Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toowoomba and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Toowoomba: $2,110 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in Toowoomba
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Toowoomba Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Toowoomba

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,110

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,110 in Toowoomba versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Toowoomba $2,110
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,921 in Toowoomba versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Toowoomba $2,921
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,732 in Toowoomba versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Toowoomba $3,732
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Toowoomba costs roughly 25% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Toowoomba 56% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.56 A$23.82

$17.43 A$25.08

-4.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.1 A$104

$84.6 A$122

-14.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.30 A$13.38

$12.46 A$17.92

-25.36%

Cappuccino

$3.81 A$5.48

$4.11 A$5.91

-7.30%

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

$2.71 A$3.90

$3.06 A$4.40

-11.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 A$3.37

$2.52 A$3.62

-7.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.78 A$9.75

$9.80 A$14.10

-30.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 A$10.22

$8.57 A$12.33

-17.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.16

$1.48 A$2.14

1.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 A$3.27

$2.94 A$4.23

-22.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 A$2.80

$2.66 A$3.82

-27.07%

Eggs

$4.55 A$6.55

$5.54 A$7.97

-17.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.62 A$12.40

$10.51 A$15.13

-17.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.89 A$12.79

$9.65 A$13.89

-7.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.73 A$16.87

$15.22 A$21.91

-22.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$3.99 A$5.75

-21.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 A$2.58

$3.02 A$4.34

-40.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 A$1.97

$3.10 A$4.46

-55.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 A$3.09

$4.82 A$6.93

-55.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.59

$3.03 A$4.36

-17.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 A$3.20

$2.44 A$3.52

-8.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.39 A$3.45

$2.46 A$3.54

-2.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 A$1.42

$1.63 A$2.34

-39.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$34.77 A$50.0

$44.07 A$63.4

-21.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.72 A$19.75

$12.70 A$18.28

8.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.59 A$6.60

$5.54 A$7.97

-17.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.53 A$9.39

$5.23 A$7.52

24.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$3.74 A$5.38

-18.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 A$3.20

$4.51 A$6.50

-50.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 A$2.31

$1.36 A$1.96

18.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.11 A$49.08

$30.45 A$43.81

12.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 A$1.90

$1.47 A$2.12

-10.20%

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

$26.7K A$38.4K

$29.0K A$41.7K

-7.98%

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

$23.3K A$33.5K

$26.5K A$38.1K

-11.95%

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

$74.5 A$107

$234 A$336

-68.12%

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

$30.11 A$43.33

$27.93 A$40.19

7.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.1 A$77.8

$55.7 A$80.2

-3.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.16 A$59.2

$49.40 A$71.1

-16.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.69 A$25.46

$21.48 A$30.91

-17.64%

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 A$19.92

$15.09 A$21.72

-8.22%

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

$2,039 A$2,934

$2,371 A$3,412

-14.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,996 A$10.1K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-76.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.1 A$108

$80.0 A$115

-6.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.8 A$77.4

$50.7 A$73.0

6.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.8 A$108

$121 A$174

-37.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 A$176

$130 A$188

-6.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 A$1,748

$1,759 A$2,531

-30.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,130 A$1,626

$1,390 A$2,000

-18.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,618 A$2,328

$3,494 A$5,027

-53.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,028

$2,493 A$3,588

-43.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 A$4,881

$6,926 A$9,967

-51.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,674 A$3,847

$6,445 A$9,274

-58.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,869 A$5,567

$4,383 A$6,307

-11.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.69

5.9

-3.56%

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

Last update for Toowoomba: 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

Toowoomba

$1.1K 53.6%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 23% $259

Groceries & Markets

Toowoomba

$309 14.6%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 24.4% $75

Eating Out

Toowoomba

$274 13%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 14.7% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toowoomba

$159 7.5%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 100% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Toowoomba

$147 7%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 17.1% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Toowoomba

$69 3.3%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 15.6% $11

Getting Around

Toowoomba

$22 * 1.1%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 631% $141

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 $1,215 in Toowoomba and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 13% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $72.0 in Toowoomba vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $309 vs $384 per month, with Toowoomba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Toowoomba

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

21:02 9:02 PM

22:02 10:02 PM

1 h ahead of Toowoomba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

108,398

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

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Toowoomba Melbourne 1,310 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Toowoomba
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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

Toowoomba vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Toowoomba and Melbourne differ by about 34% in total monthly costs ($2,110 vs $2,821 including rent). Toowoomba is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 13% lower in Melbourne. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,215 in Toowoomba versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,110 per month in Toowoomba versus $2,821 in Melbourne – a 34% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,110 in Toowoomba versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Toowoomba but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Toowoomba 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, Toowoomba 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 Toowoomba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.