Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Melbourne 
| Indices Difference |  |
|---|---|
| Cost of Living in Melbourne is 94.7% higher than in Cape Town (excluding rent) | |
| Cost of Living Including Rent in Melbourne is 97.5% higher than in Cape Town | |
| Rent Prices in Melbourne are 104.1% higher than in Cape Town | |
| Restaurant Prices in Melbourne are 91.4% higher than in Cape Town | |
| Groceries Prices in Melbourne are 140.4% higher than in Cape Town | |
| Local Purchasing Power in Melbourne is 39.1% higher than in Cape Town | |
Restaurants | Cape Town Edit |
Melbourne Edit | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant |
175.00 R (14.75 A$) |
332.27 R (28.00 A$) |
+89.9 % |
| Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course |
800.00 R (67.41 A$) |
1,424.03 R (120.00 A$) |
+78.0 % |
| McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) |
90.00 R (7.58 A$) |
178.00 R (15.00 A$) |
+97.8 % |
| Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) |
50.00 R (4.21 A$) |
136.47 R (11.50 A$) |
+172.9 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
45.00 R (3.79 A$) |
130.54 R (11.00 A$) |
+190.1 % |
| Cappuccino (regular) |
36.46 R (3.07 A$) |
65.15 R (5.49 A$) |
+78.7 % |
| Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) |
20.03 R (1.69 A$) |
45.74 R (3.85 A$) |
+128.3 % |
| Water (12 oz small bottle) |
14.59 R (1.23 A$) |
41.76 R (3.52 A$) |
+186.1 % |
Markets | Cape Town Edit |
Melbourne Edit | |
| Milk (regular), (1 gallon) |
76.60 R (6.45 A$) |
99.37 R (8.37 A$) |
+29.7 % |
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) |
17.24 R (1.45 A$) |
42.17 R (3.55 A$) |
+144.6 % |
| Rice (white), (1 lb) |
14.89 R (1.25 A$) |
19.15 R (1.61 A$) |
+28.6 % |
| Eggs (regular) (12) |
43.25 R (3.64 A$) |
86.31 R (7.27 A$) |
+99.6 % |
| Local Cheese (1 lb) |
70.01 R (5.90 A$) |
74.73 R (6.30 A$) |
+6.7 % |
| Chicken Fillets (1 lb) |
40.74 R (3.43 A$) |
75.40 R (6.35 A$) |
+85.1 % |
| Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) |
60.54 R (5.10 A$) |
118.14 R (9.96 A$) |
+95.1 % |
| Apples (1 lb) |
12.70 R (1.07 A$) |
26.72 R (2.25 A$) |
+110.4 % |
| Banana (1 lb) |
11.59 R (0.98 A$) |
23.64 R (1.99 A$) |
+103.9 % |
| Oranges (1 lb) |
12.12 R (1.02 A$) |
23.88 R (2.01 A$) |
+97.1 % |
| Tomato (1 lb) |
12.52 R (1.05 A$) |
32.45 R (2.73 A$) |
+159.3 % |
| Potato (1 lb) |
8.55 R (0.72 A$) |
21.84 R (1.84 A$) |
+155.5 % |
| Onion (1 lb) |
9.58 R (0.81 A$) |
18.89 R (1.59 A$) |
+97.3 % |
| Lettuce (1 head) |
19.04 R (1.60 A$) |
39.53 R (3.33 A$) |
+107.7 % |
| Water (1.5 liter bottle) |
17.19 R (1.45 A$) |
25.05 R (2.11 A$) |
+45.7 % |
| Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) |
95.00 R (8.01 A$) |
237.34 R (20.00 A$) |
+149.8 % |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) |
24.86 R (2.09 A$) |
81.96 R (6.91 A$) |
+229.7 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
30.45 R (2.57 A$) |
94.68 R (7.98 A$) |
+210.9 % |
| Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) |
55.00 R (4.63 A$) |
593.35 R (50.00 A$) |
+978.8 % |
Transportation | Cape Town Edit |
Melbourne Edit | |
| One-way Ticket (Local Transport) |
17.00 R (1.43 A$) |
65.27 R (5.50 A$) |
+283.9 % |
| Monthly Pass (Regular Price) |
850.00 R (71.63 A$) |
2,165.71 R (182.50 A$) |
+154.8 % |
| Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) |
25.00 R (2.11 A$) |
75.35 R (6.35 A$) |
+201.4 % |
| Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) |
30.58 R (2.58 A$) |
42.09 R (3.55 A$) |
+37.7 % |
| Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) |
80.00 R (6.74 A$) |
