Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sale and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Sale: $2,445 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.

121

Cost of Living Index in Sale
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Sale Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

Jump to prices

Sale

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,445

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,445 in Sale versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Sale $2,445
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,589 in Sale versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Sale $3,589
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,732 in Sale versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Sale $4,732
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Sale 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: Sale 81% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 A$21.82

$17.43 A$25.08

-13.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.4 A$119

$84.6 A$122

-2.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.48 A$16.52

$12.46 A$17.92

-7.87%

Cappuccino

$3.80 A$5.46

$4.11 A$5.91

-7.54%

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

$3.10 A$4.46

$3.06 A$4.40

1.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 A$3.03

$2.52 A$3.62

-16.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.47 A$12.19

$9.80 A$14.10

-13.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.86 A$11.31

$8.57 A$12.33

-8.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 A$2.30

$1.48 A$2.14

8.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.49 A$3.58

$2.94 A$4.23

-15.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.27 A$3.27

$2.66 A$3.82

-14.66%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.98

$5.54 A$7.97

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.18 A$13.21

$10.51 A$15.13

-12.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 A$12.91

$9.65 A$13.89

-7.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.39 A$22.15

$15.22 A$21.91

1.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.60 A$5.18

$3.99 A$5.75

-9.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.89 A$4.17

$3.02 A$4.34

-4.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 A$4.30

$3.10 A$4.46

-3.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.20 A$6.05

$4.82 A$6.93

-12.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.75 A$3.96

$3.03 A$4.36

-9.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 A$3.30

$2.44 A$3.52

-6.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.12 A$3.06

$2.46 A$3.54

-13.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 A$1.96

$1.63 A$2.34

-16.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.03 A$63.4

$44.07 A$63.4

-0.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.02 A$21.62

$12.70 A$18.28

18.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.58 A$6.59

$5.54 A$7.97

-17.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.53

$5.23 A$7.52

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 A$4.19

$3.74 A$5.38

-22.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.6 A$122

$138 A$198

-38.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.92 A$5.64

$4.51 A$6.50

-13.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 A$2.14

$1.36 A$1.96

9.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.41 A$65.4

$30.45 A$43.81

49.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 A$1.65

$1.47 A$2.12

-21.77%

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

$26.1K A$37.6K

$29.0K A$41.7K

-9.92%

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

$28.3K A$40.7K

$26.5K A$38.1K

6.74%

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

$210 A$302

$234 A$336

-10.18%

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

$31.51 A$45.34

$27.93 A$40.19

12.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.5 A$87.0

$55.7 A$80.2

8.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.9 A$90.5

$49.40 A$71.1

27.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.87 A$24.28

$21.48 A$30.91

-21.46%

Cinema Ticket

$15.86 A$22.82

$15.09 A$21.72

5.10%

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

$2,317 A$3,334

$2,371 A$3,412

-2.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.8K A$31.3K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-27.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.7 A$106

$80.0 A$115

-7.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 A$72.7

$50.7 A$73.0

-0.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 A$147

$121 A$174

-15.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 A$154

$130 A$188

-17.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,502 A$2,161

$1,759 A$2,531

-14.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,150 A$1,655

$1,390 A$2,000

-17.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,440 A$3,511

$3,494 A$5,027

-30.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,855 A$2,669

$2,493 A$3,588

-25.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,605 A$9,505

$6,926 A$9,967

-4.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,309 A$6,201

$6,445 A$9,274

-33.13%

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 Sale: 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

Sale

$1.2K 47.1%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 20.8% $240

Groceries & Markets

Sale

$360 14.7%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 6.6% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sale

$302 12.4%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 5.1% $15

Eating Out

Sale

$280 11.5%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 12.2% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Sale

$150 6.1%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 14.4% $22

Getting Around

Sale

$108 4.4%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 52.3% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Sale

$95 3.9%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 15.9% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,502 in Sale and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $82.0 in Sale vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $360 vs $384 per month, with Sale cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sale

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

04:17 4:17 AM

Same time as Sale

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,673

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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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

Sale vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sale and Melbourne differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($2,445 vs $2,821 including rent). Sale is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,667 in Sale 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: $1,502 in Sale versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,317 in Sale 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 7% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Sale 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, Sale 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 Sale 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.