✦ Compare
Melbourne vs
Mumbai
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Melbourne, AU vs Mumbai, IN at a glance — Mumbai, IN is 51% cheaper than Melbourne, AU overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $700/mo versus $1,800/mo. Top income tax: 30% vs 45%.
To keep the same standard of living in Mumbai, IN, you'd need
$36,436 / year
Mumbai, IN is 51% cheaper overall
Category breakdown (Mumbai, IN vs Melbourne, AU)
- Housing-57%
- Food & groceries-55%
- Transport-55%
- Utilities-21%
- Healthcare-42%
- Goods & services-52%
◎ How Melbourne, AU and Mumbai, IN compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Melbourne, AU | Mumbai, IN | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 118 | 57 |
| Housing | 138 | 60 |
| Food | 112 | 50 |
| Transport | 100 | 45 |
| Utilities | 108 | 85 |
| Healthcare | 95 | 55 |
| Goods & services | 116 | 56 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $1,800/mo | $700/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $1,350/mo | $400/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $3,400/mo | $1,800/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $9,000 | $8,000 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $847 | $1,744 |
| Inexpensive meal | $17 | $3 |
| Monthly transit pass | $110 | $15 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 45% | 30% |
| VAT / sales tax | 10% | 18% |
| Corporate tax | 30% | 25% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $3,900/mo | $500/mo |
| Minimum wage | $2,600/mo | $150/mo |
| GDP per capita | $65,130✓ | $2,702✓ |
| Inflation (annual) | 2.9%✓ | 2.4%✓ |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | No | No |
| English proficiency | Native | High |
| Coworking spaces | 70 | 80 |
| Time zone | UTC+10 | UTC+5.5 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Quality of life (overall) | 73 | 50 |
| Safety index | 68 | 50 |
| Healthcare index | 85 | 60 |
| Pollution index | 30 | 85 |
| Internet speed | 90 Mbps | 70 Mbps |
| Walkability | 78 | 60 |
| Public transport | 80 | 60 |
| Family-friendly | 74 | 55 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Use caution |
| Health insurance | — | $30/mo |
| Life expectancy | 83 yr✓ | 72 yr✓ |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | Low |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +20 °C | +24 °C |
| July avg | +10 °C | +28 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 180 | 200 |
| Rainfall / year | 600 mm | 2,400 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1.5 h | 3 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Australia vs India. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
✓ = official statistics (World Bank 2025, World Bank 2024). Unmarked figures are CostTrek estimates. How we calculate these figures →
Cost of living: Melbourne vs Mumbai — in your currency
Converted from USD at approximate rates (2026-09).
Good to know before you move to Melbourne
Coffee, laneways and a famously liveable city — cheaper than Sydney, with famously changeable weather.
- Currency
- Australian dollar ($ AUD)
- Languages
- English
- Time zone
- UTC+10
- Internet
- 90 Mbps
- English
- Native language
- Safety
- 68/100
- Climate
- ❄ 20°C · ☀ 10°C · 180 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- I · 230V
- Driving
- Left-hand side
- Popular areas
- Fitzroy · St Kilda · Carlton
Good to know before you move to Mumbai
India's financial and Bollywood capital — intense, fast and cheap by global standards, if crowded and humid.
- Currency
- Indian rupee (₹ INR)
- Languages
- Hindi, English
- Time zone
- UTC+5.5
- Internet
- 70 Mbps
- English
- Widely spoken
- Safety
- 50/100
- Climate
- ❄ 24°C · ☀ 28°C · 200 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Bottled recommended
- Power
- C/D/M · 230V
- Driving
- Left-hand side
- Popular areas
- Bandra · Andheri · Lower Parel
Plan your move to Melbourne
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
Sponsored
Plan your move to Mumbai
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Melbourne to Mumbai: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Melbourne to Mumbai, your cost of living will be roughly 51% cheaper. Mumbai’s cost-of-living index is 57 versus 118 for Melbourne (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Melbourne cheaper than Mumbai?
Mumbai is about 51% cheaper than Melbourne overall — its cost-of-living index is 57 versus 118 for Melbourne.
Which is more expensive, Melbourne or Mumbai?
Melbourne is more expensive than Mumbai. Its cost-of-living index is 118 vs 57 (US = 100) — about 107% higher.
Is rent cheaper in Melbourne or Mumbai?
Rent is cheaper in Mumbai — about $700/month for a one-bedroom in the city centre, vs $1,800 in Melbourne.
How much do you need to earn in Mumbai to live like in Melbourne?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Melbourne is worth about $36,436 in Mumbai. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Melbourne or Mumbai?
India has the lower top income-tax rate — 30% versus 45% in Australia.
◷ More comparisons from Melbourne
How we calculate these figures →
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.