Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rockhampton and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Rockhampton: $1,987 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Rockhampton
Learn more

Rockhampton Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index

Jump to prices

Rockhampton

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,987

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,987 in Rockhampton versus $2,849 in Melbourne.

Rockhampton $1,987
Melbourne $2,849

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,229 in Rockhampton versus $4,274 in Melbourne.

Rockhampton $3,229
Melbourne $4,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,471 in Rockhampton versus $5,699 in Melbourne.

Rockhampton $4,471
Melbourne $5,699

Living in Rockhampton costs roughly 30% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rockhampton 46% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.51 A$29.14

$17.50 A$24.86

17.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.9 A$119

$84.3 A$120

-0.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.90 A$14.07

$12.17 A$17.29

-18.65%

Cappuccino

$5.01 A$7.12

$4.07 A$5.79

23.10%

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

$2.40 A$3.41

$3.18 A$4.52

-24.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 A$3.94

$2.50 A$3.55

10.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.66 A$10.89

$9.57 A$13.60

-19.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.47 A$9.19

$8.25 A$11.72

-21.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.38 A$3.38

$1.50 A$2.14

58.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.34 A$3.33

$2.97 A$4.22

-21.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 A$3.08

$2.68 A$3.81

-19.03%

Eggs

$3.84 A$5.45

$5.45 A$7.75

-29.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.86 A$9.75

$10.71 A$15.22

-35.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.15 A$15.85

$10.05 A$14.28

10.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.74 A$22.36

$15.00 A$21.31

4.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.79

$4.07 A$5.78

-34.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 A$2.93

$3.14 A$4.46

-34.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 A$2.66

$3.12 A$4.43

-40.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.95 A$7.04

$4.73 A$6.72

4.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 A$2.83

$2.98 A$4.23

-33.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.30

$2.49 A$3.55

-6.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.92 A$2.73

$2.48 A$3.53

-22.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 A$3.17

$1.60 A$2.27

39.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$37.33 A$53.1

$44.65 A$63.4

-16.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.17 A$21.56

$12.68 A$18.02

19.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.52 A$5.00

$5.55 A$7.88

-36.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.93 A$8.43

$5.18 A$7.37

14.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 A$2.45

$3.84 A$5.45

-55.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.2 A$89.8

$139 A$197

-54.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 A$4.91

$4.36 A$6.19

-20.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 A$2.50

$1.37 A$1.94

28.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.29 A$55.8

$29.72 A$42.23

32.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 A$1.72

$1.49 A$2.11

-18.79%

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

$29.8K A$42.4K

$29.1K A$41.3K

2.55%

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

$22.9K A$32.5K

$25.7K A$36.5K

-10.88%

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

$203 A$289

$236 A$335

-13.66%

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

$23.89 A$33.94

$28.01 A$39.80

-14.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.6 A$96.1

$57.2 A$81.3

18.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.77 A$56.5

$48.39 A$68.8

-17.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.23 A$20.22

$21.46 A$30.50

-33.69%

Cinema Ticket

$15.89 A$22.57

$17.67 A$25.10

-10.07%

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

$1,776 A$2,523

$2,461 A$3,497

-27.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,584 A$9,356

$29.7K A$42.2K

-77.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$127 A$181

$81.2 A$115

56.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.5 A$84.6

$49.28 A$70.0

20.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$141 A$201

$120 A$170

18.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.0 A$90.9

$131 A$186

-51.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$819 A$1,164

$1,703 A$2,419

-51.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$678 A$964

$1,409 A$2,002

-51.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,625 A$2,309

$3,496 A$4,967

-53.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 A$2,201

$2,527 A$3,590

-38.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,805

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,315 A$4,710

$4,257 A$6,049

-22.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.27

5.9

6.27%

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

Last update for Rockhampton: October 25, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rockhampton

$678 34.1%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4% 108% $730

Groceries & Markets

Rockhampton

$358 18%

Melbourne

$386 13.6% 8.1% $29

Eating Out

Rockhampton

$326 16.4%

Melbourne

$312 11% 4.1% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rockhampton

$295 14.8%

Melbourne

$321 11.3% 8.8% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Rockhampton

$176 8.9%

Melbourne

$171 6% 2.8% $5

Getting Around

Rockhampton

$82 4.2%

Melbourne

$165 5.8% 101% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Rockhampton

$72 3.6%

Melbourne

$84 2.9% 17% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $819 in Rockhampton and $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 28% 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: $84 in Rockhampton vs $84 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $358 vs $386 per month, with Rockhampton cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Rockhampton

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

06:26 6:26 AM

07:26 7:26 AM

1 h ahead of Rockhampton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

63,151

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rockhampton Melbourne 1,690 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Rockhampton
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

Rockhampton vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,987 in Rockhampton and $2,849 in Melbourne, so Rockhampton is about 30% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 22% lower in Rockhampton. 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: $819 in Rockhampton versus $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,987 per month in Rockhampton versus $2,849 in Melbourne – Rockhampton is about 30% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,987 in Rockhampton versus $2,849 in Melbourne, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Rockhampton but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Rockhampton 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, Rockhampton and Melbourne are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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