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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Ranking of cities in Australia for 2026. Melbourne leads with a cost index of 124 and rent of $2,750/month.
Ranking of cities in Australia for 2026. Melbourne leads with a cost index of 124 and rent of $2,750/month.
Melbourne: cost index 124 (+11 vs national avg 113), rent $2,750/month.
Victoria region average cost index: 122. Melbourne is +2 vs region peers.
Quality of life: 62/100 — safety 64, healthcare 84, walkability 80.
Safety score: 64/100 (crime rate 48.2/1k). National average: 66/100.
The conventional wisdom says one thing. The data says another: Melbourne has a cost index of 124 — 11 points above the Australia national average of 113. Median income is $84,500 with rent at $2,750/month, putting the rent-to-income ratio at 39%. This combination is rare — and valuable.
On quality of life, Melbourne scores a composite score of 62/100 — reflecting its safety (64), healthcare (84), and walkability (80) metrics. And there's one more thing: affordability and QoL don't always move in the same direction, and Australia is a good example of that tension.
Melbourne — cost index 124, rent $2,750/mo, income $84,500, QoL 62/100.
Canberra — cost index 120, rent $2,750/mo, income $101,000, QoL 67/100.
Melbourne has a cost index of 124 (national avg: 113), rent $2,750/mo, median income $84,500/yr, and a quality of life score of 62/100.
The Victoria region of average QoL score is 65/100. Melbourne leads with 62/100, reflecting safety, healthcare access, walkability, and green space.
Our index is benchmarked to 100 (national median). Sub-categories cover housing, food, transport, utilities, and healthcare. Data sources include ABS, CoreLogic, ATO.
Melbourne: cost index 124, rent $2,750/mo, income $84,500/yr, QoL 62/100. Canberra: cost index 120, rent $2,750/mo, income $101,000/yr, QoL 67/100.
This analysis uses data from ABS, CoreLogic, ATO to rank cities in Australia. The cost of living index is benchmarked to 100 (national median). Quality of life scores combine safety, healthcare, walkability, air quality, green space, and transit metrics. Salary ranges use national occupation data adjusted for local cost differences. Data is updated regularly to reflect current market conditions.