Cost of Living Comparison Between Toowoomba and Melbourne Cost of Living Comparison Between Toowoomba and Melbourne

🙂 Solo nomad: Toowoomba is 14.9% cheaper than Melbourne without rent, and 22.2% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Toowoomba is 24.2% cheaper than Melbourne without rent, and 27.6% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Toowoomba
Melbourne
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.65 A$22.44
$19.2 A$29.41
-23.70%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$59.1 A$90.5
$78.6 A$120
-24.79%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.97 A$13.74
$10.02 A$15.35
-10.48%
Cappuccino
$3.22 A$4.93
$3.67 A$5.62
-12.26%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.54 A$3.89
$2.54 A$3.89
-
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.07 A$3.18
$2.28 A$3.49
-9.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.21 A$9.51
$7.28 A$11.15
-14.70%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.43 A$9.85
$7.3 A$11.18
-11.92%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Toowoomba
Melbourne
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.48 A$2.27
$1.44 A$2.2
2.78%
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 A$2.92
$2.63 A$4.02
-27.38%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 A$2.46
$2.27 A$3.48
-29.07%
Eggs
$4.03 A$6.17
$4.86 A$7.45
-17.08%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.36 A$11.28
$8.74 A$13.39
-15.79%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.82 A$11.98
$9.19 A$14.07
-14.91%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.57 A$19.26
$14.95 A$22.9
-15.92%
Apples (1kg)
$3.01 A$4.62
$3.33 A$5.1
-9.61%
Banana (1kg)
$2.2 A$3.38
$2.84 A$4.35
-22.54%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.44 A$3.74
$3 A$4.6
-18.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.55 A$3.91
$3.95 A$6.05
-35.44%
Potato (1kg)
$2.19 A$3.35
$2.67 A$4.09
-17.98%
Onion (1kg)
$2.31 A$3.54
$2.34 A$3.58
-1.28%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.93 A$2.96
$2.15 A$3.3
-10.23%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.22 A$3.4
$1.64 A$2.5
35.37%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$25.97 A$39.78
$32.11 A$49.19
-19.12%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.64 A$14.77
$13.13 A$20.11
-26.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.16 A$6.38
$4.54 A$6.96
-8.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.42 A$9.83
$5.05 A$7.74
27.13%
🚌 Getting Around
Toowoomba
Melbourne
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.55 A$3.91
$3.67 A$5.62
-30.52%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$66.1 A$101
$118 A$180
-43.91%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.97 A$3.02
$3.65 A$5.6
-46.03%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.38 A$2.11
$1.34 A$2.05
2.99%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.01 A$50.6
$27.26 A$41.77
21.09%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.15 A$1.76
$1.19 A$1.82
-3.36%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25K A$38.2K
$28.6K A$43.9K
-12.87%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.7K A$31.7K
$23.5K A$36K
-12.06%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Toowoomba
Melbourne
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$75.8 A$116
$150 A$230
-49.61%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.42 A$49.66
$20.8 A$31.86
55.87%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$46.22 A$70.8
$51 A$78.2
-9.44%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Toowoomba
Melbourne
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.49 A$48.25
$48.23 A$73.9
-34.71%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.93 A$24.4
$15.91 A$24.38
0.13%
Cinema Ticket
$12.94 A$19.82
$16.53 A$25.32
-21.72%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Toowoomba
Melbourne
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$495 A$759
$1,730 A$2,651
-71.37%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,980 A$10.7K
$19.1K A$29.3K
-63.53%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Toowoomba
Melbourne
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.6 A$94.4
$67.8 A$104
-9.13%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$48.71 A$74.6
$53.7 A$82.2
-9.24%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$78.7 A$121
$108 A$165
-26.81%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$123 A$189
$106 A$162
16.16%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Toowoomba
Melbourne
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$977 A$1,497
$1,548 A$2,371
-36.84%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$920 A$1,409
$1,228 A$1,881
-25.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,443 A$2,210
$2,973 A$4,555
-51.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 A$1,813
$1,956 A$2,997
-39.50%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,537 A$6,951
$7,110 A$10.9K
-36.18%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,465 A$5,309
$5,790 A$8,871
-40.15%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Toowoomba
Melbourne
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,001 A$4,598
$4,045 A$6,198
-25.81%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.5
6.19
5.01%

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

Last update for Toowoomba: October 27, 2025

Last update for Melbourne: October 28, 2025

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