Explore Cities/Compare Cities/Auckland vs Melbourne

Auckland vs Melbourne

Side-by-side comparison for digital nomads

Auckland +102 Mbps Moderate / Moderate

Auckland

Sulthan Auliya/Unsplash

Melbourne

John Simmons/Unsplash

Nomad Cost

$3,424

Auckland

$3,404

Melbourne

Internet

182

Mbps

Safety

Moderate

Auckland

Moderate

Melbourne

Air Quality

5/5

Auckland

5/5

Melbourne

Healthcare

Low

Auckland

Low

Melbourne

Population

1.6m

Auckland

4.2m

Melbourne

Auckland (New Zealand) and Melbourne (Australia) are both in Oceania, offering different takes on the nomad lifestyle. Here is how they compare across the metrics that matter most.

Cost of Living

Both cities sit in a similar price range — Auckland at $3424/mo and Melbourne at $3404/mo — so cost alone is not a deciding factor here.

For families, Auckland costs $4668.25368615903/mo compared to Melbourne's $5610.251363622434/mo.

Internet & Infrastructure

Remote workers will appreciate Auckland's 182 Mbps (global #41) — considerably faster than Melbourne's 80 Mbps (#0).

Quality of Life

Both Auckland and Melbourne share the same safety rating — travelers can feel equally comfortable in either city.

Healthcare quality is rated similarly in both Auckland and Melbourne.

Monthly Weather Comparison

The best time to visit Auckland is December (around 24 degrees, 1mm rain, score 396), while Melbourne peaks in December (25 degrees, 0mm rain, score 427). Timing your stay around these months can make a big difference in your experience.

Cost of Living

AucklandMelbourne

Nomad$3,424/mo$3,404/mo

Expat$2,084/mo$2,495/mo

Local$1,334/mo$1,603/mo

Family$4,668/mo$5,610/mo

Internet & Infrastructure

AucklandMelbourne

City Speed

182 Mbps#41

80 Mbps

Country Speed175 Mbps80 Mbps

Environment & Health

AucklandMelbourne

Air Quality Score5/55/5

PollutionModerateLow

ClimateHighHigh

Humidity8248

Quality of Life

AucklandMelbourne

SafetyModerateModerate

HealthcareLowLow

Monthly Weather Comparison

Auckland

Melbourne

Jan

26°

1mm382

25°

0mm419

Feb

25°

1mm386

24°

0mm422

Mar

20°

1mm349

23°

0mm422

Apr

18°

1mm329

16°

1mm375

May

14°

1mm366

15°

0mm402

Jun

14°

0mm377

11°

0mm378

Jul

13°

1mm356

9°

1mm373

Aug

12°

1mm352

13°

0mm402

Sep

14°

0mm366

14°

1mm392

Oct

16°

1mm329

18°

0mm389

Nov

20°

1mm329

23°

0mm419

Dec

24°

1mm396

25°

0mm427

Who Should Choose Auckland?

Excellent for video calls and large uploads with 182 Mbps
Clean air with a 5/5 air quality score
Peak season in December — 24 degrees, score 396

Who Should Choose Melbourne?

Clean air with a 5/5 air quality score
Major city energy with 4.2m residents
Peak season in December — 25 degrees, score 427

Overall Verdict

For the typical digital nomad, Auckland is the stronger pick. At $3424/mo it beats Melbourne's $3404/mo by 1%, and the 182 Mbps internet handles video calls without issues.

Granular Price Comparison

Auckland Melbourne

ItemAucklandMelbourneDiff

🍽️Restaurants8 items

Meal, inexpensive restaurant$16.03$15.63

Meal for 2, mid-range (3-course)$76.97$81.55

McMeal or equivalent combo$9.62$9.68

Cappuccino (regular)$3.57$3.23

10%

Domestic beer (0.5L draught)$6.73$6.8

Imported beer (0.33L bottle)$7.06$6.8

Coke/Pepsi (0.33L)$2.46$2.61

Water (0.33L)$2.14$2.3

🛒Markets19 items

Milk (1L)$1.96$1.31

33%

White bread (500g)$2.19$2.25

White rice (1kg)$2.16$2.16

Eggs (12)$4.95$3.65

26%

Chicken fillets (1kg)$9.95$8.36

16%

Beef round (1kg)$15.44$13.57

12%

Local cheese (1kg)$9.77$8.8

10%

Apples (1kg)$2.98$2.94

Bananas (1kg)$2.23$2.45

Oranges (1kg)$3.49$2.42

31%

Tomatoes (1kg)$6.11$5.19

15%

Potatoes (1kg)$2.22$2.43

Onions (1kg)$1.84$2.09

12%

Lettuce (1 head)$2.79$3.06

Water (1.5L bottle)$1.11$1.53

27%

Wine, mid-range bottle$11.55$13.59

15%

Domestic beer (0.5L bottle)$3.55$3.91

Imported beer (0.33L bottle)$3.46$4.35

20%

Cigarettes (pack of 20)$22.45$27.18

17%

🚌Transport8 items

One-way local transport ticket$2.61$3.13

17%

Monthly transport pass$137.9$108.05

22%

Taxi start (normal tariff)$2.57$3.4

24%

Taxi per 1km$1.92$1.22

36%

Taxi 1hr waiting$38.48$23.16

40%

Gasoline (1L)$1.92$1.42

26%

Volkswagen Golf (new)$25,328.88$22,283.41

12%

Toyota Corolla (new)$21,678.35$19,141.31

12%

⚡Utilities3 items

Utilities, 85m² apartment/mo$149.77$148.65

Internet 60+ Mbps/mo$54.87$51.57

Mobile prepaid per minute$0.27$0.13

52%

🏋️Sport & Leisure3 items

Fitness club, monthly$47.4$46.14

Tennis court rent (1hr weekend)$16.95$12.69

25%

Cinema, 1 ticket$13.47$14.95

10%

👶Childcare2 items

Preschool, full-day private/mo$785.19$1,688.04

53%

International primary school/yr$12,976.01$17,618.1

26%

👗Clothing4 items

Jeans (Levi's 501 or similar)$72.78$73.63

Summer dress (chain store)$48.26$45.78

Nike running shoes (mid-range)$99.1$100.5

Men's leather business shoes$124.93$114.04

🏠Rent4 items

1-bedroom apartment, city centre$1,368.93$1,284.94

1-bedroom apartment, outside centre$1,200.76$1,042.29

13%

3-bedroom apartment, city centre$2,425.54$2,385.93

3-bedroom apartment, outside centre$1,975.57$1,618.73

18%

🏗️Buy2 items

Price per m², city centre$8,666.88$6,263.8

28%

Price per m², outside centre$6,386.72$5,282.19

17%

💰Finance2 items

Average monthly net salary$3,978.79$4,052.92

Mortgage interest rate (20yr fixed)$4.52$3.44

24%

Lower is better for all cost items.

Data from Open-Meteo (weather) and global internet speed rankings. Updated monthly.

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