Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Penshurst, NSW and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Penshurst, NSW: $2,478 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

120

Cost of Living Index in Penshurst, NSW
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Penshurst, NSW Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Penshurst, NSW

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,478

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,629 in Penshurst, NSW versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Penshurst, NSW $2,629
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,709 in Penshurst, NSW versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Penshurst, NSW $3,709
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,789 in Penshurst, NSW versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Penshurst, NSW $4,789
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Penshurst, 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: Penshurst, NSW 95% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.72 A$25.50

$17.20 A$24.75

3.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.1 A$121

$83.1 A$120

1.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.31 A$14.84

$12.43 A$17.88

-17.06%

Cappuccino

$4.08 A$5.87

$4.05 A$5.82

0.74%

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

$2.89 A$4.16

$3.12 A$4.50

-7.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 A$3.22

$2.46 A$3.54

-8.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.80 A$11.23

$9.52 A$13.71

-18.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.70

$8.16 A$11.74

-8.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.25

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 A$3.79

$2.90 A$4.18

-9.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 A$3.19

$2.66 A$3.82

-16.54%

Eggs

$4.96 A$7.14

$5.37 A$7.72

-7.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.02 A$12.99

$10.67 A$15.36

-15.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.17 A$13.20

$9.85 A$14.17

-6.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.85 A$21.37

$15.36 A$22.11

-3.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.85 A$5.53

$4.17 A$6.00

-7.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.29

$3.15 A$4.53

-5.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 A$4.71

$3.26 A$4.69

0.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 A$6.52

$4.76 A$6.85

-4.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.73 A$3.93

$3.06 A$4.41

-10.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.46

$2.47 A$3.55

-2.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 A$3.39

$2.45 A$3.52

-3.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 A$2.22

$1.63 A$2.34

-4.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$41.48 A$59.7

$45.17 A$65.0

-8.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.09 A$20.28

$12.68 A$18.25

11.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.78 A$6.87

$5.69 A$8.18

-15.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.13 A$7.38

$5.23 A$7.53

-1.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 A$4.06

$3.87 A$5.57

-27.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.9 A$118

$142 A$204

-42.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.42 A$4.92

$4.54 A$6.53

-24.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 A$2.27

$1.42 A$2.04

11.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.61 A$57.0

$30.59 A$44.01

29.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 A$1.95

$1.47 A$2.11

-8.16%

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

$27.1K A$39.0K

$28.9K A$41.5K

-6.22%

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

$29.2K A$42.1K

$25.9K A$37.3K

12.78%

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

$204 A$293

$235 A$338

-13.40%

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

$27.94 A$40.20

$27.45 A$39.51

1.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.4 A$81.2

$56.1 A$80.8

0.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.3 A$79.6

$50.1 A$72.1

10.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.31 A$24.91

$21.49 A$30.93

-19.45%

Cinema Ticket

$14.86 A$21.39

$17.76 A$25.56

-16.33%

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

$2,170 A$3,123

$2,385 A$3,432

-9.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.0K A$28.8K

$29.7K A$42.7K

-32.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.5 A$112

$79.2 A$114

-2.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 A$76.4

$49.49 A$71.2

7.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 A$153

$118 A$170

-10.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 A$173

$132 A$190

-8.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,365 A$1,964

$1,763 A$2,537

-22.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 A$1,697

$1,411 A$2,031

-16.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,117 A$3,047

$3,522 A$5,069

-39.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,782 A$2,565

$2,525 A$3,634

-29.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,918 A$8,517

$7,136 A$10.3K

-17.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,848 A$6,977

$6,355 A$9,144

-23.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,258 A$6,128

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

5.9

-1.02%

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

Last update for Penshurst, NSW: 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

Penshurst, NSW

$1.2K 47.6%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5% 19.6% $232

Groceries & Markets

Penshurst, NSW

$364 14.7%

Melbourne

$388 13.6% 6.6% $24

Eating Out

Penshurst, NSW

$296 12%

Melbourne

$310 10.9% 4.6% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Penshurst, NSW

$288 11.6%

Melbourne

$319 11.2% 10.7% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Penshurst, NSW

$161 6.5%

Melbourne

$171 6% 6.2% $9.9

Getting Around

Penshurst, NSW

$105 4.2%

Melbourne

$169 5.9% 61.7% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Penshurst, NSW

$85 3.4%

Melbourne

$86 3% 0.7% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,591 in Penshurst, NSW and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $92.0 in Penshurst, NSW vs $85.0 in Melbourne. Groceries flip the comparison at $364 vs $384, with Penshurst, NSW cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Penshurst, NSW

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

20:42 8:42 PM

Same time as Penshurst, NSW

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,673

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Penshurst, NSW Melbourne 700 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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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

Penshurst, NSW vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Penshurst, NSW and Melbourne differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($2,629 vs $2,821 including rent). Penshurst, NSW is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,944 in Penshurst, NSW and $4,231 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: $1,591 in Penshurst, NSW versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,899 in Penshurst, NSW versus $2,371 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Penshurst, NSW 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, Penshurst, NSW 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.

Expats usually find Penshurst, NSW gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.