Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yamba NSW and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Yamba NSW: $2,331 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

120

Cost of Living Index in Yamba NSW
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Yamba NSW Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Yamba NSW

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,331

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,331 in Yamba NSW versus $2,849 in Melbourne.

Yamba NSW $2,331
Melbourne $2,849

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,399 in Yamba NSW versus $4,274 in Melbourne.

Yamba NSW $3,399
Melbourne $4,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,466 in Yamba NSW versus $5,699 in Melbourne.

Yamba NSW $4,466
Melbourne $5,699

Living in Yamba NSW costs roughly 18% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Yamba NSW 71% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.85 A$25.36

$17.50 A$24.86

2.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.9 A$72.3

$84.3 A$120

-39.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.11 A$15.78

$12.17 A$17.29

-8.71%

Cappuccino

$4.52 A$6.42

$4.07 A$5.79

11.06%

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

$2.44 A$3.47

$3.18 A$4.52

-23.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 A$2.91

$2.50 A$3.55

-18.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.90 A$11.22

$9.57 A$13.60

-17.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.96 A$9.89

$8.25 A$11.72

-15.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 A$2.30

$1.50 A$2.14

8.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.68 A$3.80

$2.97 A$4.22

-9.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 A$3.20

$2.68 A$3.81

-16.04%

Eggs

$4.90 A$6.96

$5.45 A$7.75

-10.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.25 A$13.14

$10.71 A$15.22

-13.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.10 A$12.93

$10.05 A$14.28

-9.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.23 A$20.22

$15.00 A$21.31

-5.13%

Apples (1kg)

$4.34 A$6.16

$4.07 A$5.78

6.63%

Banana (1kg)

$3.17 A$4.51

$3.14 A$4.46

0.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.29

$3.12 A$4.43

-3.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.84

$4.73 A$6.72

1.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.87 A$4.08

$2.98 A$4.23

-3.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 A$3.33

$2.49 A$3.55

-6.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 A$3.31

$2.48 A$3.53

-6.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 A$1.76

$1.60 A$2.27

-22.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.44 A$54.6

$44.65 A$63.4

-13.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.66 A$17.99

$12.68 A$18.02

-0.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.30 A$7.52

$5.55 A$7.88

-4.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.92 A$6.99

$5.18 A$7.37

-5.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.74 A$3.89

$3.84 A$5.45

-28.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.1 A$104

$139 A$197

-47.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 A$4.39

$4.36 A$6.19

-29.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.87 A$2.66

$1.37 A$1.94

36.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.70 A$59.3

$29.72 A$42.23

40.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 A$2.00

$1.49 A$2.11

-5.37%

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

$29.8K A$42.4K

$29.1K A$41.3K

2.47%

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

$25.5K A$36.3K

$25.7K A$36.5K

-0.59%

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

$162 A$231

$236 A$335

-31.06%

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

$26.59 A$37.79

$28.01 A$39.80

-5.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.3 A$85.7

$57.2 A$81.3

5.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.0 A$82.4

$48.39 A$68.8

19.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 A$27.70

$21.46 A$30.50

-9.18%

Cinema Ticket

$14.27 A$20.27

$17.67 A$25.10

-19.24%

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

$1,974 A$2,805

$2,461 A$3,497

-19.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K A$18.2K

$29.7K A$42.2K

-56.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.8 A$121

$81.2 A$115

4.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.72 A$63.6

$49.28 A$70.0

-9.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$158

$120 A$170

-6.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 A$156

$131 A$186

-16.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,424 A$2,023

$1,703 A$2,419

-16.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,076 A$1,529

$1,409 A$2,002

-23.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,037 A$2,895

$3,496 A$4,967

-41.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,765 A$2,507

$2,527 A$3,590

-30.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,125 A$7,282

$7,978 A$11.3K

-35.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,432 A$7,718

$6,900 A$9,805

-21.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,049

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.81

5.9

-1.53%

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

Last update for Yamba NSW: 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

Yamba NSW

$1.1K 46.2%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4% 30.9% $333

Groceries & Markets

Yamba NSW

$363 15.6%

Melbourne

$386 13.6% 6.3% $23

Eating Out

Yamba NSW

$302 12.9%

Melbourne

$312 11% 3.6% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yamba NSW

$249 10.7%

Melbourne

$321 11.3% 28.7% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Yamba NSW

$158 6.8%

Melbourne

$171 6% 8.6% $14

Getting Around

Yamba NSW

$97 4.1%

Melbourne

$165 5.8% 71.2% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Yamba NSW

$87 3.7%

Melbourne

$84 2.9% 3.3% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,424 in Yamba NSW and $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $51 in Yamba NSW vs $84 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $363 vs $386 per month, with Yamba NSW cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Yamba NSW

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

07:27 7:27 AM

Same time as Yamba NSW

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,913

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Yamba NSW Melbourne 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Yamba NSW
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

Yamba NSW vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,331 in Yamba NSW and $2,849 in Melbourne, so Yamba NSW is about 18% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,497 in Yamba NSW 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: $1,424 in Yamba NSW versus $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,974 in Yamba NSW 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 6% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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

Expats usually find Yamba NSW gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.