Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tasmania and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Tasmania: $2,116 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Tasmania
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Tasmania Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Tasmania

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,116

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,116 in Tasmania versus $2,853 in Melbourne.

Tasmania $2,116
Melbourne $2,853

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,969 in Tasmania versus $4,275 in Melbourne.

Tasmania $2,969
Melbourne $4,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,823 in Tasmania versus $5,697 in Melbourne.

Tasmania $3,823
Melbourne $5,697

Living in Tasmania costs roughly 26% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Tasmania 56% above, Melbourne 111% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.10 A$40.43

$17.20 A$24.75

63.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.6 A$98.7

$83.1 A$120

-17.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.79 A$15.53

$12.43 A$17.88

-13.19%

Cappuccino

$3.86 A$5.56

$4.05 A$5.82

-4.69%

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

$2.83 A$4.07

$3.12 A$4.50

-9.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 A$2.93

$2.46 A$3.54

-17.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.32 A$16.29

$9.52 A$13.71

18.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.68 A$9.61

$8.16 A$11.74

-18.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.20 A$3.16

$1.56 A$2.25

41.03%

White Bread (500g)

$3.48 A$5.00

$2.90 A$4.18

20.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.32

$2.66 A$3.82

-13.53%

Eggs

$5.30 A$7.63

$5.37 A$7.72

-1.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.09 A$14.52

$10.67 A$15.36

-5.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.40 A$17.85

$9.85 A$14.17

25.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.11 A$23.18

$15.36 A$22.11

4.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.48 A$5.00

$4.17 A$6.00

-16.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.59 A$3.73

$3.15 A$4.53

-17.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 A$4.07

$3.26 A$4.69

-13.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 A$5.61

$4.76 A$6.85

-18.07%

Potato (1kg)

$3.92 A$5.64

$3.06 A$4.41

28.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.72 A$3.91

$2.47 A$3.55

10.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.98 A$4.29

$2.45 A$3.52

21.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 A$1.29

$1.63 A$2.34

-45.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$31.04 A$44.67

$45.17 A$65.0

-31.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.25

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$7.41 A$10.67

$5.69 A$8.18

30.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.37 A$10.61

$5.23 A$7.53

40.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 A$5.57

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$204

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 A$6.53

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.04

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.59 A$44.01

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 A$1.99

$1.47 A$2.11

-6.12%

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

$28.9K A$41.5K

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

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

$235 A$338

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

$20.71 A$29.80

$27.45 A$39.51

-24.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.8 A$78.9

$56.1 A$80.8

-2.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.4 A$89.8

$50.1 A$72.1

24.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.49 A$30.93

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 A$25.56

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

$2,385 A$3,432

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 A$114

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.49 A$71.2

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 A$200

$118 A$170

17.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 A$1,615

$1,763 A$2,537

-36.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,114 A$1,603

$1,411 A$2,031

-21.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,764 A$2,538

$3,522 A$5,069

-49.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 A$2,015

$2,525 A$3,634

-44.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,822 A$9,816

$7,136 A$10.3K

-4.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,355 A$9,144

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,630 A$6,663

$4,258 A$6,128

8.74%

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 Tasmania: October 19, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tasmania

$1.1K 52.6%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5% 26.7% $297

Groceries & Markets

Tasmania

$409 19.3%

Melbourne

$388 13.6% 4.9% $20

Eating Out

Tasmania

$393 18.6%

Melbourne

$310 10.9% 21.2% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tasmania

$76 * 3.6%

Melbourne

$319 11.2% 322% $243

Clothing & Footwear

Tasmania

$63 * 3%

Melbourne

$171 6% 173% $108

Sport & Entertainment

Tasmania

$62 * 3%

Melbourne

$86 3% 37.2% $23

Getting Around

Tasmania

- * 0%

Melbourne

$169 5.9%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,122 in Tasmania and $1,763 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tasmania pays 9% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $69.0 in Tasmania vs $83.0 in Melbourne. Groceries flip the comparison at $409 vs $388, with Melbourne cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Tasmania

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

22:53 10:53 PM

Same time as Tasmania

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

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

On the map

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Between locations

Tasmania Melbourne 500 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Tasmania
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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

Tasmania vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tasmania and Melbourne differ by about 35% in total monthly costs ($2,116 vs $2,853 including rent). Tasmania is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 9% higher in Tasmania, 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: $1,122 in Tasmania versus $1,763 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Tasmania – a meal for two runs $69.0 versus $83.0 in Melbourne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,116 per month in Tasmania versus $2,853 in Melbourne – a 35% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,116 in Tasmania versus $2,853 in Melbourne, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Tasmania but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Tasmania 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, Tasmania 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 Tasmania gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.