Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Lincoln and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Lincoln: $2,292 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Port Lincoln
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Port Lincoln Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Port Lincoln

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,292

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,292 in Port Lincoln versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Port Lincoln $2,292
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,416 in Port Lincoln versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Port Lincoln $3,416
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,540 in Port Lincoln versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Port Lincoln $4,540
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Port Lincoln costs roughly 19% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Port Lincoln 70% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.62 A$25.36

$17.43 A$25.08

1.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.1 A$114

$84.6 A$122

-6.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 A$14.92

$12.46 A$17.92

-16.77%

Cappuccino

$3.87 A$5.57

$4.11 A$5.91

-5.84%

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

$2.91 A$4.19

$3.06 A$4.40

-4.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 A$3.16

$2.52 A$3.62

-13.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.57 A$10.89

$9.80 A$14.10

-22.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.56 A$9.44

$8.57 A$12.33

-23.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 A$2.10

$1.48 A$2.14

-1.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.84 A$4.09

$2.94 A$4.23

-3.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 A$2.83

$2.66 A$3.82

-25.94%

Eggs

$4.44 A$6.39

$5.54 A$7.97

-19.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.78 A$12.64

$10.51 A$15.13

-16.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.30 A$14.82

$9.65 A$13.89

6.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.93 A$22.92

$15.22 A$21.91

4.66%

Apples (1kg)

$4.09 A$5.88

$3.99 A$5.75

2.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.85

$3.02 A$4.34

-11.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 A$4.27

$3.10 A$4.46

-4.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.95 A$7.13

$4.82 A$6.93

2.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.50

$3.03 A$4.36

-19.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 A$3.14

$2.44 A$3.52

-10.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 A$3.27

$2.46 A$3.54

-7.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 A$2.21

$1.63 A$2.34

-5.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$39.45 A$56.8

$44.07 A$63.4

-10.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.10 A$17.41

$12.70 A$18.28

-4.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.21 A$7.50

$5.54 A$7.97

-5.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.77 A$8.31

$5.23 A$7.52

10.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.72 A$3.92

$3.74 A$5.38

-27.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.7 A$105

$138 A$198

-47.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 A$4.29

$4.51 A$6.50

-33.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 A$2.58

$1.36 A$1.96

31.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.43 A$63.9

$30.45 A$43.81

45.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 A$1.88

$1.47 A$2.12

-11.56%

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

$27.4K A$39.5K

$29.0K A$41.7K

-5.47%

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

$28.6K A$41.1K

$26.5K A$38.1K

7.91%

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

$178 A$256

$234 A$336

-24.00%

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

$31.01 A$44.62

$27.93 A$40.19

11.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.6 A$90.1

$55.7 A$80.2

12.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.0 A$84.9

$49.40 A$71.1

19.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.37 A$27.87

$21.48 A$30.91

-9.82%

Cinema Ticket

$14.91 A$21.45

$15.09 A$21.72

-1.19%

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

$2,019 A$2,905

$2,371 A$3,412

-14.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.1K A$28.9K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-33.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.3 A$108

$80.0 A$115

-5.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.9 A$84.8

$50.7 A$73.0

16.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.9 A$144

$121 A$174

-17.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 A$155

$130 A$188

-17.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,323 A$1,904

$1,759 A$2,531

-24.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 A$1,475

$1,390 A$2,000

-26.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,996 A$2,872

$3,494 A$5,027

-42.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,691 A$2,434

$2,493 A$3,588

-32.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,669 A$9,597

$6,926 A$9,967

-3.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,452 A$7,846

$6,445 A$9,274

-15.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

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 Port Lincoln: October 10, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Lincoln

$1K 44.7%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 35.6% $365

Groceries & Markets

Port Lincoln

$368 16.1%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 4.2% $16

Eating Out

Port Lincoln

$290 12.7%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 8.5% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Lincoln

$271 11.8%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 17% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Port Lincoln

$154 6.7%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 11.6% $18

Getting Around

Port Lincoln

$96 4.2%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 71.5% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Port Lincoln

$89 3.9%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 10.4% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,323 in Port Lincoln and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $79.0 in Port Lincoln vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $368 vs $384 per month, with Port Lincoln cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Port Lincoln

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

01:52 1:52 AM

02:22 2:22 AM

30 min ahead of Port Lincoln

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,404

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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Port Lincoln Melbourne 890 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Port Lincoln
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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

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

Port Lincoln and Melbourne differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($2,292 vs $2,821 including rent). Port Lincoln is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,439 in Port Lincoln 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: $1,323 in Port Lincoln versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,019 in Port Lincoln 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 4% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,292 in Port Lincoln versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Port Lincoln but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Port Lincoln the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Lincoln 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 Lincoln gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.