Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver, WA and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Vancouver, WA: $2,757 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

131

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver, WA
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Vancouver, WA Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Vancouver, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,757

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,757 in Vancouver, WA versus $2,849 in Melbourne.

Vancouver, WA $2,757
Melbourne $2,849

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,901 in Vancouver, WA versus $4,274 in Melbourne.

Vancouver, WA $3,901
Melbourne $4,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,044 in Vancouver, WA versus $5,699 in Melbourne.

Vancouver, WA $5,044
Melbourne $5,699

Living in Vancouver, WA costs roughly 3% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.78 $21.78

$17.50 A$24.79

24.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.1 $93.1

$84.3 A$119

10.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.97 $12.97

$12.17 A$17.24

6.57%

Cappuccino

$5.95 $5.95

$4.07 A$5.77

46.19%

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

$3.03 $3.03

$3.18 A$4.50

-4.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$2.50 A$3.54

-23.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.31 $6.31

$9.57 A$13.56

-34.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.09 $8.09

$8.25 A$11.69

-1.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.50 A$2.13

-30.67%

White Bread (500g)

$4.13 $4.13

$2.97 A$4.21

39.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$2.68 A$3.80

69.78%

Eggs

$4.33 $4.33

$5.45 A$7.73

-20.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.90 $11.90

$10.71 A$15.18

11.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 $10.32

$10.05 A$14.24

2.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 $16.87

$15.00 A$21.25

12.47%

Apples (1kg)

$4.28 $4.28

$4.07 A$5.76

5.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 $1.40

$3.14 A$4.44

-55.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$3.12 A$4.42

-9.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.64 $2.64

$4.73 A$6.70

-44.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 $2.20

$2.98 A$4.22

-26.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 $1.85

$2.49 A$3.53

-25.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.07 $2.07

$2.48 A$3.52

-16.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.60 A$2.27

6.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.45 $12.45

$44.65 A$63.3

-72.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.92 $10.92

$12.68 A$17.96

-13.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$5.55 A$7.86

-60.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 $4.43

$5.18 A$7.35

-14.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.44 $2.44

$3.84 A$5.44

-36.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.9 $90.9

$139 A$196

-34.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.38 $4.38

$4.36 A$6.17

0.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 $0.79

$1.37 A$1.94

-42.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.06 $24.06

$29.72 A$42.11

-19.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.49 A$2.10

-8.05%

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

$28.0K $28.0K

$29.1K A$41.2K

-3.70%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$25.7K A$36.4K

5.82%

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

$202 $202

$236 A$334

-14.28%

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

$72.4 $72.4

$28.01 A$39.68

158.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.2 $64.2

$57.2 A$81.1

12.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.86 $41.86

$48.39 A$68.6

-13.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.31 $26.31

$21.46 A$30.41

22.60%

Cinema Ticket

$15.27 $15.27

$17.67 A$25.03

-13.58%

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

$1,333 $1,333

$2,461 A$3,486

-45.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K $13.0K

$29.7K A$42.1K

-56.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.81 $41.81

$81.2 A$115

-48.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.32 $30.32

$49.28 A$69.8

-38.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.0 $85.0

$120 A$169

-28.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 $84.3

$131 A$186

-35.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,776 $1,776

$1,703 A$2,412

4.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 $1,416

$1,409 A$1,996

0.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,455 $2,455

$3,496 A$4,952

-29.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,996 $1,996

$2,527 A$3,579

-21.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,007 $4,007

$7,978 A$11.3K

-49.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,192 $3,192

$6,900 A$9,775

-53.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,435 $4,435

$4,257 A$6,030

4.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

5.9

13.39%

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

Last update for Vancouver, WA: October 25, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver, WA

$1.4K 51.4%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4% 0.5% $7.7

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver, WA

$360 13.1%

Melbourne

$386 13.6% 7.3% $26

Eating Out

Vancouver, WA

$352 12.8%

Melbourne

$312 11% 11.3% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver, WA

$339 12.3%

Melbourne

$321 11.3% 5.2% $18

Getting Around

Vancouver, WA

$109 4%

Melbourne

$165 5.8% 51.6% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver, WA

$109 3.9%

Melbourne

$171 6% 57.8% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver, WA

$72 2.6%

Melbourne

$84 2.9% 15.6% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,776 in Vancouver, WA and $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vancouver, WA pays 4% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $93 in Vancouver, WA vs $84 in Melbourne. Groceries flip the comparison at $360 vs $386, with Vancouver, WA cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Vancouver, WA

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

18:21 6:21 PM

12:21 12:21 PM

18 h ahead of Vancouver, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

190,915

5,031,195

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.634 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.706 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.634 EUR).

AUD to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Vancouver, WA Melbourne 13,060 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Vancouver, WA
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

Vancouver, WA vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,757 in Vancouver, WA and $2,849 in Melbourne, so Vancouver, WA is about 3% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 4% higher in Vancouver, WA, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,776 in Vancouver, WA versus $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,333 in Vancouver, WA versus $2,461 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% 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. Vancouver, WA 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, Vancouver, WA and Melbourne are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.