494.14 R (41.64 A$) |
+517.7 % |
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
85.50 R (7.20 A$) |
82.64 R (6.96 A$) |
-3.3 % |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) |
380,000.00 R (32,021.82 A$) |
527,163.72 R (44,423.00 A$) |
+38.7 % |
| Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) |
442,046.10 R (37,250.31 A$) |
419,345.17 R (35,337.35 A$) |
-5.1 % |
Utilities (Monthly) | Cape Town Edit |
Melbourne Edit | |
| Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment |
1,848.29 R (155.75 A$) |
2,847.98 R (239.99 A$) |
+54.1 % |
| Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data |
555.50 R (46.81 A$) |
402.64 R (33.93 A$) |
-27.5 % |
| Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) |
747.28 R (62.97 A$) |
942.91 R (79.46 A$) |
+26.2 % |
Sports And Leisure | Cape Town Edit |
Melbourne Edit | |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult |
707.86 R (59.65 A$) |
926.88 R (78.11 A$) |
+30.9 % |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) |
151.33 R (12.75 A$) |
278.21 R (23.44 A$) |
+83.8 % |
| Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat |
120.00 R (10.11 A$) |
296.67 R (25.00 A$) |
+147.2 % |
Childcare | Cape Town Edit |
Melbourne Edit | |
| Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child |
3,724.00 R (313.81 A$) |
31,928.10 R (2,690.52 A$) |
+757.4 % |
| International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child |
93,769.15 R (7,901.73 A$) |
353,110.27 R (29,755.88 A$) |
+276.6 % |
Clothing And Shoes | Cape Town Edit |
Melbourne Edit | |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) |
982.86 R (82.82 A$) |
1,298.95 R (109.46 A$) |
+32.2 % |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) |
579.92 R (48.87 A$) |
1,001.68 R (84.41 A$) |
+72.7 % |
| 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) |
1,956.00 R (164.83 A$) |
1,991.20 R (167.79 A$) |
+1.8 % |
| 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes |
1,483.30 R (124.99 A$) |
1,987.71 R (167.50 A$) |
+34.0 % |
Rent Per Month | Cape Town Edit |
Melbourne Edit | |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre |
13,603.45 R (1,146.33 A$) |
28,694.24 R (2,418.00 A$) |
+110.9 % |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre |
9,250.00 R (779.48 A$) |
22,194.39 R (1,870.28 A$) |
+139.9 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre |
25,960.00 R (2,187.60 A$) |
55,314.15 R (4,661.21 A$) |
+113.1 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre |
18,459.26 R (1,555.52 A$) |
32,515.71 R (2,740.03 A$) |
+76.1 % |
Buy Apartment Price | Cape Town Edit |
Melbourne Edit | |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre |
3,210.95 R (270.58 A$) |
11,887.76 R (1,001.76 A$) |
+270.2 % |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre |
2,243.74 R (189.08 A$) |
9,596.70 R (808.69 A$) |
+327.7 % |
Salaries And Financing | Cape Town Edit |
Melbourne Edit | |
| Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) |
27,054.67 R (2,279.84 A$) |
74,335.21 R (6,264.07 A$) |
+174.8 % |
| Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate | 11.84 | 6.24 | -47.3 % |
| Last update: | May 2025 | May 2025 | |
| Contributors in the past 12 months: | 198 | 373 |
Moving to Cape Town? Explore:
Moving to Melbourne? Explore:
Cities near Cape Town: | Cost of Living in Durbanville | 18.43 miles |
| Cost of Living in Somerset West | 27.94 miles |
| Cost of Living in Paarl | 38.17 miles |
Cities near Melbourne: | Cost of Living in Ballarat | 71.73 miles |
| Cost of Living in Wangaratta | 149.91 miles |
| Cost of Living in Albury | 195.47 miles |