Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Providence, RI and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Melbourne: $2,853 a month against $3,394 in Providence, RI, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Providence, RI outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

165

Cost of Living Index in Providence, RI
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Providence, RI Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Providence, RI

🇺🇸 United States

$3,394

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,394 in Providence, RI versus $2,853 in Melbourne.

Providence, RI $3,394
Melbourne $2,853

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,649 in Providence, RI versus $4,275 in Melbourne.

Providence, RI $4,649
Melbourne $4,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,903 in Providence, RI versus $5,697 in Melbourne.

Providence, RI $5,903
Melbourne $5,697

Living in Providence, RI is roughly 19% more expensive than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Providence, RI 150% above, Melbourne 111% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.01 $18.01

$17.20 A$24.75

4.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.2 $96.2

$83.1 A$120

15.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.64 $13.64

$12.43 A$17.88

9.73%

Cappuccino

$5.50 $5.50

$4.05 A$5.82

35.80%

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

$2.96 $2.96

$3.12 A$4.50

-5.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$2.46 A$3.54

-20.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.03 $5.03

$9.52 A$13.71

-47.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.01 $8.01

$8.16 A$11.74

-1.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.56 A$2.25

-32.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.20 $3.20

$2.90 A$4.18

10.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.35 $5.35

$2.66 A$3.82

101.13%

Eggs

$4.94 $4.94

$5.37 A$7.72

-8.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.41 $11.41

$10.67 A$15.36

6.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.40 $14.40

$9.85 A$14.17

46.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.98 $17.98

$15.36 A$22.11

17.06%

Apples (1kg)

$4.79 $4.79

$4.17 A$6.00

14.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 $1.37

$3.15 A$4.53

-56.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.58 $5.58

$3.26 A$4.69

71.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$4.76 A$6.85

-1.47%

Potato (1kg)

$3.30 $3.30

$3.06 A$4.41

7.84%

Onion (1kg)

$3.59 $3.59

$2.47 A$3.55

45.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 $2.31

$2.45 A$3.52

-5.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.63 A$2.34

23.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.46 $13.46

$45.17 A$65.0

-70.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.30 $13.30

$12.68 A$18.25

4.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$5.69 A$8.18

-63.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 $4.08

$5.23 A$7.53

-21.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 $2.06

$3.87 A$5.57

-46.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.9 $70.9

$142 A$204

-50.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.05 $5.05

$4.54 A$6.53

11.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 $1.41

$1.42 A$2.04

-0.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 $30.45

$30.59 A$44.01

-0.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.47 A$2.11

-25.85%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$28.9K A$41.5K

-4.85%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$25.9K A$37.3K

0.67%

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

$313 $313

$235 A$338

33.29%

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

$70.4 $70.4

$27.45 A$39.51

156.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$83.6 $83.6

$56.1 A$80.8

48.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.9 $56.9

$50.1 A$72.1

13.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$60.8 $60.8

$21.49 A$30.93

183.02%

Cinema Ticket

$14.60 $14.60

$17.76 A$25.56

-17.79%

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

$1,477 $1,477

$2,385 A$3,432

-38.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K $16.8K

$29.7K A$42.7K

-43.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 $53.7

$79.2 A$114

-32.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.95 $38.95

$49.49 A$71.2

-21.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.2 $80.2

$118 A$170

-32.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 $100

$132 A$190

-24.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,440 $2,440

$1,763 A$2,537

38.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,897 $1,897

$1,411 A$2,031

34.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,174 $3,174

$3,522 A$5,069

-9.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,602 $2,602

$2,525 A$3,634

3.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,746 $3,746

$7,136 A$10.3K

-47.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,316 $3,316

$6,355 A$9,144

-47.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,773 $3,773

$4,258 A$6,128

-11.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

5.9

12.54%

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

Last update for Providence, RI: October 18, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Providence, RI

$1.9K 55.9%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5% 25.6% $486

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Providence, RI

$467 13.8%

Melbourne

$319 11.2% 31.8% $149

Groceries & Markets

Providence, RI

$417 12.3%

Melbourne

$388 13.6% 6.9% $29

Eating Out

Providence, RI

$312 9.2%

Melbourne

$310 10.9% 0.7% $2.2

Clothing & Footwear

Providence, RI

$123 3.6%

Melbourne

$171 6% 38.8% $48

Getting Around

Providence, RI

$91 2.7%

Melbourne

$169 5.9% 85.2% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Providence, RI

$86 2.5%

Melbourne

$86 3% 0.5% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,440 in Providence, RI and $1,763 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 13% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $96.0 in Providence, RI vs $83.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $417 vs $388 per month, with Melbourne cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Providence, RI

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

07:37 7:37 AM

22:37 10:37 PM

15 h ahead of Providence, RI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

179,472

5,031,195

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

AUD to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Providence, RI Melbourne 16,900 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Providence, RI
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

Providence, RI vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Providence, RI and Melbourne differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($3,394 vs $2,853 including rent). Melbourne is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 13% 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: $2,440 in Providence, RI versus $1,763 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,477 in Providence, RI versus $2,385 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Providence, RI. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Melbourne 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, Providence, RI 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 Melbourne gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Providence, RI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.