Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tarneit and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Tarneit: $2,519 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Tarneit
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Tarneit Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Tarneit

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,519

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,519 in Tarneit versus $2,849 in Melbourne.

Tarneit $2,519
Melbourne $2,849

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,640 in Tarneit versus $4,274 in Melbourne.

Tarneit $3,640
Melbourne $4,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,760 in Tarneit versus $5,699 in Melbourne.

Tarneit $4,760
Melbourne $5,699

Living in Tarneit costs roughly 12% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Tarneit 85% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.61 A$25.03

$17.50 A$24.88

0.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.9 A$121

$84.3 A$120

0.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.30

Cappuccino

$4.02 A$5.71

$4.07 A$5.79

-1.23%

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

$3.06 A$4.36

$3.18 A$4.52

-3.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 A$3.53

$2.50 A$3.55

-0.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.61 A$13.67

$9.57 A$13.61

0.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.45 A$12.01

$8.25 A$11.73

2.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 A$1.23

$1.50 A$2.14

-42.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 A$1.77

$2.97 A$4.22

-58.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 A$1.94

$2.68 A$3.82

-48.88%

Eggs

$5.16 A$7.34

$5.45 A$7.75

-5.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.41 A$14.80

$10.71 A$15.23

-2.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.89 A$14.06

$10.05 A$14.29

-1.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.98 A$21.30

$15.00 A$21.33

-0.13%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$5.93

$4.07 A$5.78

2.46%

Banana (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.45

$3.14 A$4.46

-0.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.11 A$4.43

$3.12 A$4.43

-0.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.86 A$6.91

$4.73 A$6.73

2.75%

Potato (1kg)

$3.08 A$4.38

$2.98 A$4.24

3.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.52

$2.49 A$3.55

-0.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.50

$2.48 A$3.53

-0.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 A$2.24

$1.60 A$2.27

-1.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.03 A$64.0

$44.65 A$63.5

0.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.54 A$17.83

$12.68 A$18.03

-1.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.71 A$8.11

$5.55 A$7.88

2.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.29 A$7.53

$5.18 A$7.37

2.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.78 A$3.96

$3.84 A$5.46

-27.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.4 A$134

$139 A$197

-31.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.43 A$6.29

$4.36 A$6.20

1.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.95

$1.37 A$1.94

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.03 A$42.69

$29.72 A$42.26

1.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 A$2.01

$1.49 A$2.11

-4.70%

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

$29.9K A$42.5K

$29.1K A$41.4K

2.78%

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

$26.4K A$37.5K

$25.7K A$36.5K

2.78%

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

$178 A$253

$236 A$335

-24.62%

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

$28.26 A$40.18

$28.01 A$39.83

0.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.9 A$80.9

$57.2 A$81.4

-0.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.8 A$80.7

$48.39 A$68.8

17.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.11 A$22.90

$21.46 A$30.52

-24.93%

Cinema Ticket

$17.30 A$24.59

$17.67 A$25.12

-2.09%

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

$2,489 A$3,538

$2,461 A$3,499

1.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.0K A$42.6K

$29.7K A$42.2K

0.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 A$114

$81.2 A$115

-1.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 A$71.9

$49.28 A$70.1

2.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$171

$120 A$170

0.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$187

$131 A$186

0.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,380 A$1,962

$1,703 A$2,421

-18.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,207 A$1,716

$1,409 A$2,003

-14.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,347 A$3,337

$3,496 A$4,970

-32.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,797 A$2,555

$2,527 A$3,592

-28.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,047 A$8,598

$7,978 A$11.3K

-24.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,601 A$6,542

$6,900 A$9,811

-33.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,053

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

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

Last update for Tarneit: 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

Tarneit

$1.2K 47.9%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4% 16.7% $202

Groceries & Markets

Tarneit

$356 14.1%

Melbourne

$386 13.6% 8.5% $30

Eating Out

Tarneit

$313 12.4%

Melbourne

$312 11% 0.1% $0.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tarneit

$263 10.4%

Melbourne

$321 11.3% 22.1% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Tarneit

$172 6.8%

Melbourne

$171 6% 0.3% $0.6

Getting Around

Tarneit

$117 4.6%

Melbourne

$165 5.8% 41.5% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Tarneit

$91 3.6%

Melbourne

$84 2.9% 8.4% $7.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,380 in Tarneit and $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85 in Tarneit vs $84 in Melbourne. Groceries flip the comparison at $356 vs $386, with Tarneit cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Tarneit

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

02:20 2:20 AM

Same time as Tarneit

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,562

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Tarneit Melbourne 26 km

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Tarneit
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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

Tarneit vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,519 in Tarneit and $2,849 in Melbourne, so Tarneit is about 12% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,779 in Tarneit and $4,273 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: $1,380 in Tarneit 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 $2,519 per month in Tarneit versus $2,849 in Melbourne – Tarneit is about 12% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Tarneit 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, Tarneit and Melbourne are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.