FIRE Number for Melbourne, Australia

This budget is workable in Melbourne but requires discipline. You will live in the inner suburbs — Footscray, Brunswick West — and cook most meals at home, supplemented by the city's affordable multicultural cheap eats. Medicare covers basic health costs, and the free tram zone, free galleries at the NGV, and beach access at St Kilda help keep entertainment affordable. Melbourne's weather is famously changeable, with cool winters that are mild by Canadian standards but gray.

A spacious house in Richmond or Prahran, or a modern apartment in Southbank with river views. Regular dining at restaurants like Attica, Australian Open and F1 tickets, premium private health insurance, and your own car for regional trips. Weekend drives to the Mornington Peninsula or Great Ocean Road are easy. Melbourne's food and cultural scene is deep enough to support this spending level well.

A grand home in Toorak or a waterfront property in Brighton, a cook who comes in several times a week, regular housekeeping, and first-class international travel. Private boxes at the MCG and Rod Laver Arena, concierge healthcare, and a driver available when needed. Melbourne is expensive, so this budget does get absorbed more fully than in smaller cities, but the lifestyle is less about visible luxury and more about convenience and never worrying about costs.