Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thames and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Thames: $1,966 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Thames
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Thames Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

Jump to prices

Thames

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,966

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,966 in Thames versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Thames $1,966
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,999 in Thames versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Thames $2,999
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,032 in Thames versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Thames $4,032
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Thames costs roughly 30% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Thames 46% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.93 NZ$24.63

$17.43 A$25.08

-20.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 NZ$121

$84.6 A$122

-19.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.89 NZ$15.72

$12.46 A$17.92

-28.65%

Cappuccino

$3.42 NZ$6.06

$4.11 A$5.91

-16.79%

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

$2.02 NZ$3.57

$3.06 A$4.40

-33.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 NZ$3.08

$2.52 A$3.62

-30.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.88 NZ$12.16

$9.80 A$14.10

-29.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.73 NZ$11.90

$8.57 A$12.33

-21.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 NZ$3.31

$1.48 A$2.14

26.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 NZ$3.93

$2.94 A$4.23

-24.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 NZ$3.16

$2.66 A$3.82

-32.71%

Eggs

$6.20 NZ$10.97

$5.54 A$7.97

11.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.79 NZ$15.55

$10.51 A$15.13

-16.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.68 NZ$17.11

$9.65 A$13.89

0.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.82 NZ$29.74

$15.22 A$21.91

10.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 NZ$4.95

$3.99 A$5.75

-29.82%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 NZ$3.82

$3.02 A$4.34

-28.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 NZ$5.14

$3.10 A$4.46

-6.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.75 NZ$10.17

$4.82 A$6.93

19.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 NZ$3.77

$3.03 A$4.36

-29.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 NZ$2.69

$2.44 A$3.52

-37.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.98 NZ$3.50

$2.46 A$3.54

-19.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 NZ$1.84

$1.63 A$2.34

-36.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$26.57 NZ$46.99

$44.07 A$63.4

-39.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.25 NZ$18.12

$12.70 A$18.28

-19.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 NZ$5.02

$5.54 A$7.97

-48.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 NZ$5.98

$5.23 A$7.52

-35.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 NZ$2.56

$3.74 A$5.38

-61.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.4 NZ$133

$138 A$198

-45.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.30 NZ$4.06

$4.51 A$6.50

-49.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 NZ$3.40

$1.36 A$1.96

41.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.20 NZ$56.9

$30.45 A$43.81

5.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 NZ$3.31

$1.47 A$2.12

27.21%

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

$25.1K NZ$44.5K

$29.0K A$41.7K

-13.29%

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

$21.7K NZ$38.4K

$26.5K A$38.1K

-18.07%

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

$183 NZ$324

$234 A$336

-21.48%

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

$26.20 NZ$46.33

$27.93 A$40.19

-6.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.7 NZ$89.6

$55.7 A$80.2

-9.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.84 NZ$74.0

$49.40 A$71.1

-15.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$13.10 NZ$23.17

$15.09 A$21.72

-13.19%

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

$1,135 NZ$2,007

$2,371 A$3,412

-52.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.2K NZ$34.0K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-36.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 NZ$140

$80.0 A$115

-1.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.93 NZ$70.6

$50.7 A$73.0

-21.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.3 NZ$163

$121 A$174

-23.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 NZ$197

$130 A$188

-14.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$930 NZ$1,645

$1,759 A$2,531

-47.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$821 NZ$1,451

$1,390 A$2,000

-40.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,484 NZ$2,624

$3,494 A$5,027

-57.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,486 NZ$2,629

$2,493 A$3,588

-40.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,552 NZ$8,050

$6,926 A$9,967

-34.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,773 NZ$6,673

$6,445 A$9,274

-41.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.37

5.9

-8.98%

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

Last update for Thames: 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

Thames

$821 41.7%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 69.3% $569

Groceries & Markets

Thames

$337 17.1%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 14% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thames

$260 13.2%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 21.9% $57

Eating Out

Thames

$242 12.3%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 29.9% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Thames

$145 7.4%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 18.2% $27

Getting Around

Thames

$93 4.7%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 76% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Thames

$68 3.5%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 17% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $930 in Thames and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68.0 in Thames vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $337 vs $384 per month, with Thames cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Thames

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

06:54 6:54 AM

04:54 4:54 AM

2 h behind Thames

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,500

5,031,195

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Thames Melbourne 2,690 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Thames
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

Thames vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Thames and Melbourne differ by about 43% in total monthly costs ($1,966 vs $2,821 including rent). Thames is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,949 in Thames and $4,231 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: $930 in Thames versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,135 in Thames 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 14% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,966 in Thames versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Thames but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Thames 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, Thames 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 Thames gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.