Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Douglas and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Douglas: $2,559 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Port Douglas
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Port Douglas Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Port Douglas

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,559

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,559 in Port Douglas versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Port Douglas $2,559
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,834 in Port Douglas versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Port Douglas $3,834
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,110 in Port Douglas versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Port Douglas $5,110
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Port Douglas costs roughly 9% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Port Douglas 90% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.13 A$24.65

$17.43 A$25.08

-1.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.0 A$142

$84.6 A$122

17.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.57 A$18.09

$12.46 A$17.92

0.88%

Cappuccino

$4.47 A$6.43

$4.11 A$5.91

8.76%

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

$3.12 A$4.49

$3.06 A$4.40

1.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 A$3.80

$2.52 A$3.62

4.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.00 A$10.08

$9.80 A$14.10

-28.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.12 A$11.68

$8.57 A$12.33

-5.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 A$2.67

$1.48 A$2.14

25.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 A$3.82

$2.94 A$4.23

-9.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.52 A$3.63

$2.66 A$3.82

-5.26%

Eggs

$5.34 A$7.69

$5.54 A$7.97

-3.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.19 A$13.23

$10.51 A$15.13

-12.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.57 A$19.53

$9.65 A$13.89

40.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.86 A$21.39

$15.22 A$21.91

-2.37%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 A$5.95

$3.99 A$5.75

3.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.84 A$4.09

$3.02 A$4.34

-5.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.67 A$5.29

$3.10 A$4.46

18.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.64 A$8.11

$4.82 A$6.93

17.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.56

$3.03 A$4.36

-18.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.53 A$3.65

$2.44 A$3.52

3.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.76 A$3.97

$2.46 A$3.54

12.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 A$3.73

$1.63 A$2.34

58.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.97 A$64.7

$44.07 A$63.4

2.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.83 A$19.90

$12.70 A$18.28

8.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.65 A$5.26

$5.54 A$7.97

-34.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.36 A$7.72

$5.23 A$7.52

2.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.67 A$3.84

$3.74 A$5.38

-28.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.1 A$115

$138 A$198

-41.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 A$3.65

$4.51 A$6.50

-43.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 A$2.88

$1.36 A$1.96

47.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.60 A$61.3

$30.45 A$43.81

39.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 A$1.78

$1.47 A$2.12

-15.65%

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

$30.4K A$43.8K

$29.0K A$41.7K

4.90%

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

$40.3K A$58.1K

$26.5K A$38.1K

52.40%

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

$162 A$233

$234 A$336

-30.69%

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

$35.15 A$50.6

$27.93 A$40.19

25.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.4 A$95.5

$55.7 A$80.2

19.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.3 A$83.9

$49.40 A$71.1

18.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.90 A$25.75

$21.48 A$30.91

-16.67%

Cinema Ticket

$13.65 A$19.65

$15.09 A$21.72

-9.54%

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

$2,041 A$2,937

$2,371 A$3,412

-13.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.9K A$20.0K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-54.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.1 A$128

$80.0 A$115

11.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.5 A$101

$50.7 A$73.0

39.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 A$180

$121 A$174

3.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$130 A$188

1.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,463 A$2,105

$1,759 A$2,531

-16.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 A$1,738

$1,390 A$2,000

-13.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,047 A$2,945

$3,494 A$5,027

-41.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,965 A$2,827

$2,493 A$3,588

-21.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,639 A$9,553

$6,926 A$9,967

-4.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,060 A$7,282

$6,445 A$9,274

-21.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.32

5.9

7.12%

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

Last update for Port Douglas: October 13, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Douglas

$1.2K 47.2%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 15.1% $182

Groceries & Markets

Port Douglas

$409 16%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 6% $25

Eating Out

Port Douglas

$303 11.8%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 3.9% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Douglas

$263 10.3%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 20.5% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Port Douglas

$187 7.3%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 8.4% $16

Getting Around

Port Douglas

$103 4%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 58.6% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Port Douglas

$86 3.4%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 7% $6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,463 in Port Douglas and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $99.0 in Port Douglas vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $409 vs $384 per month, with Melbourne cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Port Douglas

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

21:37 9:37 PM

22:37 10:37 PM

1 h ahead of Port Douglas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,500

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

Port Douglas Melbourne 2,370 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Port Douglas
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

Port Douglas vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Port Douglas and Melbourne differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($2,559 vs $2,821 including rent). Port Douglas is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,838 in Port Douglas 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: $1,463 in Port Douglas versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,041 in Port Douglas versus $2,371 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Melbourne pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Port Douglas 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, Port Douglas 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 Port Douglas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.