Cost of living comparison
compared to
Melbourne vs. California Cost of Living Summary
Melbourne is 1.5% more expensive than California.
- Restaurants
-
pay 4.3% less in Melbourne
- Groceries
-
pay 12.0% less in Melbourne
- Transportation
-
pay 12.8% more in Melbourne
- Housing
-
pay 31.7% less in Melbourne
- Childcare
-
pay 2.6% less in Melbourne
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 30.8% more in Melbourne
- Clothing
-
pay 17.5% more in Melbourne
The cost of entertainment and sports, clothing, and transportation in Melbourne are more expensive than in California. Expenses including housing, groceries, restaurants, and childcare are lower in Melbourne.
Melbourne vs. California Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Melbourne instead of California, you would:
pay 4.3% less for restaurants
|
California
|
Melbourne
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$21.84
|
$19.63
A$29.55
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.33
|
$10.47
A$15.76
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.79
|
$2.69
A$4.05
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.17
|
$2.43
A$3.66
|
|
California vs. Melbourne - Cost of restaurants
pay 12.0% less for groceries
|
California
|
Melbourne
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.20
|
$2.73
A$4.11
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.77
|
$4.60
A$6.93
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.73
|
$6.19
A$9.33
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.14
|
$5.43
A$8.17
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.05
|
$4.11
A$6.19
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.30
|
$1.52
A$2.28
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.92
|
$1.36
A$2.04
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.91
|
$1.40
A$2.10
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$1.87
A$2.82
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.50
|
$1.29
A$1.94
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.41
|
$1.11
A$1.68
|
|
California vs. Melbourne - Cost of groceries
pay 12.8% more for transportation
|
California
|
Melbourne
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.72
|
$4.42
A$6.66
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$63.04
|
$122.33
A$184.18
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$30,529.84
|
$29,060.36
A$43,752.43
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$21.43
|
$14.62
A$22.01
|
|
California vs. Melbourne - Cost of transportation
pay 31.7% less for housing
|
California
|
Melbourne
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$67.96
|
$51.49
A$77.52
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,385.40
|
$1,557.21
A$2,344.49
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,043.56
|
$1,186.33
A$1,786.10
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$171.94
|
$127.27
A$191.62
|
|
California vs. Melbourne - Cost of housing
pay 2.6% less for childcare
|
California
|
Melbourne
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,633.13
|
$1,960.54
A$2,951.73
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$30,339.97
|
$22,736.38
A$34,231.23
|
|
California vs. Melbourne - Cost of childcare
pay 30.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
California
|
Melbourne
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.31
|
$7.85
A$11.82
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.58
|
$3.69
A$5.56
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.92
|
$32.71
A$49.25
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$68.02
|
$49.01
A$73.78
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.99
|
$16.35
A$24.62
|
|
California vs. Melbourne - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 17.5% more for clothing
|
California
|
Melbourne
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$56.47
|
$70.24
A$105.75
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$40.47
|
$53.21
A$80.12
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.50
|
$107.56
A$161.94
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$119.94
|
$109.31
A$164.57
|
|
California vs. Melbourne - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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