2,643
Melbourne $2,849

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,761 in Pakenham versus $4,274 in Melbourne.

Pakenham $3,761
Melbourne $4,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,880 in Pakenham versus $5,699 in Melbourne.

Pakenham $4,880
Melbourne $5,699

Living in Pakenham 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: Pakenham 94% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.34 A$24.65

$17.50 A$24.88

-0.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.4 A$119

$84.3 A$120

-1.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.08 A$17.17

$12.17 A$17.30

-0.74%

Cappuccino

$4.02 A$5.71

$4.07 A$5.79

-1.23%

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

$3.21 A$4.56

$3.18 A$4.52

0.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 A$3.51

$2.50 A$3.55

-1.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.56 A$13.60

$9.57 A$13.61

-0.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.47 A$12.05

$8.25 A$11.73

2.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 A$1.71

$1.50 A$2.14

-19.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 A$4.08

$2.97 A$4.22

-3.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.61 A$3.71

$2.68 A$3.82

-2.61%

Eggs

$5.61 A$7.98

$5.45 A$7.76

2.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.49 A$12.08

$10.71 A$15.23

-20.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.78 A$13.91

$10.05 A$14.29

-2.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.29 A$21.74

$15.00 A$21.33

1.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.98 A$5.66

$4.07 A$5.79

-2.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.62 A$3.73

$3.14 A$4.46

-16.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.45

$3.12 A$4.43

0.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.74 A$6.75

$4.73 A$6.73

0.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.99 A$4.25

$2.98 A$4.24

0.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 A$3.65

$2.49 A$3.55

3.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 A$3.45

$2.48 A$3.53

-2.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.32

$1.60 A$2.27

1.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.16 A$35.78

$44.65 A$63.5

-43.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.63 A$17.96

$12.68 A$18.03

-0.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.48 A$7.79

$5.55 A$7.89

-1.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.17 A$7.35

$5.18 A$7.37

-0.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.08 A$4.38

$3.84 A$5.46

-19.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 A$105

$139 A$197

-46.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.19

$4.36 A$6.20

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 A$2.03

$1.37 A$1.94

4.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.36 A$43.17

$29.72 A$42.26

2.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 A$2.04

$1.49 A$2.11

-4.03%

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

$29.1K A$41.3K

$29.1K A$41.4K

-0.04%

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

$26.4K A$37.6K

$25.7K A$36.5K

3.00%

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

$236 A$335

0.11%

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

$28.14 A$40.02

$28.01 A$39.83

0.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.8 A$82.2

$57.2 A$81.4

1.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.3 A$91.5

$48.39 A$68.8

32.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.50 A$27.73

$21.46 A$30.52

-9.13%

Cinema Ticket

$17.55 A$24.95

$17.67 A$25.12

-0.68%

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

$2,515 A$3,576

$2,461 A$3,499

2.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.4K A$43.2K

$29.7K A$42.2K

2.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 A$114

$81.2 A$115

-0.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.90 A$71.0

$49.28 A$70.1

1.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 A$169

$120 A$170

-0.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$189

$131 A$186

1.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,463 A$2,080

$1,703 A$2,421

-14.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,269 A$1,805

$1,409 A$2,003

-9.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,148 A$3,054

$3,496 A$4,971

-38.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,855 A$2,637

$2,527 A$3,593

-26.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,533 A$7,867

$7,978 A$11.3K

-30.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,458 A$7,761

$6,900 A$9,812

-20.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,053

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

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

Last update for Pakenham: 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

Pakenham

$1.3K 48%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4% 11% $139

Groceries & Markets

Pakenham

$372 14.1%

Melbourne

$386 13.6% 3.9% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pakenham

$322 12.2%

Melbourne

$321 11.3% 0.3% $0.9

Eating Out

Pakenham

$311 11.8%

Melbourne

$312 11% 0.6% $1.9

Clothing & Footwear

Pakenham

$172 6.5%

Melbourne

$171 6% 0.3% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

Pakenham

$99 3.8%

Melbourne

$84 2.9% 15.8% $16

Getting Around

Pakenham

$98 3.7%

Melbourne

$165 5.8% 69.4% $68

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,463 in Pakenham and $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $83 in Pakenham vs $84 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $372 vs $386 per month, with Pakenham cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Pakenham

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

21:05 9:05 PM

Same time as Pakenham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,118

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Pakenham Melbourne 54 km

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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

Pakenham vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pakenham and Melbourne differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($2,643 vs $2,849 including rent). Pakenham is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,964 in Pakenham 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: $1,463 in Pakenham versus $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,643 per month in Pakenham versus $2,849 in Melbourne – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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