Cost of living comparison

 Brisbane, Australia
compared to
 Melbourne, Australia
Melbourne vs. Brisbane Cost of Living Summary

Melbourne is 12.1% more expensive than Brisbane.

Restaurants
pay 1.7% more in Melbourne
Groceries
pay 0.6% less in Melbourne
Transportation
pay 7.0% more in Melbourne
Housing
pay 9.5% less in Melbourne
Childcare
pay 73.3% more in Melbourne
Entertainment and Sports
pay 4.3% more in Melbourne
Clothing
pay 8.4% more in Melbourne

The cost of childcare, clothing, transportation, entertainment and sports, and restaurants in Melbourne are more expensive than in Brisbane. Expenses including housing and groceries are lower in Melbourne.

Melbourne vs. Brisbane Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Melbourne instead of Brisbane, you would:

pay 1.7% more for restaurants

 
Brisbane
Melbourne
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $14.83
A$23.06
$16.48
A$25.62
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$9.89
A$15.37
$9.89
A$15.37
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.71
A$4.21
$2.65
A$4.12

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pay 0.6% less for groceries

 
Brisbane
Melbourne
Bread
1 loaf
$2.32
A$3.61
$2.52
A$3.93
Local cheese (8 oz) $4.31
A$6.71
$4.55
A$7.08
Milk (1 gallon) $6.12
A$9.52
$5.26
A$8.18

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pay 7.0% more for transportation

 
Brisbane
Melbourne
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.96
A$7.71
$4.69
A$7.29
Monthly public transit pass $112.69
A$175.22
$118.63
A$184.44
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $28,334.99
A$44,055.58
$29,276.08
A$45,518.80

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pay 9.5% less for housing

 
Brisbane
Melbourne
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$53.86
A$83.74
$52.42
A$81.51
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,627.54
A$2,530.52
$1,479.56
A$2,300.44
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,349.97
A$2,098.94
$1,242.77
A$1,932.27

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pay 73.3% more for childcare

 
Brisbane
Melbourne
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $1,662.55
A$2,584.96
$1,828.91
A$2,843.61
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $8,828.46
A$13,726.60
$20,887.75
A$32,476.53

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pay 4.3% more for entertainment and sports

 
Brisbane
Melbourne
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $7.91
A$12.30
$7.91
A$12.30
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.69
A$5.73
$3.46
A$5.38
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$26.36
A$40.99
$29.66
A$46.11

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pay 8.4% more for clothing

 
Brisbane
Melbourne
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$73.99
A$115.04
$77.15
A$119.96
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$43.31
A$67.34
$49.87
A$77.54
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$102.88
A$159.96
$107.61
A$167.32

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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: June 2025
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