Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Townsville and Melbourne

For one person, living costs are similar in Townsville and in Melbourne: $2,740 and $2,821 a month, rent and utilities included.

133

Cost of Living Index in Townsville
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Townsville Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Townsville

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,740

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,740 in Townsville versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Townsville $2,740
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,002 in Townsville versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Townsville $4,002
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,265 in Townsville versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Townsville $5,265
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Townsville costs roughly 3% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Townsville 103% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.94 A$30.13

$17.43 A$25.08

20.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.6 A$97.3

$84.6 A$122

-20.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.69 A$16.82

$12.46 A$17.92

-6.18%

Cappuccino

$3.60 A$5.18

$4.11 A$5.91

-12.41%

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

$2.49 A$3.59

$3.06 A$4.40

-18.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 A$3.43

$2.52 A$3.62

-5.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.10 A$11.66

$9.80 A$14.10

-17.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.94 A$9.98

$8.57 A$12.33

-19.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 A$2.66

$1.48 A$2.14

25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 A$3.15

$2.94 A$4.23

-25.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 A$2.06

$2.66 A$3.82

-46.24%

Eggs

$5.30 A$7.63

$5.54 A$7.97

-4.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.84 A$11.29

$10.51 A$15.13

-25.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.93 A$14.29

$9.65 A$13.89

2.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.24 A$19.05

$15.22 A$21.91

-13.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.95 A$5.69

$3.99 A$5.75

-1.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.64 A$3.80

$3.02 A$4.34

-12.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.56 A$5.13

$3.10 A$4.46

14.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.20 A$6.05

$4.82 A$6.93

-12.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 A$3.70

$3.03 A$4.36

-15.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 A$3.63

$2.44 A$3.52

3.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.29 A$3.30

$2.46 A$3.54

-6.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 A$3.08

$1.63 A$2.34

31.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$30.34 A$43.66

$44.07 A$63.4

-31.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.37 A$14.92

$12.70 A$18.28

-18.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$6.70 A$9.65

$5.54 A$7.97

20.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.45 A$12.15

$5.23 A$7.52

61.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.10 A$3.02

$3.74 A$5.38

-43.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.0 A$111

$138 A$198

-43.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.91 A$5.63

$4.51 A$6.50

-13.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.37 A$3.42

$1.36 A$1.96

74.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$52.6 A$75.6

$30.45 A$43.81

72.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 A$1.87

$1.47 A$2.12

-11.56%

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

$28.0K A$40.4K

$29.0K A$41.7K

-3.29%

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

$34.0K A$48.9K

$26.5K A$38.1K

28.42%

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

$379 A$546

$234 A$336

62.23%

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

$35.76 A$51.5

$27.93 A$40.19

28.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.6 A$97.2

$55.7 A$80.2

21.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.3 A$79.6

$49.40 A$71.1

11.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.74 A$28.40

$21.48 A$30.91

-8.10%

Cinema Ticket

$15.26 A$21.96

$15.09 A$21.72

1.13%

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

$2,105 A$3,029

$2,371 A$3,412

-11.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.2K A$30.4K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-29.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.9 A$132

$80.0 A$115

14.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.9 A$101

$50.7 A$73.0

37.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$163 A$234

$121 A$174

35.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 A$186

$130 A$188

-0.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,315 A$1,892

$1,759 A$2,531

-25.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,177 A$1,694

$1,390 A$2,000

-15.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,467 A$3,551

$3,494 A$5,027

-29.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,081 A$2,995

$2,493 A$3,588

-16.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,850 A$6,979

$6,926 A$9,967

-29.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,960 A$5,699

$6,445 A$9,274

-38.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,115 A$5,921

$4,383 A$6,307

-6.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

5.9

-6.10%

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

Last update for Townsville: October 12, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Townsville

$1.2K 43%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 18.1% $213

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Townsville

$482 17.6%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 34.2% $165

Groceries & Markets

Townsville

$370 13.5%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 3.8% $14

Eating Out

Townsville

$320 11.7%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 1.6% $5.1

Clothing & Footwear

Townsville

$204 7.5%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 15.9% $33

Getting Around

Townsville

$101 3.7%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 61.8% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Townsville

$86 3.1%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 7.2% $6.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,315 in Townsville and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 7% 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: $68.0 in Townsville vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $370 vs $384 per month, with Townsville cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Townsville

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

02:40 2:40 AM

03:40 3:40 AM

1 h ahead of Townsville

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

173,724

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

On the map

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Between locations

Townsville Melbourne 2,070 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Townsville
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

Townsville vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Townsville and Melbourne differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($2,740 vs $2,821 including rent). Townsville is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 7% 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: $1,315 in Townsville versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,105 in Townsville 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 4% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,740 in Townsville versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Townsville but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Townsville 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, Townsville 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 Townsville gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.