Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sunshine Coast and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Sunshine Coast: $2,343 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Sunshine Coast
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Sunshine Coast Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Sunshine Coast

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,343

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,343 in Sunshine Coast versus $2,849 in Melbourne.

Sunshine Coast $2,343
Melbourne $2,849

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,553 in Sunshine Coast versus $4,274 in Melbourne.

Sunshine Coast $3,553
Melbourne $4,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,762 in Sunshine Coast versus $5,699 in Melbourne.

Sunshine Coast $4,762
Melbourne $5,699

Living in Sunshine Coast costs roughly 18% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sunshine Coast 72% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.72 A$25.18

$17.50 A$24.86

1.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.9 A$105

$84.3 A$120

-12.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 A$14.98

$12.17 A$17.29

-13.39%

Cappuccino

$3.96 A$5.63

$4.07 A$5.79

-2.70%

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

$2.88 A$4.09

$3.18 A$4.52

-9.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 A$3.89

$2.50 A$3.55

9.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.48 A$10.63

$9.57 A$13.60

-21.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.21 A$13.08

$8.25 A$11.72

11.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 A$1.89

$1.50 A$2.14

-11.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.97 A$2.79

$2.97 A$4.22

-33.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 A$2.91

$2.68 A$3.81

-23.51%

Eggs

$4.74 A$6.73

$5.45 A$7.75

-13.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.17 A$15.87

$10.71 A$15.22

4.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.99 A$11.35

$10.05 A$14.28

-20.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.27 A$30.22

$15.00 A$21.31

41.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.47

$4.07 A$5.78

-22.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.46 A$3.50

$3.14 A$4.46

-21.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.47

$3.12 A$4.43

0.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 A$5.75

$4.73 A$6.72

-14.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.17 A$3.08

$2.98 A$4.23

-27.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.68 A$2.39

$2.49 A$3.55

-32.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 A$3.15

$2.48 A$3.53

-10.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 A$3.28

$1.60 A$2.27

44.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$47.13 A$67.0

$44.65 A$63.4

5.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.54 A$22.08

$12.68 A$18.02

22.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.51 A$7.83

$5.55 A$7.88

-0.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.92 A$8.41

$5.18 A$7.37

14.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 A$0.52

$3.84 A$5.45

-90.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.32 A$34.56

$139 A$197

-82.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.12 A$3.02

$4.36 A$6.19

-51.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 A$2.27

$1.37 A$1.94

16.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.31 A$51.6

$29.72 A$42.23

22.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 A$1.89

$1.49 A$2.11

-10.74%

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

$31.3K A$44.5K

$29.1K A$41.3K

7.58%

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

$31.1K A$44.2K

$25.7K A$36.5K

21.13%

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

$139 A$198

$236 A$335

-40.91%

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

$43.15 A$61.3

$28.01 A$39.80

54.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.7 A$94.8

$57.2 A$81.3

16.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.8 A$73.5

$48.39 A$68.8

6.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.50 A$23.45

$21.46 A$30.50

-23.11%

Cinema Ticket

$15.63 A$22.20

$17.67 A$25.10

-11.54%

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

$2,168 A$3,080

$2,461 A$3,497

-11.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.0 A$92.4

$81.2 A$115

-19.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$112 A$160

$49.28 A$70.0

127.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.4 A$137

$120 A$170

-19.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.8 A$142

$131 A$186

-23.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,351 A$1,920

$1,703 A$2,419

-20.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,130 A$1,606

$1,409 A$2,002

-19.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,410 A$3,424

$3,496 A$4,967

-31.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,026 A$2,879

$2,527 A$3,590

-19.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,540 A$7,872

$7,978 A$11.3K

-30.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,183 A$7,365

$6,900 A$9,805

-24.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,508 A$4,985

$4,257 A$6,049

-17.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.75

5.9

-2.54%

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

Last update for Sunshine Coast: October 26, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sunshine Coast

$1.1K 48.3%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4% 24.6% $278

Groceries & Markets

Sunshine Coast

$378 16.1%

Melbourne

$386 13.6% 2.4% $8.9

Eating Out

Sunshine Coast

$299 12.8%

Melbourne

$312 11% 4.4% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sunshine Coast

$249 10.6%

Melbourne

$321 11.3% 28.8% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Sunshine Coast

$168 7.2%

Melbourne

$171 6% 2% $3.4

Sport & Entertainment

Sunshine Coast

$83 3.5%

Melbourne

$84 2.9% 0.9% $0.7

Getting Around

Sunshine Coast

$36 1.5%

Melbourne

$165 5.8% 360% $129

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,351 in Sunshine Coast and $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 21% 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 in Sunshine Coast vs $84 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $378 vs $386 per month, with Sunshine Coast cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sunshine Coast

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

01:46 1:46 AM

02:46 2:46 AM

1 h ahead of Sunshine Coast

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

284,131

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

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Between locations

Sunshine Coast Melbourne 1,460 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sunshine Coast
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

Sunshine Coast vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sunshine Coast and Melbourne differ by about 22% in total monthly costs ($2,343 vs $2,849 including rent). Sunshine Coast is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 18% lower in Sunshine Coast. 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: $1,351 in Sunshine Coast versus $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sunshine Coast runs roughly 82% less than in Melbourne. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $2,343 per month in Sunshine Coast versus $2,849 in Melbourne – a 22% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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, Sunshine Coast 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.

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