Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wichita, KS and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Wichita, KS: $2,195 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

105

Cost of Living Index in Wichita, KS
Learn more

Wichita, KS Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index

Jump to prices

Wichita, KS

🇺🇸 United States

$2,195

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,195 in Wichita, KS versus $2,853 in Melbourne.

Wichita, KS $2,195
Melbourne $2,853

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,219 in Wichita, KS versus $4,275 in Melbourne.

Wichita, KS $3,219
Melbourne $4,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,243 in Wichita, KS versus $5,697 in Melbourne.

Wichita, KS $4,243
Melbourne $5,697

Living in Wichita, KS costs roughly 23% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wichita, KS 62% above, Melbourne 111% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.98 $17.98

$17.20 A$24.75

4.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.7 $59.7

$83.1 A$120

-28.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.81 $10.81

$12.43 A$17.88

-13.03%

Cappuccino

$5.30 $5.30

$4.05 A$5.82

30.86%

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

$2.51 $2.51

$3.12 A$4.50

-19.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$2.46 A$3.54

-26.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.04 $5.04

$9.52 A$13.71

-47.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.10 $6.10

$8.16 A$11.74

-25.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.56 A$2.25

-44.87%

White Bread (500g)

$3.82 $3.82

$2.90 A$4.18

31.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.66 $4.66

$2.66 A$3.82

75.19%

Eggs

$4.07 $4.07

$5.37 A$7.72

-24.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 $11.56

$10.67 A$15.36

8.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.13 $10.13

$9.85 A$14.17

2.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.14 $18.14

$15.36 A$22.11

18.10%

Apples (1kg)

$5.98 $5.98

$4.17 A$6.00

43.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 $1.73

$3.15 A$4.53

-45.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.06 $5.06

$3.26 A$4.69

55.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.26 $5.26

$4.76 A$6.85

10.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$3.06 A$4.41

-7.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$2.47 A$3.55

11.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 $2.30

$2.45 A$3.52

-6.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.30 $2.30

$1.63 A$2.34

41.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.51 $9.51

$45.17 A$65.0

-78.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.79 $14.79

$12.68 A$18.25

16.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$5.69 A$8.18

-62.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 $3.78

$5.23 A$7.53

-27.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 $1.70

$3.87 A$5.57

-56.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 $54.1

$142 A$204

-61.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.51 $2.51

$4.54 A$6.53

-44.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.42 A$2.04

7.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.29 $40.29

$30.59 A$44.01

31.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.47 A$2.11

-33.33%

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

$28.2K $28.2K

$28.9K A$41.5K

-2.28%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$25.9K A$37.3K

-0.12%

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

$277 $277

$235 A$338

17.85%

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

$82.3 $82.3

$27.45 A$39.51

199.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$56.1 A$80.8

24.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.57 $30.57

$50.1 A$72.1

-38.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 $19.66

$21.49 A$30.93

-8.52%

Cinema Ticket

$15.26 $15.26

$17.76 A$25.56

-14.08%

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

$922 $922

$2,385 A$3,432

-61.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K $16.3K

$29.7K A$42.7K

-45.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.32 $47.32

$79.2 A$114

-40.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.83 $30.83

$49.49 A$71.2

-37.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 $110

$118 A$170

-7.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 $141

$132 A$190

6.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 $994

$1,763 A$2,537

-43.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$784 $784

$1,411 A$2,031

-44.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,575 $1,575

$3,522 A$5,069

-55.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,289 $1,289

$2,525 A$3,634

-48.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,510 $1,510

$7,136 A$10.3K

-78.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,508 $1,508

$6,355 A$9,144

-76.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,571 $3,571

$4,258 A$6,128

-16.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

5.9

12.71%

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

Last update for Wichita, KS: October 19, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wichita, KS

$784 35.7%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5% 79.9% $627

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wichita, KS

$429 19.6%

Melbourne

$319 11.2% 25.8% $111

Groceries & Markets

Wichita, KS

$407 18.5%

Melbourne

$388 13.6% 4.6% $19

Eating Out

Wichita, KS

$295 13.4%

Melbourne

$310 10.9% 5.1% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Wichita, KS

$148 6.7%

Melbourne

$171 6% 15.4% $23

Getting Around

Wichita, KS

$71 3.2%

Melbourne

$169 5.9% 138% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Wichita, KS

$61 2.8%

Melbourne

$86 3% 40.1% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $994 in Wichita, KS and $1,763 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 19% 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: $60.0 in Wichita, KS vs $83.0 in Melbourne. Groceries flip the comparison at $407 vs $388, with Melbourne cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Wichita, KS

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

19:52 7:52 PM

11:52 11:52 AM

16 h ahead of Wichita, KS

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

357,698

5,031,195

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

AUD to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Wichita, KS Melbourne 14,650 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Wichita, KS
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

Wichita, KS vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wichita, KS and Melbourne differ by about 30% in total monthly costs ($2,195 vs $2,853 including rent). Wichita, KS is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 19% 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: $994 in Wichita, KS versus $1,763 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $922 in Wichita, KS versus $2,385 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Melbourne pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,195 in Wichita, KS versus $2,853 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Wichita, KS but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Wichita, KS 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, Wichita, KS 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 Wichita, KS gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.