Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Virginia Beach, VA and Melbourne

For one person, living costs are similar in Virginia Beach, VA and in Melbourne: $2,871 and $2,849 a month, rent and utilities included.

138

Cost of Living Index in Virginia Beach, VA
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Virginia Beach, VA Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Virginia Beach, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,871

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,871 in Virginia Beach, VA versus $2,849 in Melbourne.

Virginia Beach, VA $2,871
Melbourne $2,849

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,064 in Virginia Beach, VA versus $4,274 in Melbourne.

Virginia Beach, VA $4,064
Melbourne $4,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,257 in Virginia Beach, VA versus $5,699 in Melbourne.

Virginia Beach, VA $5,257
Melbourne $5,699

Monthly costs are close between Virginia Beach, VA and Melbourne; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Virginia Beach, VA 111% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.35 $18.35

$17.50 A$24.86

4.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.9 $90.9

$84.3 A$120

7.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.22 $12.22

$12.17 A$17.29

0.41%

Cappuccino

$6.00 $6.00

$4.07 A$5.79

47.42%

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

$2.81 $2.81

$3.18 A$4.52

-11.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.50 A$3.55

-13.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.02 $6.02

$9.57 A$13.60

-37.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.19 $7.19

$8.25 A$11.72

-12.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.50 A$2.14

-30.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 $3.08

$2.97 A$4.22

3.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.47 $5.47

$2.68 A$3.81

104.10%

Eggs

$4.74 $4.74

$5.45 A$7.75

-13.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.49 $10.49

$10.71 A$15.22

-2.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.62 $9.62

$10.05 A$14.28

-4.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.16 $18.16

$15.00 A$21.31

21.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.52 $2.52

$4.07 A$5.78

-38.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 $1.61

$3.14 A$4.46

-48.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.13 $5.13

$3.12 A$4.43

64.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.77 $5.77

$4.73 A$6.72

21.99%

Potato (1kg)

$2.28 $2.28

$2.98 A$4.23

-23.49%

Onion (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.49 A$3.55

81.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.48 A$3.53

-28.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.60 A$2.27

48.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.57 $9.57

$44.65 A$63.4

-78.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.18 $12.18

$12.68 A$18.02

-3.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$5.55 A$7.88

-68.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$5.18 A$7.37

-57.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 $2.03

$3.84 A$5.45

-47.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.8 $70.8

$139 A$197

-48.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.56 $4.56

$4.36 A$6.19

4.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.37 A$1.94

-3.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.82 $19.82

$29.72 A$42.23

-33.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.49 A$2.11

-31.54%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$29.1K A$41.3K

-6.68%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$25.7K A$36.5K

0.46%

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

$208 $208

$236 A$335

-11.91%

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

$59.8 $59.8

$28.01 A$39.80

113.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.9 $66.9

$57.2 A$81.3

16.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.57 $25.57

$48.39 A$68.8

-47.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.66 $35.66

$21.46 A$30.50

66.17%

Cinema Ticket

$9.49 $9.49

$17.67 A$25.10

-46.29%

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

$1,620 $1,620

$2,461 A$3,497

-34.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K $16.1K

$29.7K A$42.2K

-45.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.8 $61.8

$81.2 A$115

-23.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.94 $47.94

$49.28 A$70.0

-2.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$120 A$170

-1.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$131 A$186

-13.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,966 $1,966

$1,703 A$2,419

15.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,553 $1,553

$1,409 A$2,002

10.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,867 $2,867

$3,496 A$4,967

-17.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,246 $2,246

$2,527 A$3,590

-11.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,706 $2,706

$7,978 A$11.3K

-66.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,334 $2,334

$6,900 A$9,805

-66.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,353 $4,353

$4,257 A$6,049

2.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

5.9

11.36%

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

Last update for Virginia Beach, VA: October 26, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Virginia Beach, VA

$1.6K 54.1%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4% 9.3% $144

Groceries & Markets

Virginia Beach, VA

$377 13.1%

Melbourne

$386 13.6% 2.6% $9.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Virginia Beach, VA

$334 11.6%

Melbourne

$321 11.3% 4% $13

Eating Out

Virginia Beach, VA

$320 11.1%

Melbourne

$312 11% 2.3% $7.4

Clothing & Footwear

Virginia Beach, VA

$153 5.3%

Melbourne

$171 6% 11.8% $18

Getting Around

Virginia Beach, VA

$90 3.1%

Melbourne

$165 5.8% 83.4% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Virginia Beach, VA

$45 1.6%

Melbourne

$84 2.9% 87.9% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,966 in Virginia Beach, VA and $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $91 in Virginia Beach, VA vs $84 in Melbourne. Groceries flip the comparison at $377 vs $386, with Virginia Beach, VA cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Virginia Beach, VA

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

19:47 7:47 PM

10:47 10:47 AM

15 h ahead of Virginia Beach, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

459,470

5,031,195

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

AUD to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Virginia Beach, VA Melbourne 16,420 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Virginia Beach, VA
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

Virginia Beach, VA vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $4,307 in Virginia Beach, VA and $4,273 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: $1,966 in Virginia Beach, VA versus $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Virginia Beach, VA runs roughly 49% less than in Melbourne. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Shoppers in Virginia Beach, VA pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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.