Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Macquarie and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Macquarie: $2,450 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in Port Macquarie
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Port Macquarie Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Port Macquarie

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,450

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,450 in Port Macquarie versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Port Macquarie $2,450
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,487 in Port Macquarie versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Port Macquarie $3,487
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,525 in Port Macquarie versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Port Macquarie $4,525
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Port Macquarie costs roughly 13% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Port Macquarie 81% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.73 A$25.51

$17.43 A$25.08

1.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.3 A$126

$84.6 A$122

3.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.34 A$14.88

$12.46 A$17.92

-17.01%

Cappuccino

$3.90 A$5.61

$4.11 A$5.91

-5.11%

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

$2.49 A$3.59

$3.06 A$4.40

-18.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 A$2.40

$2.52 A$3.62

-33.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.19 A$8.91

$9.80 A$14.10

-36.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.38 A$9.17

$8.57 A$12.33

-25.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.03 A$2.92

$1.48 A$2.14

37.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.93 A$4.22

$2.94 A$4.23

-0.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.74 A$3.94

$2.66 A$3.82

3.01%

Eggs

$5.29 A$7.62

$5.54 A$7.97

-4.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.12 A$7.37

$10.51 A$15.13

-51.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 A$15.22

$9.65 A$13.89

9.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.95 A$17.20

$15.22 A$21.91

-21.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.52

$3.99 A$5.75

-21.30%

Banana (1kg)

$4.31 A$6.20

$3.02 A$4.34

42.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.45

$3.10 A$4.46

-22.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.95 A$7.12

$4.82 A$6.93

2.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 A$3.43

$3.03 A$4.36

-21.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 A$3.44

$2.44 A$3.52

-2.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 A$2.30

$2.46 A$3.54

-34.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 A$2.16

$1.63 A$2.34

-7.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.49 A$61.1

$44.07 A$63.4

-3.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.41 A$14.98

$12.70 A$18.28

-18.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.13 A$5.95

$5.54 A$7.97

-25.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.42

$5.23 A$7.52

-1.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.89 A$4.16

$3.74 A$5.38

-22.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.7 A$116

$138 A$198

-41.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.66 A$5.26

$4.51 A$6.50

-18.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 A$2.29

$1.36 A$1.96

16.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.84 A$61.7

$30.45 A$43.81

40.69%

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)

$26.2K A$37.6K

$29.0K A$41.7K

-9.80%

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

$22.0K A$31.6K

$26.5K A$38.1K

-17.02%

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

$198 A$285

$234 A$336

-15.25%

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

$30.80 A$44.33

$27.93 A$40.19

10.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.3 A$88.3

$55.7 A$80.2

10.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 A$74.1

$49.40 A$71.1

4.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.54 A$13.73

$21.48 A$30.91

-55.59%

Cinema Ticket

$10.92 A$15.71

$15.09 A$21.72

-27.63%

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

$1,823 A$2,624

$2,371 A$3,412

-23.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K A$26.7K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-38.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 A$102

$80.0 A$115

-11.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 A$79.0

$50.7 A$73.0

8.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 A$150

$121 A$174

-13.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 A$154

$130 A$188

-18.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,408 A$2,026

$1,759 A$2,531

-19.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 A$1,729

$1,390 A$2,000

-13.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,133 A$3,069

$3,494 A$5,027

-38.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 A$2,437

$2,493 A$3,588

-32.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,785 A$8,324

$6,926 A$9,967

-16.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,938 A$7,106

$6,445 A$9,274

-23.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,769 A$3,984

$4,383 A$6,307

-36.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

5.9

-9.66%

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

Last update for Port Macquarie: 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 Macquarie

$1.2K 49%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 15.7% $188

Groceries & Markets

Port Macquarie

$350 14.3%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 9.8% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Macquarie

$290 11.9%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 9.4% $27

Eating Out

Port Macquarie

$280 11.4%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 12.3% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Port Macquarie

$151 6.2%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 13.5% $20

Getting Around

Port Macquarie

$104 4.2%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 57.6% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Port Macquarie

$73 3%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 8.6% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,408 in Port Macquarie and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 58% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $87.0 in Port Macquarie vs $85.0 in Melbourne. Groceries flip the comparison at $350 vs $384, with Port Macquarie cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Port Macquarie

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

04:28 4:28 AM

Same time as Port Macquarie

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,793

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 Macquarie Melbourne 1,020 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Port Macquarie and Melbourne differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($2,450 vs $2,821 including rent). Port Macquarie is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 58% lower in Melbourne. 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: $1,408 in Port Macquarie versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,823 in Port Macquarie 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 10% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,450 in Port Macquarie versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Port Macquarie but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Port Macquarie 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 Macquarie 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 Macquarie gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.