Cost of living comparison
compared to
Melbourne vs. Canberra Cost of Living Summary
Melbourne is 5.0% cheaper than Canberra.
- Restaurants
-
pay 7.9% more in Melbourne
- Groceries
-
pay 12.5% more in Melbourne
- Transportation
-
pay 32.7% less in Melbourne
- Housing
-
pay 17.1% more in Melbourne
- Childcare
-
pay 20.3% less in Melbourne
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 3.0% less in Melbourne
- Clothing
-
pay 16.2% less in Melbourne
The cost of housing, groceries, and restaurants in Melbourne are more expensive than in Canberra. Expenses including transportation, childcare, clothing, and entertainment and sports are lower in Melbourne.
Melbourne vs. Canberra Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Melbourne instead of Canberra, you would:
pay 7.9% more for restaurants
|
Canberra
|
Melbourne
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.34
A$24.61
|
$20.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.81
A$14.76
|
$9.75
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.59
A$3.90
|
$2.98
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.24
A$3.37
|
$2.12
|
|
Canberra vs. Melbourne - Cost of restaurants
pay 12.5% more for groceries
|
Canberra
|
Melbourne
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.71
A$4.07
|
$3.81
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.99
A$7.51
|
$6.57
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.50
A$8.27
|
$3.20
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.31
A$6.50
|
$4.65
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.17
A$6.28
|
$3.97
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.48
A$2.23
|
$2.11
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.35
A$2.03
|
$0.82
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.33
A$2.01
|
$1.62
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.86
A$2.80
|
$2.13
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.01
A$1.52
|
$1.34
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.04
A$1.57
|
$1.37
|
|
Canberra vs. Melbourne - Cost of groceries
pay 32.7% less for transportation
|
Canberra
|
Melbourne
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.42
A$6.65
|
$3.15
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$122.90
A$185.04
|
$42.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$29,041.09
A$43,723.43
|
$36,050.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.93
A$28.49
|
$7.47
|
|
Canberra vs. Melbourne - Cost of transportation
pay 17.1% more for housing
|
Canberra
|
Melbourne
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$51.97
A$78.25
|
$70.88
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,554.45
A$2,340.33
|
$1,640.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,160.39
A$1,747.05
|
$1,620.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$159.03
A$239.43
|
$137.93
|
|
Canberra vs. Melbourne - Cost of housing
pay 20.3% less for childcare
|
Canberra
|
Melbourne
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,754.20
A$2,641.08
|
$900.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$13,323.22
A$20,059.06
|
$14,400.00
|
|
Canberra vs. Melbourne - Cost of childcare
pay 3.0% less for entertainment and sports
|
Canberra
|
Melbourne
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.54
A$9.84
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.41
A$5.13
|
$5.12
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$31.05
A$46.75
|
$8.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$58.70
A$88.37
|
$70.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.07
A$19.69
|
$12.75
|
|
Canberra vs. Melbourne - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 16.2% less for clothing
|
Canberra
|
Melbourne
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$69.40
A$104.48
|
$56.43
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$57.75
A$86.94
|
$37.33
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$94.06
A$141.61
|
$92.12
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$118.40
A$178.26
|
$108.33
|
|
Canberra 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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