Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wollongong and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Wollongong: $2,467 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in Wollongong
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Wollongong Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Wollongong

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,467

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,467 in Wollongong versus $2,849 in Melbourne.

Wollongong $2,467
Melbourne $2,849

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,619 in Wollongong versus $4,274 in Melbourne.

Wollongong $3,619
Melbourne $4,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,772 in Wollongong versus $5,699 in Melbourne.

Wollongong $4,772
Melbourne $5,699

Living in Wollongong costs roughly 13% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wollongong 81% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.38 A$24.72

$17.50 A$24.88

-0.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.8 A$119

$84.3 A$120

-0.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 A$15.16

$12.17 A$17.30

-12.41%

Cappuccino

$3.47 A$4.93

$4.07 A$5.79

-14.74%

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

$3.03 A$4.31

$3.18 A$4.52

-4.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 A$3.24

$2.50 A$3.55

-8.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.17 A$10.20

$9.57 A$13.61

-25.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.05 A$10.03

$8.25 A$11.73

-14.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 A$1.69

$1.50 A$2.14

-20.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.23

$2.97 A$4.22

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 A$3.14

$2.68 A$3.82

-17.54%

Eggs

$3.96 A$5.63

$5.45 A$7.75

-27.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.35 A$14.72

$10.71 A$15.23

-3.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.43 A$13.41

$10.05 A$14.29

-6.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.68 A$22.30

$15.00 A$21.33

4.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 A$4.14

$4.07 A$5.78

-28.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.54 A$3.61

$3.14 A$4.46

-19.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.34 A$4.75

$3.12 A$4.43

7.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.71 A$6.69

$4.73 A$6.73

-0.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 A$3.29

$2.98 A$4.24

-22.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 A$3.67

$2.49 A$3.55

3.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.54 A$3.61

$2.48 A$3.53

2.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 A$1.91

$1.60 A$2.27

-16.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.34 A$64.5

$44.65 A$63.5

1.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.90 A$19.77

$12.68 A$18.03

9.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.48 A$6.37

$5.55 A$7.88

-19.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.87 A$6.92

$5.18 A$7.37

-5.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 A$3.34

$3.84 A$5.46

-38.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$197

$139 A$197

-0.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 A$5.66

$4.36 A$6.20

-8.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.22

$1.37 A$1.94

13.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.53 A$61.9

$29.72 A$42.26

46.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 A$1.90

$1.49 A$2.11

-10.74%

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

$28.5K A$40.6K

$29.1K A$41.4K

-1.85%

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

$24.8K A$35.2K

$25.7K A$36.5K

-3.43%

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

$186 A$264

$236 A$335

-21.18%

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

$26.37 A$37.49

$28.01 A$39.83

-5.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.87 A$70.9

$57.2 A$81.4

-12.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.3 A$87.2

$48.39 A$68.8

26.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.78 A$19.59

$21.46 A$30.52

-35.79%

Cinema Ticket

$13.51 A$19.21

$17.67 A$25.12

-23.54%

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

$2,193 A$3,119

$2,461 A$3,499

-10.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.3K A$28.8K

$29.7K A$42.2K

-31.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 A$101

$81.2 A$115

-12.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 A$79.3

$49.28 A$70.1

13.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 A$151

$120 A$170

-10.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 A$157

$131 A$186

-15.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 A$1,991

$1,703 A$2,421

-17.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,162 A$1,652

$1,409 A$2,003

-17.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,398 A$3,410

$3,496 A$4,970

-31.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,833 A$2,606

$2,527 A$3,592

-27.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,469 A$6,353

$7,978 A$11.3K

-43.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,568 A$5,073

$6,900 A$9,811

-48.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,107 A$7,261

$4,257 A$6,053

19.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.23

5.9

-11.36%

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

Last update for Wollongong: 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

Wollongong

$1.2K 47.1%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4% 21.2% $247

Groceries & Markets

Wollongong

$357 14.5%

Melbourne

$386 13.6% 8.4% $30

Eating Out

Wollongong

$284 11.5%

Melbourne

$312 11% 10.1% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wollongong

$262 10.6%

Melbourne

$321 11.3% 22.5% $59

Getting Around

Wollongong

$159 6.5%

Melbourne

$165 5.8% 3.7% $5.8

Clothing & Footwear

Wollongong

$155 6.3%

Melbourne

$171 6% 11% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Wollongong

$88 3.6%

Melbourne

$84 2.9% 5.2% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,400 in Wollongong and $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wollongong pays 20% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $84 in Wollongong vs $84 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $357 vs $386 per month, with Wollongong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Wollongong

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

00:04 12:04 AM

Same time as Wollongong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

280,153

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Wollongong Melbourne 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Wollongong
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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

Wollongong vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,467 in Wollongong and $2,849 in Melbourne, so Wollongong is about 13% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 20% higher in Wollongong, 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: $1,400 in Wollongong versus $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,193 in Wollongong versus $2,461 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $2,467 per month in Wollongong versus $2,849 in Melbourne – Wollongong is about 13% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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