Cost of living comparison
compared to
Canberra vs. Melbourne Cost of Living Summary
Canberra is 4.6% cheaper than Melbourne.
- Restaurants
-
pay 8.7% less in Canberra
- Groceries
-
pay 5.4% less in Canberra
- Transportation
-
pay 7.4% more in Canberra
- Housing
-
pay 5.9% more in Canberra
- Childcare
-
pay 25.9% less in Canberra
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 6.0% less in Canberra
- Clothing
-
pay 0.8% more in Canberra
The cost of transportation, housing, and clothing in Canberra are more expensive than in Melbourne. Expenses including childcare, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and groceries are lower in Canberra.
Canberra vs. Melbourne Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Canberra instead of Melbourne, you would:
pay 8.7% less for restaurants
|
Melbourne
|
Canberra
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.63
A$29.55
|
$16.34
A$24.61
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.47
A$15.76
|
$9.81
A$14.76
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.69
A$4.05
|
$2.59
A$3.90
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.43
A$3.66
|
$2.24
A$3.37
|
|
Melbourne vs. Canberra - Cost of restaurants
pay 5.4% less for groceries
|
Melbourne
|
Canberra
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.73
A$4.11
|
$2.71
A$4.07
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.60
A$6.93
|
$4.99
A$7.51
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.19
A$9.33
|
$5.50
A$8.27
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.43
A$8.17
|
$4.31
A$6.50
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.11
A$6.19
|
$4.17
A$6.28
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.52
A$2.28
|
$1.48
A$2.23
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.36
A$2.04
|
$1.35
A$2.03
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.40
A$2.10
|
$1.33
A$2.01
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.87
A$2.82
|
$1.86
A$2.80
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.29
A$1.94
|
$1.01
A$1.52
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.11
A$1.68
|
$1.04
A$1.57
|
|
Melbourne vs. Canberra - Cost of groceries
pay 7.4% more for transportation
|
Melbourne
|
Canberra
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.42
A$6.66
|
$4.42
A$6.65
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$122.33
A$184.18
|
$122.90
A$185.04
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$29,060.36
A$43,752.43
|
$29,041.09
A$43,723.43
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.62
A$22.01
|
$18.93
A$28.49
|
|
Melbourne vs. Canberra - Cost of transportation
pay 5.9% more for housing
|
Melbourne
|
Canberra
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$51.49
A$77.52
|
$51.97
A$78.25
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,557.21
A$2,344.49
|
$1,554.45
A$2,340.33
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,186.33
A$1,786.10
|
$1,160.39
A$1,747.05
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$127.27
A$191.62
|
$159.03
A$239.43
|
|
Melbourne vs. Canberra - Cost of housing
pay 25.9% less for childcare
|
Melbourne
|
Canberra
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,960.54
A$2,951.73
|
$1,754.20
A$2,641.08
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$22,736.38
A$34,231.23
|
$13,323.22
A$20,059.06
|
|
Melbourne vs. Canberra - Cost of childcare
pay 6.0% less for entertainment and sports
|
Melbourne
|
Canberra
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.85
A$11.82
|
$6.54
A$9.84
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.69
A$5.56
|
$3.41
A$5.13
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$32.71
A$49.25
|
$31.05
A$46.75
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$49.01
A$73.78
|
$58.70
A$88.37
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$16.35
A$24.62
|
$13.07
A$19.69
|
|
Melbourne vs. Canberra - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 0.8% more for clothing
|
Melbourne
|
Canberra
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$70.24
A$105.75
|
$69.40
A$104.48
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$53.21
A$80.12
|
$57.75
A$86.94
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$107.56
A$161.94
|
$94.06
A$141.61
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$109.31
A$164.57
|
$118.40
A$178.26
|
|
Melbourne vs. Canberra - 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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