Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tweed Heads and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Tweed Heads: $2,511 a month against $2,823 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

120

Cost of Living Index in Tweed Heads
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Tweed Heads Living Index
136

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Tweed Heads

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,511

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,823

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,511 in Tweed Heads versus $2,823 in Melbourne.

Tweed Heads $2,511
Melbourne $2,823

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,682 in Tweed Heads versus $4,253 in Melbourne.

Tweed Heads $3,682
Melbourne $4,253

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,853 in Tweed Heads versus $5,683 in Melbourne.

Tweed Heads $4,853
Melbourne $5,683

Living in Tweed Heads costs roughly 11% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Tweed Heads 86% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.41 A$30.57

$17.34 A$24.76

23.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$103 A$148

$82.7 A$118

25.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.07 A$15.81

$12.63 A$18.04

-12.35%

Cappuccino

$4.40 A$6.29

$4.22 A$6.03

4.27%

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

$2.93 A$4.18

$3.12 A$4.45

-6.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 A$3.54

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.79 A$11.13

$9.69 A$13.84

-19.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.48 A$10.68

$8.30 A$11.86

-9.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 A$2.35

$1.50 A$2.15

10.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.72 A$3.89

$3.08 A$4.39

-11.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 A$3.30

$2.64 A$3.77

-12.50%

Eggs

$4.97 A$7.10

$5.58 A$7.96

-10.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.41 A$13.43

$9.78 A$13.97

-3.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.45 A$13.50

$9.52 A$13.60

-0.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.98 A$21.39

$15.18 A$21.68

-1.32%

Apples (1kg)

$4.22 A$6.03

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.31

$3.13 A$4.47

-3.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.33 A$4.76

$3.24 A$4.63

2.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.79 A$6.85

$4.71 A$6.72

1.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 A$3.89

$3.13 A$4.47

-13.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.41 A$3.44

$2.46 A$3.51

-2.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.51 A$3.59

$2.40 A$3.43

4.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 A$2.18

$1.47 A$2.10

4.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.92 A$55.6

$42.76 A$61.1

-8.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.69 A$18.12

$12.90 A$18.42

-1.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.29 A$7.56

$5.53 A$7.90

-4.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.04 A$7.20

$5.16 A$7.36

-2.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.68 A$3.82

$3.79 A$5.42

-29.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.1 A$121

$141 A$202

-39.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 A$3.06

$3.75 A$5.36

-42.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 A$2.25

$1.44 A$2.06

9.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.57 A$52.2

$28.93 A$41.32

26.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 A$1.87

$1.45 A$2.07

-9.66%

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

$29.7K A$42.5K

$29.6K A$42.2K

0.52%

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

$25.5K A$36.4K

$26.3K A$37.5K

-2.87%

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

$160 A$229

$229 A$327

-29.98%

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

$25.96 A$37.07

$26.76 A$38.22

-2.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.0 A$75.6

$57.5 A$82.2

-7.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.1 A$80.2

$49.77 A$71.1

12.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.43 A$24.89

$21.45 A$30.63

-18.74%

Cinema Ticket

$13.36 A$19.07

$17.43 A$24.90

-23.35%

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

$1,981 A$2,829

$2,435 A$3,477

-18.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K A$16.8K

$33.6K A$48.0K

-64.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.1 A$109

$80.4 A$115

-5.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.81 A$64.0

$51.5 A$73.5

-12.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 A$150

$121 A$173

-13.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 A$158

$134 A$191

-17.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,398 A$1,996

$1,748 A$2,497

-20.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,226 A$1,751

$1,386 A$1,979

-11.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,262 A$3,230

$3,468 A$4,952

-34.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,816 A$2,593

$2,520 A$3,598

-27.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,826 A$8,320

$8,274 A$11.8K

-29.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,932 A$7,043

$7,066 A$10.1K

-30.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,206 A$6,007

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.69

5.97

-4.69%

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

Last update for Tweed Heads: November 2, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tweed Heads

$1.2K 48.8%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.1% 13% $160

Groceries & Markets

Tweed Heads

$373 14.9%

Melbourne

$383 13.6% 2.6% $9.8

Eating Out

Tweed Heads

$333 13.3%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 5.4% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tweed Heads

$239 9.5%

Melbourne

$313 11.1% 31% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Tweed Heads

$151 6%

Melbourne

$174 6.2% 14.9% $23

Getting Around

Tweed Heads

$106 4.2%

Melbourne

$167 5.9% 58.2% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Tweed Heads

$83 3.3%

Melbourne

$85 3% 2.2% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,398 in Tweed Heads and $1,748 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $103 in Tweed Heads vs $83 in Melbourne. Groceries flip the comparison at $373 vs $383, with Tweed Heads cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Tweed Heads

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

00:34 12:34 AM

Same time as Tweed Heads

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,017

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Tweed Heads Melbourne 1,340 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Tweed Heads
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

Tweed Heads vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,511 in Tweed Heads and $2,823 in Melbourne, so Tweed Heads is about 11% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,767 in Tweed Heads and $4,234 in Melbourne to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,398 in Tweed Heads versus $1,748 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,981 in Tweed Heads versus $2,435 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Tweed Heads is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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