Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wodonga and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Wodonga: $2,487 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

120

Cost of Living Index in Wodonga
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Wodonga Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Wodonga

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,487

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,487 in Wodonga versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Wodonga $2,487
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,625 in Wodonga versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Wodonga $3,625
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,762 in Wodonga versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Wodonga $4,762
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Wodonga costs roughly 12% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wodonga 84% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.54 A$25.25

$17.43 A$25.08

0.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.1 A$121

$84.6 A$122

-0.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 A$15.27

$12.46 A$17.92

-14.85%

Cappuccino

$2.74 A$3.94

$4.11 A$5.91

-33.33%

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

$2.71 A$3.90

$3.06 A$4.40

-11.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 A$3.04

$2.52 A$3.62

-15.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.96 A$7.14

$9.80 A$14.10

-49.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.98 A$14.36

$8.57 A$12.33

16.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 A$2.17

$1.48 A$2.14

2.03%

White Bread (500g)

$3.33 A$4.79

$2.94 A$4.23

13.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.86

$2.66 A$3.82

0.75%

Eggs

$5.37 A$7.73

$5.54 A$7.97

-3.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.16 A$18.93

$10.51 A$15.13

25.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.14 A$14.59

$9.65 A$13.89

5.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.20 A$21.87

$15.22 A$21.91

-0.13%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 A$5.82

$3.99 A$5.75

1.50%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.51

$3.02 A$4.34

3.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.41 A$4.91

$3.10 A$4.46

10.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.28 A$7.59

$4.82 A$6.93

9.54%

Potato (1kg)

$3.19 A$4.59

$3.03 A$4.36

5.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 A$3.93

$2.44 A$3.52

11.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.54 A$3.66

$2.46 A$3.54

3.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 A$2.24

$1.63 A$2.34

-4.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.16 A$65.0

$44.07 A$63.4

2.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.77 A$19.81

$12.70 A$18.28

8.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.81 A$6.93

$5.54 A$7.97

-13.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.48 A$7.89

$5.23 A$7.52

4.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 A$4.12

$3.74 A$5.38

-23.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.4 A$114

$138 A$198

-42.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.93 A$5.66

$4.51 A$6.50

-12.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 A$2.36

$1.36 A$1.96

20.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.38 A$62.4

$30.45 A$43.81

42.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 A$1.98

$1.47 A$2.12

-6.12%

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

$26.6K A$38.2K

$29.0K A$41.7K

-8.39%

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

$29.5K A$42.4K

$26.5K A$38.1K

11.28%

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

$184 A$264

$234 A$336

-21.36%

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

$17.27 A$24.85

$27.93 A$40.19

-38.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.16 A$65.0

$55.7 A$80.2

-18.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.9 A$79.0

$49.40 A$71.1

11.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.73 A$25.52

$21.48 A$30.91

-17.46%

Cinema Ticket

$15.39 A$22.15

$15.09 A$21.72

1.99%

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

$2,353 A$3,386

$2,371 A$3,412

-0.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.7K A$29.8K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-31.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.5 A$109

$80.0 A$115

-5.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.5 A$79.8

$50.7 A$73.0

9.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 A$169

$121 A$174

-2.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$189

$130 A$188

0.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$962 A$1,385

$1,759 A$2,531

-45.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,211 A$1,742

$1,390 A$2,000

-12.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,498 A$2,156

$3,494 A$5,027

-57.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,840 A$2,647

$2,493 A$3,588

-26.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,777 A$8,313

$6,926 A$9,967

-16.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,969 A$7,150

$6,445 A$9,274

-22.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,167 A$5,996

$4,383 A$6,307

-4.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.95

5.9

0.85%

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

Last update for Wodonga: 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

Wodonga

$1.2K 48.7%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 14.8% $179

Groceries & Markets

Wodonga

$402 16.2%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 4.4% $18

Eating Out

Wodonga

$269 10.8%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 16.9% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wodonga

$246 9.9%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 28.9% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Wodonga

$171 6.9%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 0.6% $1

Getting Around

Wodonga

$103 4.1%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 59.1% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Wodonga

$86 3.4%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 7.1% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $962 in Wodonga and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 5% 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: $84.0 in Wodonga vs $85.0 in Melbourne. Groceries flip the comparison at $402 vs $384, with Melbourne cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Wodonga

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

03:44 3:44 AM

Same time as Wodonga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,259

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

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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

Wodonga vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wodonga and Melbourne differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($2,487 vs $2,821 including rent). Wodonga is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 5% 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: $962 in Wodonga versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,353 in Wodonga versus $2,371 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 $2,487 in Wodonga versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Wodonga but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Wodonga 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, Wodonga 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 Wodonga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.