Cost of living comparison

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

Canberra is 10.2% more expensive than Melbourne.

Restaurants
pay 9.0% more in Canberra
Groceries
pay 19.1% more in Canberra
Transportation
pay 0.5% less in Canberra
Housing
pay 30.3% more in Canberra
Childcare
pay 14.8% less in Canberra
Entertainment and Sports
pay 1.9% more in Canberra
Clothing
pay 26.7% more in Canberra

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

Canberra vs. Melbourne Cost Breakdown

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

pay 9.0% more for restaurants

 
Melbourne
Canberra
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $16.48
A$25.62
$19.77
A$30.74
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$9.89
A$15.37
$9.89
A$15.37
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.65
A$4.12
$2.76
A$4.30

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pay 19.1% more for groceries

 
Melbourne
Canberra
Bread
1 loaf
$2.52
A$3.93
$2.59
A$4.02
Local cheese (8 oz) $4.55
A$7.08
$5.39
A$8.38
Milk (1 gallon) $5.26
A$8.18
$6.59
A$10.25

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pay 0.5% less for transportation

 
Melbourne
Canberra
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.69
A$7.29
$5.07
A$7.89
Monthly public transit pass $118.63
A$184.44
$118.63
A$184.44
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $29,276.08
A$45,518.80
$29,276.08
A$45,518.80

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pay 30.3% more for housing

 
Melbourne
Canberra
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$52.42
A$81.51
$65.39
A$101.67
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,479.56
A$2,300.44
$1,783.31
A$2,772.71
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,242.77
A$1,932.27
$1,413.05
A$2,197.02

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pay 14.8% less for childcare

 
Melbourne
Canberra
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $1,828.91
A$2,843.61
$1,847.17
A$2,872.00
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $20,887.75
A$32,476.53
$14,503.36
A$22,550.00

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pay 1.9% more for entertainment and sports

 
Melbourne
Canberra
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $7.91
A$12.30
$7.25
A$11.27
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.46
A$5.38
$3.68
A$5.72
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$29.66
A$46.11
$26.36
A$40.99

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pay 26.7% more for clothing

 
Melbourne
Canberra
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$77.15
A$119.96
$86.77
A$134.91
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$49.87
A$77.54
$72.18
A$112.23
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$107.61
A$167.32
$119.51
A$185.82

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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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