Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Parramatta and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Melbourne: $2,849 a month against $3,303 in Parramatta, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Parramatta outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

160

Cost of Living Index in Parramatta
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Parramatta Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Parramatta

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,303

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,303 in Parramatta versus $2,849 in Melbourne.

Parramatta $3,303
Melbourne $2,849

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,603 in Parramatta versus $4,274 in Melbourne.

Parramatta $4,603
Melbourne $4,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,903 in Parramatta versus $5,699 in Melbourne.

Parramatta $5,903
Melbourne $5,699

Living in Parramatta is roughly 16% more expensive than in Melbourne.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Parramatta 143% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.30 A$24.58

$17.50 A$24.86

-1.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.0 A$129

$84.3 A$120

7.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.95 A$16.98

$12.17 A$17.29

-1.81%

Cappuccino

$3.95 A$5.61

$4.07 A$5.79

-2.95%

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

$3.17 A$4.50

$3.18 A$4.52

-0.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 A$3.63

$2.50 A$3.55

2.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.55 A$12.14

$9.57 A$13.60

-10.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.56

$8.25 A$11.72

-9.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 A$2.34

$1.50 A$2.14

10.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.80 A$3.97

$2.97 A$4.22

-5.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.38 A$3.39

$2.68 A$3.81

-11.19%

Eggs

$5.38 A$7.64

$5.45 A$7.75

-1.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.04 A$17.11

$10.71 A$15.22

12.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.56 A$13.58

$10.05 A$14.28

-4.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.42 A$21.91

$15.00 A$21.31

2.80%

Apples (1kg)

$4.01 A$5.70

$4.07 A$5.78

-1.47%

Banana (1kg)

$3.21 A$4.57

$3.14 A$4.46

2.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.48 A$4.94

$3.12 A$4.43

11.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.93 A$7.01

$4.73 A$6.72

4.23%

Potato (1kg)

$3.08 A$4.38

$2.98 A$4.23

3.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.47

$2.49 A$3.55

-2.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.56 A$3.63

$2.48 A$3.53

3.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 A$1.97

$1.60 A$2.27

-13.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.83 A$63.7

$44.65 A$63.4

0.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.05 A$19.96

$12.68 A$18.02

10.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.07 A$5.79

$5.55 A$7.88

-26.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 A$5.74

$5.18 A$7.37

-22.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.24 A$3.19

$3.84 A$5.45

-41.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$198

$139 A$197

0.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 A$4.92

$4.36 A$6.19

-20.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 A$2.26

$1.37 A$1.94

16.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.91 A$58.1

$29.72 A$42.23

37.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 A$1.90

$1.49 A$2.11

-10.07%

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

$29.5K A$41.9K

$29.1K A$41.3K

1.38%

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

$26.6K A$37.8K

$25.7K A$36.5K

3.74%

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

$254 A$361

$236 A$335

7.88%

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

$27.25 A$38.72

$28.01 A$39.80

-2.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.9 A$78.0

$57.2 A$81.3

-4.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.9 A$76.6

$48.39 A$68.8

11.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.01 A$28.44

$21.46 A$30.50

-6.76%

Cinema Ticket

$15.91 A$22.60

$17.67 A$25.10

-9.96%

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

$2,337 A$3,321

$2,461 A$3,497

-5.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.4K A$29.0K

$29.7K A$42.2K

-31.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$114

$81.2 A$115

-1.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 A$79.3

$49.28 A$70.0

13.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 A$152

$120 A$170

-10.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 A$180

$131 A$186

-3.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,541 A$3,610

$1,703 A$2,419

49.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,872 A$2,660

$1,409 A$2,002

32.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,737 A$5,310

$3,496 A$4,967

6.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,728 A$3,876

$2,527 A$3,590

7.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,197 A$5,963

$7,978 A$11.3K

-47.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,358 A$4,771

$6,900 A$9,805

-51.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,034 A$5,732

$4,257 A$6,049

-5.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

5.9

0.34%

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

Last update for Parramatta: October 27, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Parramatta

$1.9K 56.7%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4% 24.8% $464

Groceries & Markets

Parramatta

$381 11.5%

Melbourne

$386 13.6% 1.4% $5.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Parramatta

$336 10.2%

Melbourne

$321 11.3% 4.6% $15

Eating Out

Parramatta

$302 9.1%

Melbourne

$312 11% 3.4% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Parramatta

$166 5%

Melbourne

$171 6% 3% $5

Getting Around

Parramatta

$160 4.8%

Melbourne

$165 5.8% 3.6% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

Parramatta

$86 2.6%

Melbourne

$84 2.9% 2.3% $2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,541 in Parramatta and $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 6% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $91 in Parramatta vs $84 in Melbourne. Groceries flip the comparison at $381 vs $386, with Parramatta cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Parramatta

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

09:54 9:54 AM

Same time as Parramatta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,745

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Parramatta Melbourne 700 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Parramatta
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

Parramatta vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,303 in Parramatta and $2,849 in Melbourne, so Melbourne is about 14% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 5% lower in Parramatta. 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: $2,541 in Parramatta versus $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,337 in Parramatta versus $2,461 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $3,303 per month in Parramatta versus $2,849 in Melbourne – Melbourne is about 14% 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, Parramatta and Melbourne are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.