Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Prince George and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Prince George: $2,144 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in Prince George
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Prince George Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

Jump to prices

Prince George

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,144

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,144 in Prince George versus $2,849 in Melbourne.

Prince George $2,144
Melbourne $2,849

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,217 in Prince George versus $4,274 in Melbourne.

Prince George $3,217
Melbourne $4,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,289 in Prince George versus $5,699 in Melbourne.

Prince George $4,289
Melbourne $5,699

Living in Prince George costs roughly 25% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Prince George 58% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.02 CA$25.20

$17.50 A$24.99

2.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.3 CA$101

$84.3 A$120

-14.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.78 CA$12.28

$12.17 A$17.38

-27.86%

Cappuccino

$3.83 CA$5.36

$4.07 A$5.82

-5.90%

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

$2.22 CA$3.11

$3.18 A$4.54

-30.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.17

$2.50 A$3.57

-9.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.76 CA$8.05

$9.57 A$13.67

-39.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.23 CA$10.11

$8.25 A$11.78

-12.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 CA$2.65

$1.50 A$2.15

26.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.45 CA$3.43

$2.97 A$4.24

-17.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.77 CA$6.67

$2.68 A$3.83

77.99%

Eggs

$4.31 CA$6.03

$5.45 A$7.79

-20.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.26 CA$8.75

$10.71 A$15.30

-41.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.95 CA$19.51

$10.05 A$14.35

38.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.25 CA$19.92

$15.00 A$21.42

-5.00%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 CA$5.84

$4.07 A$5.81

2.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.77 CA$3.87

$3.14 A$4.48

-11.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.30 CA$7.41

$3.12 A$4.45

69.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.87 CA$5.41

$4.73 A$6.76

-18.18%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 CA$4.23

$2.98 A$4.26

1.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 CA$3.23

$2.49 A$3.56

-7.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.04 CA$4.25

$2.48 A$3.54

22.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 CA$3.06

$1.60 A$2.28

36.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.91 CA$20.85

$44.65 A$63.8

-66.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.76 CA$15.05

$12.68 A$18.11

-15.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.65 CA$7.91

$5.55 A$7.92

1.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.40

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.90 CA$2.65

$3.84 A$5.48

-50.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.07 CA$61.6

$139 A$198

-68.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 CA$4.11

$4.36 A$6.22

-32.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 CA$2.38

$1.37 A$1.95

24.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.80 CA$45.86

$29.72 A$42.45

10.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 CA$1.81

$1.49 A$2.12

-12.75%

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

$27.4K CA$38.4K

$29.1K A$41.5K

-5.68%

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

$22.1K CA$30.9K

$25.7K A$36.7K

-13.91%

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

$169 CA$237

$236 A$337

-28.15%

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

$42.10 CA$58.9

$28.01 A$40.01

50.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.0 CA$85.3

$57.2 A$81.7

6.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.66 CA$61.1

$48.39 A$69.1

-9.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.88 CA$25.00

$21.46 A$30.65

-16.68%

Cinema Ticket

$8.98 CA$12.56

$17.67 A$25.23

-49.18%

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

$410 CA$573

$2,461 A$3,515

-83.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.8 CA$85.0

$81.2 A$116

-25.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 CA$54.2

$49.28 A$70.4

-21.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.5 CA$129

$120 A$171

-22.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 CA$213

$131 A$187

16.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 CA$1,581

$1,703 A$2,432

-33.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$923 CA$1,291

$1,409 A$2,012

-34.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,749 CA$2,446

$3,496 A$4,992

-49.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,553 CA$2,172

$2,527 A$3,608

-38.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,854

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,068 CA$4,290

$4,257 A$6,079

-27.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.96

5.9

-15.93%

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

Last update for Prince George: 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

Prince George

$923 43.1%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4% 52.6% $485

Groceries & Markets

Prince George

$391 * 18.2%

Melbourne

$386 13.6% 1.2% $4.5

Eating Out

Prince George

$278 13%

Melbourne

$312 11% 12.5% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Prince George

$272 12.7%

Melbourne

$321 11.3% 17.8% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Prince George

$155 7.2%

Melbourne

$171 6% 10.7% $17

Getting Around

Prince George

$63 2.9%

Melbourne

$165 5.8% 162% $102

Sport & Entertainment

Prince George

$62 2.9%

Melbourne

$84 2.9% 35.8% $22

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,131 in Prince George and $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 39% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $72 in Prince George vs $84 in Melbourne. Groceries flip the comparison at $391 vs $386, with Melbourne cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Prince George

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

21:09 9:09 PM

15:09 3:09 PM

18 h ahead of Prince George

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

71,974

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.638 EUR

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.715 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.638 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.7 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Prince George Melbourne 13,450 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Prince George
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

Prince George vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,144 in Prince George and $2,849 in Melbourne, so Prince George is about 25% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 28% lower in Prince George. 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: $1,131 in Prince George versus $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Prince George runs roughly 68% less than in Melbourne. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $2,144 per month in Prince George versus $2,849 in Melbourne – Prince George is about 25% 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.

It comes down to priorities – Prince George wins on affordability, Melbourne on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.