Cost of living comparison
compared to
Melbourne vs. Canberra Cost of Living Summary
Melbourne is 2.1% more expensive than Canberra.
Melbourne vs. Canberra Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Melbourne instead of Canberra, you would:
pay 5.5% more for restaurants
|
Canberra
|
Melbourne
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.41
A$24.92
|
$17.41
A$24.92
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.44
A$14.95
|
$12.27
A$17.56
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.09
A$4.43
|
$3.10
A$4.44
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.55
A$3.66
|
$2.49
A$3.56
|
|
Canberra vs. Melbourne - Cost of restaurants
pay 5.5% less for groceries
|
Canberra
|
Melbourne
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.25
A$4.66
|
$2.93
A$4.20
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.48
A$9.28
|
$5.24
A$7.51
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.82
A$8.33
|
$5.80
A$8.31
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.26
A$7.53
|
$5.48
A$7.85
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.47
A$6.41
|
$4.44
A$6.35
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.80
A$2.57
|
$1.84
A$2.63
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.43
A$2.05
|
$1.38
A$1.98
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.59
A$2.27
|
$1.44
A$2.06
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.36
A$3.38
|
$2.14
A$3.07
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.41
A$2.02
|
$1.36
A$1.95
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.26
A$1.81
|
$1.14
A$1.63
|
|
Canberra vs. Melbourne - Cost of groceries
pay 14.8% more for transportation
|
Canberra
|
Melbourne
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.07
A$7.26
|
$5.46
A$7.82
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$92.46
A$132.39
|
$139.25
A$199.38
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$26,937.53
A$38,570.34
|
$28,538.88
A$40,863.23
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.79
A$24.05
|
$15.56
A$22.28
|
|
Canberra vs. Melbourne - Cost of transportation
pay 1.3% more for housing
|
Canberra
|
Melbourne
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$55.39
A$79.32
|
$56.47
A$80.85
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,743.39
A$2,496.26
|
$1,726.11
A$2,471.52
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,478.12
A$2,116.43
|
$1,405.75
A$2,012.82
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$139.13
A$199.21
|
$176.73
A$253.05
|
|
Canberra vs. Melbourne - Cost of housing
pay 21.6% more for childcare
|
Canberra
|
Melbourne
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,367.60
A$3,390.04
|
$2,374.95
A$3,400.55
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$20,280.48
A$29,038.49
|
$29,879.04
A$42,782.12
|
|
Canberra vs. Melbourne - Cost of childcare
pay 9.4% less for entertainment and sports
|
Canberra
|
Melbourne
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.35
A$11.96
|
$9.75
A$13.96
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.03
A$5.77
|
$4.02
A$5.75
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$44.55
A$63.79
|
$44.55
A$63.79
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$82.62
A$118.30
|
$50.38
A$72.14
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.67
A$22.43
|
$15.32
A$21.93
|
|
Canberra vs. Melbourne - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 1.0% less for clothing
|
Canberra
|
Melbourne
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$76.36
A$109.34
|
$80.23
A$114.87
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$56.12
A$80.36
|
$49.88
A$71.43
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$116.35
A$166.60
|
$119.33
A$170.86
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$131.92
A$188.89
|
$132.46
A$189.66
|
|
Canberra vs. Melbourne - Cost of clothing
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this
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