Cost of Living Comparison Between Adelaide and Melbourne 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Cost of Living in Melbourne is 2.8% higher than in Adelaide (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in Melbourne is 9.3% higher than in Adelaide
Rent Prices in Melbourne are 27.1% higher than in Adelaide
Restaurant Prices in Melbourne are 0.4% higher than in Adelaide
Groceries Prices in Melbourne are 3.3% higher than in Adelaide
Local Purchasing Power in Melbourne is 13.6% higher than in Adelaide
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
Adelaide Edit Melbourne Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 26.50 A$ 28.00 A$      +5.7 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 126.00 A$ 120.00 A$      -4.8 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 15.00 A$ 15.00 A$      0.0 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 10.00 A$ 11.50 A$      +15.0 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 12.00 A$ 11.00 A$      -8.3 %
Cappuccino (regular) 5.27 A$ 5.49 A$      +4.2 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 4.00 A$ 3.85 A$      -3.7 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 3.40 A$ 3.52 A$      +3.5 %
Markets
Adelaide Edit Melbourne Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 8.74 A$ 8.37 A$      -4.2 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 3.68 A$ 3.55 A$      -3.4 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 1.50 A$ 1.61 A$      +7.9 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 6.74 A$ 7.27 A$      +7.9 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 6.85 A$ 6.30 A$      -8.1 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 5.81 A$ 6.35 A$      +9.3 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 9.90 A$ 9.96 A$      +0.5 %
Apples (1 lb) 1.97 A$ 2.25 A$      +14.3 %
Banana (1 lb) 1.84 A$ 1.99 A$      +8.2 %
Oranges (1 lb) 2.10 A$ 2.01 A$      -4.0 %
Tomato (1 lb) 2.82 A$ 2.73 A$      -3.1 %
Potato (1 lb) 1.85 A$ 1.84 A$      -0.3 %
Onion (1 lb) 1.52 A$ 1.59 A$      +4.8 %
Lettuce (1 head) 3.35 A$ 3.33 A$      -0.7 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 2.47 A$ 2.11 A$      -14.5 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 20.00 A$ 20.00 A$      0.0 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 6.76 A$ 6.91 A$      +2.1 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 8.17 A$ 7.98 A$      -2.3 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 45.00 A$ 50.00 A$      +11.1 %
Transportation
Adelaide Edit Melbourne Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 4.40 A$ 5.50 A$      +25.0 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 115.50 A$ 182.50 A$      +58.0 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 6.50 A$ 6.35 A$      -2.3 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 4.75 A$ 3.55 A$      -25.3 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 65.50 A$ 41.64 A$      -36.4 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 6.83 A$ 6.96 A$      +1.9 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 44,423.00 A$ 44,423.00 A$      0.0 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 38,491.40 A$ 35,337.35 A$      -8.2 %
Utilities (Monthly)
Adelaide Edit Melbourne Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 327.40 A$ 239.99 A$      -26.7 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 39.83 A$ 33.93 A$      -14.8 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 78.65 A$ 79.46 A$      +1.0 %
Sports And Leisure
Adelaide Edit Melbourne Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 56.62 A$ 78.11 A$      +38.0 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 15.56 A$ 23.44 A$      +50.7 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 21.00 A$ 25.00 A$      +19.0 %
Childcare
Adelaide Edit Melbourne Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 1,281.17 A$ 2,690.52 A$      +110.0 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 11,333.33 A$ 29,755.88 A$      +162.6 %
Clothing And Shoes
Adelaide Edit Melbourne Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 107.65 A$ 109.46 A$      +1.7 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 81.46 A$ 84.41 A$      +3.6 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 164.50 A$ 167.79 A$      +2.0 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 158.00 A$ 167.50 A$      +6.0 %
Rent Per Month
Adelaide Edit Melbourne Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 1,983.33 A$ 2,417.23 A$      +21.9 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 1,651.91 A$ 1,869.79 A$      +13.2 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 2,987.50 A$ 4,659.35 A$      +56.0 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 2,550.30 A$ 2,740.03 A$      +7.4 %
Buy Apartment Price
Adelaide Edit Melbourne Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 1,050.96 A$ 1,001.17 A$      -4.7 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 693.28 A$ 808.30 A$      +16.6 %
Salaries And Financing
Adelaide Edit Melbourne Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 5,048.62 A$ 6,264.07 A$      +24.1 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 6.41 6.24      -2.6 %
Last update: May 2025May 2025
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