Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Scottsdale, AZ and Melbourne

For one person, living costs are similar in Scottsdale, AZ and in Melbourne: $2,911 and $2,821 a month, rent and utilities included.

142

Cost of Living Index in Scottsdale, AZ
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Scottsdale, AZ Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Scottsdale, AZ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,911

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,911 in Scottsdale, AZ versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Scottsdale, AZ $2,911
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,339 in Scottsdale, AZ versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Scottsdale, AZ $4,339
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,767 in Scottsdale, AZ versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Scottsdale, AZ $5,767
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Scottsdale, AZ is roughly 3% more expensive than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Scottsdale, AZ 116% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.63 $19.63

$17.43 A$25.08

12.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.9 $85.9

$84.6 A$122

1.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.83 $12.83

$12.46 A$17.92

2.97%

Cappuccino

$5.32 $5.32

$4.11 A$5.91

29.44%

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

$2.94 $2.94

$3.06 A$4.40

-3.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$2.52 A$3.62

-5.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.10 $6.10

$9.80 A$14.10

-37.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.88 $7.88

$8.57 A$12.33

-8.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.48 A$2.14

-31.76%

White Bread (500g)

$4.06 $4.06

$2.94 A$4.23

38.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.97 $4.97

$2.66 A$3.82

86.84%

Eggs

$4.49 $4.49

$5.54 A$7.97

-18.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.68 $13.68

$10.51 A$15.13

30.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.21 $11.21

$9.65 A$13.89

16.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.13 $17.13

$15.22 A$21.91

12.55%

Apples (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$3.99 A$5.75

10.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 $1.87

$3.02 A$4.34

-38.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.77 $3.77

$3.10 A$4.46

21.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$4.82 A$6.93

-13.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 $2.84

$3.03 A$4.36

-6.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$2.44 A$3.52

15.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.12 $2.12

$2.46 A$3.54

-13.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.63 A$2.34

61.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.65 $10.65

$44.07 A$63.4

-75.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.49 $13.49

$12.70 A$18.28

6.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 $2.49

$5.54 A$7.97

-55.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$5.23 A$7.52

-36.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 $2.26

$3.74 A$5.38

-39.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.51 $42.51

$138 A$198

-69.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.77 $2.77

$4.51 A$6.50

-38.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.36 A$1.96

-1.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.81 $35.81

$30.45 A$43.81

17.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.47 A$2.12

-19.05%

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

$36.6K $36.6K

$29.0K A$41.7K

26.37%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$26.5K A$38.1K

-4.05%

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

$200 $200

$234 A$336

-14.29%

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

$63.7 $63.7

$27.93 A$40.19

128.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.2 $75.2

$55.7 A$80.2

34.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.23 $34.23

$49.40 A$71.1

-30.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.04 $10.04

$21.48 A$30.91

-53.26%

Cinema Ticket

$13.71 $13.71

$15.09 A$21.72

-9.15%

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

$1,238 $1,238

$2,371 A$3,412

-47.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.2K $20.2K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-33.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 $54.9

$80.0 A$115

-31.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.13 $43.13

$50.7 A$73.0

-14.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.2 $99.2

$121 A$174

-17.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 $133

$130 A$188

1.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,387 $2,387

$1,759 A$2,531

35.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,567 $1,567

$1,390 A$2,000

12.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,230 $3,230

$3,494 A$5,027

-7.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,760 $2,760

$2,493 A$3,588

10.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,759 $3,759

$6,926 A$9,967

-45.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,744 $4,744

$6,445 A$9,274

-26.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,671 $5,671

$4,383 A$6,307

29.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

5.9

12.20%

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

Last update for Scottsdale, AZ: October 12, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Scottsdale, AZ

$1.6K 53.8%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 11.3% $177

Groceries & Markets

Scottsdale, AZ

$406 14%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 5.5% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Scottsdale, AZ

$339 11.7%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 6.4% $22

Eating Out

Scottsdale, AZ

$327 11.2%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 3.8% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Scottsdale, AZ

$149 5.1%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 15.6% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Scottsdale, AZ

$62 2.1%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 29.1% $18

Getting Around

Scottsdale, AZ

$61 2.1%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 168% $103

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,387 in Scottsdale, AZ and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Scottsdale, AZ pays 29% 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: $86.0 in Scottsdale, AZ vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $384 per month, with Melbourne cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Scottsdale, AZ

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

03:28 3:28 AM

21:28 9:28 PM

18 h ahead of Scottsdale, AZ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

241,361

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 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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Scottsdale, AZ Melbourne 13,250 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

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Scottsdale, AZ
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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

Scottsdale, AZ vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Scottsdale, AZ and Melbourne differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($2,911 vs $2,821 including rent). Melbourne is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 29% higher in Scottsdale, AZ, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,387 in Scottsdale, AZ versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,238 in Scottsdale, AZ 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 6% higher in Scottsdale, AZ. 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, Scottsdale, AZ 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 3% less than in Scottsdale, AZ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.