Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stuttgart and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Stuttgart: $2,187 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Stuttgart
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Stuttgart Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Stuttgart

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,187

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,187 in Stuttgart versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Stuttgart $2,187
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,329 in Stuttgart versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Stuttgart $3,329
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,471 in Stuttgart versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Stuttgart $4,471
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Stuttgart costs roughly 22% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Stuttgart 62% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.37 €18.12

$17.43 A$25.08

16.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.0 €65.8

$84.6 A$122

-12.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.60 €12.10

$12.46 A$17.92

9.15%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$4.11 A$5.91

-1.95%

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

$4.14 €3.68

$3.06 A$4.40

35.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 €3.59

$2.52 A$3.62

59.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.07 €4.51

$9.80 A$14.10

-48.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.85 €5.21

$8.57 A$12.33

-31.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.48 A$2.14

-10.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.13 €1.90

$2.94 A$4.23

-27.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.14 €2.79

$2.66 A$3.82

18.05%

Eggs

$4.50 €4.00

$5.54 A$7.97

-18.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.50 €14.68

$10.51 A$15.13

56.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.67 €11.27

$9.65 A$13.89

31.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.98 €15.99

$15.22 A$21.91

18.13%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 €2.76

$3.99 A$5.75

-22.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 €1.73

$3.02 A$4.34

-35.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$3.10 A$4.46

-34.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.74 €3.33

$4.82 A$6.93

-22.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 €1.17

$3.03 A$4.36

-56.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 €1.26

$2.44 A$3.52

-41.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.46 A$3.54

-41.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$1.63 A$2.34

-42.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.66 €8.59

$44.07 A$63.4

-78.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$12.70 A$18.28

-55.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 €0.90

$5.54 A$7.97

-81.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 €1.47

$5.23 A$7.52

-68.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.99 €3.55

$3.74 A$5.38

6.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.5 €63.6

$138 A$198

-47.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.62 €4.11

$4.51 A$6.50

2.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.84 €2.52

$1.36 A$1.96

108.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.64 €36.14

$30.45 A$43.81

33.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.47 A$2.12

53.06%

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

$33.2K €29.5K

$29.0K A$41.7K

14.35%

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

$38.7K €34.4K

$26.5K A$38.1K

46.29%

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

$309 €275

$234 A$336

32.37%

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

$17.36 €15.45

$27.93 A$40.19

-37.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.56 €36.97

$55.7 A$80.2

-25.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.1 €49.88

$49.40 A$71.1

13.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.43 €29.73

$21.48 A$30.91

55.63%

Cinema Ticket

$12.74 €11.33

$15.09 A$21.72

-15.57%

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

$1,026 €913

$2,371 A$3,412

-56.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K €15.8K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-41.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.3 €79.5

$80.0 A$115

11.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.61 €37.90

$50.7 A$73.0

-15.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.5 €84.9

$121 A$174

-20.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 €123

$130 A$188

6.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,262 €1,123

$1,759 A$2,531

-28.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$815 €725

$1,390 A$2,000

-41.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,901 €1,691

$3,494 A$5,027

-45.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,505 €1,338

$2,493 A$3,588

-39.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,672 €5,935

$6,926 A$9,967

-3.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,291 €3,817

$6,445 A$9,274

-33.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,070 €3,620

$4,383 A$6,307

-7.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.9

-34.75%

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

Last update for Stuttgart: October 11, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stuttgart

$815 37.3%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 70.6% $575

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stuttgart

$368 16.8%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 13.8% $51

Groceries & Markets

Stuttgart

$329 15.1%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 16.6% $55

Eating Out

Stuttgart

$322 14.7%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 2.3% $7.3

Clothing & Footwear

Stuttgart

$165 7.5%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 4.3% $7.1

Getting Around

Stuttgart

$106 4.9%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 54.1% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Stuttgart

$82 3.7%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 2.4% $2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,262 in Stuttgart and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 8% 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: $74.0 in Stuttgart vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $329 vs $384 per month, with Stuttgart cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Stuttgart

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

02:14 2:14 AM

11:14 11:14 AM

9 h ahead of Stuttgart

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

613,392

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Stuttgart Melbourne 16,290 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Stuttgart
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

Stuttgart vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Stuttgart and Melbourne differ by about 29% in total monthly costs ($2,187 vs $2,821 including rent). Stuttgart is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 8% 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: $1,262 in Stuttgart versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,026 in Stuttgart 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 17% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,187 in Stuttgart versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Stuttgart but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Stuttgart 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, Stuttgart 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 Stuttgart gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.