Living in Melbourne

Working and living in Melbourne offers a fantastic opportunity to enjoy a thriving professional life with an enviable lifestyle. In fact, Melbourne was recently ranked the most liveable city in the world thanks to the city’s exceptionally high level of healthcare standards, culture and environment offerings, education facilities, and infrastructure.

If you’re planning on moving to Melbourne, take a look at our guide to living in the city.

Where to live in Melbourne

Choosing a place to live in Melbourne can have a big impact on your experience. Greater Melbourne is an incredibly diverse city spanning nearly 10,000 square kilometres and over 300 suburbs. The City of Melbourne encompasses 15 suburbs with a varied mix of cultures as well as many globally significant businesses.

Some of the most popular areas to live in Melbourne include:

South Yarra – an affluent area on the outskirts of the city region, within walking distance of most major Melbourne attractions. Easily accessible by public transport, and has many shops, restaurants, and cafes.

Carlton – centrally located suburb known as ‘Little Italy’, with many restaurants, bars, and cultural attractions. Home to older-style Victorian housing as well as popular attractions such as Carlton Gardens and the Melbourne Museum.

Fitzroy – located 3 km northeast of the Melbourne CBD, with an eclectic mix of inhabitants spanning a wide socioeconomic range. Known for its bohemian culture, with many quirky shops and cafes. Housing ranges from older-style terrace homes to modern apartments.

Williamstown – situated 9 km southwest of the city, and has a higher proportion of full-size homes and detached houses, making it a good location for families. This area is also well connected to the city by public transport.

Coburg – family-oriented suburb home to a diverse mix of cultures. Plenty of parks, schools, and shops, and accessible by train or tram. Home to many Victorian and Edwardian-style houses.

The Melbourne jobs market

Melbourne boasts a robust jobs market, with continued growth predicted over the coming years. The number of employees in Melbourne is predicted to grow by around 2% annually during the next 13 years, with an estimated 526,000 people expected to work in the city by 2030.

Similarly, the Melbourne CBD and other inner suburbs are expected to see by far the highest number of additional jobs created in Victoria by 2046. The professional, scientific and technical services, accommodation and food services, financial and insurance services, and healthcare and social assistance sectors have shown the highest level of growth since 2002. Currently, the professional, scientific and technical services sector is the largest industry in the city, accounting for 78,690 jobs.

Melbourne is also one of the country's strongest economies, outperforming Sydney and Perth with an annual growth rate in GDP of 3.1%. Thanks to the development of office towers along Southbank and Docklands, Melbourne is set to see further growth in the professional sector and construction industry.

Renting in Melbourne

Usually, renting a house or apartment in Melbourne is organised through a real estate agency, or occasionally directly through private landlords. You can find properties available to rent across the city at property websites such as Domain or realestate.com.au. To rent a property, you’ll apply to the real estate agency or landlord with an application form including details such as your tenancy history, employment history, financial standing, and a list of referees.

Before moving into your new home, you will need to pay a bond to the Rental Bond Board, which is usually equivalent to four weeks’ rent. You should have the bond returned to you when you move out provided you have met the terms of the rental agreement. Find out more about rental bonds.

Living in share accommodation is also a great way to build a network if you’ve just moved to Melbourne. You can find share housing in Melbourne at Flatmate Finders and flatmates.com.au.

Household utilities

If you’re moving into a home that isn’t already occupied by other tenants and the property is separately metered, you’ll be responsible for setting up the electricity and gas (if your house has gas cooking or heating) services and paying for water usage.

If you don’t have separate meters for your electricity, gas, oil or water service, the set-up and costs will be the responsibility of the landlord. Find out more about utility charges for tenants.

Many service providers offer bundled utilities – some of the largest Australian providers include:

Energy Australia – electricity and gas

AGL – electricity, gas, and solar

Origin – electricity and gas

You will also need to set up the internet at your new home. Some of the largest internet providers include:

Telstra

Optus

TPG

These companies also offer bundled internet, home phone, and mobile phone plans.

The National Broadband Network (infrastructure to provide more reliable broadband internet) is currently being rolled out across Melbourne – check to see if your address is eligible for NBN internet plans here.