AU flag
Melbourne

Australia

vs
AU flag
Townsville

Australia

Climate

Melbourne logs 19 hot days a year to Townsville's 135 — Melbourne wins by 116. Townsville also leads on outdoor-dinner months by 7.

MelbourneTownsville
Sunny days
176277
Hot days
19135
Frost days
00
Rainy days
115120
Outdoor dinner months
3/1210/12
Avg wind
3.9 m/s3.1 m/s
Sunshine hours
2,1952,751
Darkest month sun
111 hrs/mo158 hrs/mo
UV peak month
9.711.7

Melbourne

Feels-like °C

22
19
16
12
6
4
3
6
8
12
17
19

Dinner outside

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Townsville

Feels-like °C

31
29
29
26
22
21
19
21
23
27
29
30

Dinner outside

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Cost of Living

Melbourne averages $2,754/mo for balanced living; Townsville has no cost baseline yet.

Melbourne

$2,754

monthly · balanced

Minimalist $2,100Comfort $4,697
Top 78%in Among 23 Oceania cities

Townsville

monthly · balanced

Mobility

Melbourne scores 3.2 on mobility (0–5 scale); Townsville has no mobility baseline.

3.2/5
vs
/5
MelbourneTownsville
TransitCyclingFlights

Culture

Melbourne's culture score of 4.1 sits well above Townsville's 0.0.

4.1/5
vs
0.0/5
MelbourneTownsville
ArtsHistoryTheatreVenuesNightlife
Melbourne leads

Nature & Outdoors

Melbourne scores 4.5 on nature & outdoors (0–5 scale); Townsville has no nature & outdoors baseline.

4.5/5
vs
/5
MelbourneTownsville
SeaMountainsForestGreen AreasLakesRunningHikingCampingBeachSurfingDivingSkiing

Safety

Melbourne scores 3.5 on safety (0–5 scale); Townsville has no safety baseline.

3.5/5
vs
/5
MelbourneTownsville
Wildfire

Career

Melbourne scores 4.2 on career (0–5 scale); Townsville has no career baseline.

4.2/5
vs
/5
MelbourneTownsville
JobsEconomyStartupsCoworking

Social & Community

Melbourne scores 4.0 on social & community (0–5 scale); Townsville has no social & community baseline.

4.0/5
vs
/5
MelbourneTownsville
Everyday EnglishExpat-First CommunityMulticultural MixExpat Integration ExperienceUrban EnergyStreet AtmosphereLocal-First CommunityGovernment Immigration FriendlinessAdmin English Support

Food & Dining

Melbourne scores 5.0 on food & dining (0–5 scale); Townsville has no food & dining baseline.

5.0/5
vs
/5
MelbourneTownsville
RestaurantsBrunchVeganDelivery

Family

Melbourne scores 4.1 on family (0–5 scale); Townsville has no family baseline.

4.1/5
vs
/5
MelbourneTownsville
Intl SchoolsUniversitiesAmenitiesSportPlaygroundsGroceriesGymYogaSpaTennis

Healthcare

Melbourne scores 2.7 on healthcare (0–5 scale); Townsville has no healthcare baseline.

2.7/5
vs
/5
MelbourneTownsville
Private Healthcare

Air Quality

Melbourne averages 6.2 µg/m³ (good) PM2.5 annually versus Townsville's 6.1 µg/m³ (good) — Townsville breathes ~2% cleaner air (0.1 µg/m³ lower).

Melbourne

Townsville

6.2µg/m³
6.1µg/m³

PM2.5 annual average

Good
Good

WHO classification

City Scale

Both maps at the same real-world scale — 1 cm on either map is the same distance.

Melbourne (4.0M) and Townsville (181K) are 22x in population — Melbourne is the larger metro, Townsville the smaller.

22x

Melbourne is roughly 22x the scale of Townsville

Based on population (area data unavailable for some cities)

AU flagMelbourne
22x
AU flagTownsville
1x

City Scale Rankings

Population
1.AU flagMelbourne4.0M22x
2.AU flagTownsville181K1x

Who Thrives Here

Frequently asked about Melbourne vs Townsville

Which is cheaper, Melbourne or Townsville?
Melbourne has an estimated monthly cost of $2,754.
How does the climate compare between Melbourne and Townsville?
Sunny days: 176 vs 277 d — Townsville higher Annual sunshine: 2,195 vs 2,751 hrs — Townsville higher Winter sunshine: 111 vs 158 hrs/day — Townsville higher Hot days (>30°C): 19 vs 135 d — Melbourne lower Frost days: 0 vs 0 d — Similar Rainy days: 115 vs 120 d — Similar
Is Melbourne or Townsville safer?
Melbourne has a safety score of 3.5/5.
Should I move to Melbourne or Townsville?
Melbourne and Townsville are both popular relocation destinations with distinct characteristics. The best choice depends on your priorities — climate preferences, career opportunities, cost constraints, and lifestyle needs. Take the personalized quiz to find your ideal match, or explore the map to compare cities by region and lifestyle factors.

The best city depends on what matters to you

This comparison shows how Melbourne and Townsville stack up on the data. But your climate preferences, budget, career needs, and lifestyle priorities can shift the picture entirely. A personalized diagnostic finds what fits your life.

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