Melbourne - Post Report Question and Answers
What is your housing like? What are typical housing sizes, locations, and commute times for expatriates?
House in the "bay side suburb" of Melbourne. Our house is a bit smaller than many of our other previous posts, but the location is amazing. Cost to rent here is very high so you want get as big of houses here as in other posts. Housing pool is a mix of apartment, town houses, and houses depending on your life situation. - Sep 2026
We’ve been moving around from one air bnb to another. Houses are small and very expensive. You can find nice places near the central business district (CBD), but the rents are in the vicinity of $1000AUD a week. My husband works out in the eastern suburbs, where housing is cheaper but life less interesting, so he chooses to commute by train which is pretty easy. Public transport is good. Driving a car is a nightmare because traffic is horrible during peak hours. - Jul 2018
We have lived in two locations: consulate staff who are single or have a partner but no children, or one young child, are typically assigned to an apartment in the downtown area. We lived in a city apartment for the first year. Families usually get a single-family home or a townhouse with a very small yard.
Housing sizes are probably average. Our apartment was a 3-bed, 2-bath, about 1600 sf. The house we are currently in is a bit bigger, just over 1800 sf.
All of the housing is modern (built within the last 20 yrs). The city location is about a 30 min commute to the office, via tram or bus. Almost no one drives to work because public transit is great and parking is expensive. The homes are in the southeastern suburbs of Brighton and Hampton, really lovely areas that are some of the wealthiest suburbs in Melbourne. Close to the beaches, parks, nice schools, shopping areas, etc. - Jul 2017