Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toms River, NJ and Melbourne

For one person, living costs are similar in Toms River, NJ and in Melbourne: $2,884 and $2,849 a month, rent and utilities included.

138

Cost of Living Index in Toms River, NJ
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Toms River, NJ Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Toms River, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,884

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,884 in Toms River, NJ versus $2,849 in Melbourne.

Toms River, NJ $2,884
Melbourne $2,849

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,311 in Toms River, NJ versus $4,274 in Melbourne.

Toms River, NJ $4,311
Melbourne $4,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,738 in Toms River, NJ versus $5,699 in Melbourne.

Toms River, NJ $5,738
Melbourne $5,699

Monthly costs are close between Toms River, NJ and Melbourne; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Toms River, NJ 112% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.87 $19.87

$17.50 A$24.86

13.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.2 $74.2

$84.3 A$120

-11.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.05 $12.05

$12.17 A$17.29

-0.99%

Cappuccino

$5.53 $5.53

$4.07 A$5.79

35.87%

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

$2.57 $2.57

$3.18 A$4.52

-19.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$2.50 A$3.55

-25.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.03 $5.03

$9.57 A$13.60

-47.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.89 $6.89

$8.25 A$11.72

-16.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 $1.41

$1.50 A$2.14

-6.00%

White Bread (500g)

$4.61 $4.61

$2.97 A$4.22

55.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 $2.42

$2.68 A$3.81

-9.70%

Eggs

$4.61 $4.61

$5.45 A$7.75

-15.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.29 $16.29

$10.71 A$15.22

52.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.95 $16.95

$10.05 A$14.28

68.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.81 $16.81

$15.00 A$21.31

12.07%

Apples (1kg)

$5.98 $5.98

$4.07 A$5.78

46.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 $1.30

$3.14 A$4.46

-58.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.15 $5.15

$3.12 A$4.43

65.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.92 $5.92

$4.73 A$6.72

25.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$2.98 A$4.23

-46.98%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$2.49 A$3.55

10.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.53 $2.53

$2.48 A$3.53

2.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.60 A$2.27

21.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.84 $9.84

$44.65 A$63.4

-77.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.09 $10.09

$12.68 A$18.02

-20.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 $2.80

$5.55 A$7.88

-49.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 $3.42

$5.18 A$7.37

-33.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.45

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$197

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 $2.99

$4.36 A$6.19

-31.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.37 A$1.94

55.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.41 $41.41

$29.72 A$42.23

39.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.49 A$2.11

-38.26%

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

$30.8K $30.8K

$29.1K A$41.3K

5.76%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$25.7K A$36.5K

2.11%

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

$243 $243

$236 A$335

2.92%

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

$37.24 $37.24

$28.01 A$39.80

32.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.0 $62.0

$57.2 A$81.3

8.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.15 $30.15

$48.39 A$68.8

-37.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.50

Cinema Ticket

$17.15 $17.15

$17.67 A$25.10

-2.94%

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

$3,103 $3,103

$2,461 A$3,497

26.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.4K $34.4K

$29.7K A$42.2K

15.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.8 $69.8

$81.2 A$115

-14.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$75.8 $75.8

$49.28 A$70.0

53.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 $120

$120 A$170

0.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$131 A$186

-7.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,617 $1,617

$1,703 A$2,419

-5.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,527 $1,527

$1,409 A$2,002

8.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,900 $2,900

$3,496 A$4,967

-17.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,766 $2,766

$2,527 A$3,590

9.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,805

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,268 $5,268

$4,257 A$6,049

23.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

5.9

13.05%

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

Last update for Toms River, NJ: October 24, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toms River, NJ

$1.5K 53%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4% 7.7% $118

Groceries & Markets

Toms River, NJ

$445 15.4%

Melbourne

$386 13.6% 13.1% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toms River, NJ

$342 11.9%

Melbourne

$321 11.3% 6.1% $21

Eating Out

Toms River, NJ

$318 11%

Melbourne

$312 11% 1.8% $5.7

Clothing & Footwear

Toms River, NJ

$174 6%

Melbourne

$171 6% 1.6% $2.9

Sport & Entertainment

Toms River, NJ

$64 2.2%

Melbourne

$84 2.9% 29.9% $19

Getting Around

Toms River, NJ

$14 * 0.5%

Melbourne

$165 5.8% 1113% $152

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 $1,617 in Toms River, NJ and $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toms River, NJ pays 24% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $74 in Toms River, NJ vs $84 in Melbourne. Groceries flip the comparison at $445 vs $386, with Melbourne cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Toms River, NJ

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

17:30 5:30 PM

08:30 8:30 AM

15 h ahead of Toms River, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

95,438

5,031,195

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

AUD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Toms River, NJ Melbourne 16,640 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Toms River, NJ
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

Toms River, NJ vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 24% higher in Toms River, NJ, 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: $1,617 in Toms River, NJ versus $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,103 in Toms River, NJ versus $2,461 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Toms River, NJ. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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, Toms River, NJ and Melbourne are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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