Cost of Living Comparison Between Townsville and Melbourne Cost of Living Comparison Between Townsville and Melbourne

๐Ÿ™‚ Solo nomad: Townsville is 1.4% cheaper than Melbourne without rent, and 8.6% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Townsville is 19.2% cheaper than Melbourne without rent, and 7.4% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Townsville
Melbourne
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.56 A$17.71
$19.2 A$29.41
-39.79%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.8 A$93.1
$78.6 A$120
-22.68%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.6 A$14.71
$10.02 A$15.35
-4.19%
Cappuccino
$3.18 A$4.87
$3.67 A$5.62
-13.35%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.39 A$3.67
$2.54 A$3.89
-5.91%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.22 A$3.4
$2.28 A$3.49
-2.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.49 A$9.94
$7.28 A$11.15
-10.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.09 A$7.8
$7.3 A$11.18
-30.27%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Townsville
Melbourne
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.46 A$2.23
$1.44 A$2.2
1.39%
White Bread (500g)
$2.15 A$3.29
$2.63 A$4.02
-18.25%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.67 A$2.56
$2.27 A$3.48
-26.43%
Eggs
$4.05 A$6.21
$4.86 A$7.45
-16.67%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.46 A$11.43
$8.74 A$13.39
-14.65%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.36 A$12.81
$9.19 A$14.07
-9.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.78 A$18.04
$14.95 A$22.9
-21.20%
Apples (1kg)
$3.72 A$5.69
$3.33 A$5.1
11.71%
Banana (1kg)
$2.95 A$4.53
$2.84 A$4.35
3.87%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.32 A$5.08
$3 A$4.6
10.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.23 A$6.48
$3.95 A$6.05
7.09%
Potato (1kg)
$2.56 A$3.93
$2.67 A$4.09
-4.12%
Onion (1kg)
$2.49 A$3.81
$2.34 A$3.58
6.41%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.11 A$3.24
$2.15 A$3.3
-1.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.02 A$3.1
$1.64 A$2.5
23.17%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$24.03 A$36.81
$32.11 A$49.19
-25.16%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.76 A$16.48
$13.13 A$20.11
-18.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.27 A$5.01
$4.54 A$6.96
-27.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.56 A$11.59
$5.05 A$7.74
49.70%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Townsville
Melbourne
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.08 A$3.18
$3.67 A$5.62
-43.32%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$73.3 A$112
$118 A$180
-37.78%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.6 A$5.51
$3.65 A$5.6
-1.37%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.44 A$2.2
$1.34 A$2.05
7.46%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$48.45 A$74.2
$27.26 A$41.77
77.73%
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)
$23.2K A$35.5K
$28.6K A$43.9K
-18.99%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.7K A$30.2K
$23.5K A$36K
-16.05%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Townsville
Melbourne
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$150 A$230
$150 A$230
-0.32%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.23 A$54
$20.8 A$31.86
69.37%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$58.6 A$89.8
$51 A$78.2
14.87%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Townsville
Melbourne
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.83 A$64.1
$48.23 A$73.9
-13.27%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.35 A$21.98
$15.91 A$24.38
-9.81%
Cinema Ticket
$15.54 A$23.8
$16.53 A$25.32
-5.99%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Townsville
Melbourne
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,149 A$1,760
$1,730 A$2,651
-33.63%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.1K A$18.5K
$19.1K A$29.3K
-36.95%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Townsville
Melbourne
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$95.3 A$146
$67.8 A$104
40.55%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$59.9 A$91.7
$53.7 A$82.2
11.59%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.3 A$152
$108 A$165
-7.64%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 A$182
$106 A$162
11.92%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Townsville
Melbourne
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,229 A$1,882
$1,548 A$2,371
-20.61%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,063 A$1,629
$1,228 A$1,881
-13.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,363 A$3,620
$2,973 A$4,555
-20.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,909 A$2,925
$1,956 A$2,997
-2.41%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,938 A$6,032
$7,110 A$10.9K
-44.62%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,351 A$5,133
$5,790 A$8,871
-42.13%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Townsville
Melbourne
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,160 A$6,373
$4,045 A$6,198
2.83%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.06
6.19
-2.10%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Townsville: October 28, 2025

Last update for Melbourne: October 28, 2025

Join the CityCost newsletter โ€“ low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.