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Student eats · November 2026
Studying abroad in Melbourne
Every meal here costs A$20 or less.
About $13 US. Typical prices, checked November 2, 2026.Melbourne is Australia's food city and a big student town. Eat dumplings in the laneways, ramen in the CBD, a croissant worth queuing for, and a souvlaki at 3am.
A day of eating for A$43
- Breakfast, A$9: Lune Croissanterie, a plain croissant, or the cruffin
- Lunch, A$15: Shanghai Street Dumpling, steamed pork xiao long bao and fried dumplings
- Dinner, A$19: Hakata Gensuke, the signature tonkotsu ramen
Breakfast, lunch and dinner: A$43, about $28.
Eat for A$20 or less
1
A$9Breakfast
Lune Croissanterie
Get: A plain croissant, or the cruffin
Called the best croissant in the world by The New York Times. Go early.
2A photo like it
A$15Lunch
Shanghai Street Dumpling
Get: Steamed pork xiao long bao and fried dumplings
Cheap, fast dumplings, a student staple in Chinatown.
3A photo like it
A$19Dinner
Hakata Gensuke
Get: The signature tonkotsu ramen
Rich tonkotsu ramen from a Fukuoka-trained chef, with a line every night.
4A photo like it
A$20Dinner
Pellegrini's Espresso Bar
Get: Spaghetti bolognese, then the watermelon granita
A 1954 espresso bar with no menu. Sit at the counter and they tell you what's on today.
5A photo like it
A$16Late
Stalactites
Get: A lamb souvlaki
Melbourne has one of the biggest Greek populations in the world, and this is where it eats at 3am.
The market
Tuesday, Thursday to Sunday
Queen Victoria Market
CBD
Get: Hot jam doughnuts from the van, and cheap fruit and veg
Go at closing on Saturday or Sunday for cheap fruit and veg. The jam doughnut van has been there since 1950.
The supermarket to find
Coles, Woolworths and Aldi
- Hot roast chicken for dinner
- Supermarket sushi rolls, cheap and everywhere
- Aldi for the weekly shop
Asian grocers in the CBD and Box Hill are cheapest for rice, noodles and vegetables.
How students save in Melbourne
- The City Circle tram and all trams in the CBD Free Tram Zone are free.
- Dumplings in Chinatown and university food courts are the cheapest meals in the city.
- No tipping needed, and tap water is free.
More for Melbourne
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Prices are typical, checked November 2, 2026, and move; places with branches all over (chains) are named so you can use any of them. "A photo like it" is the same kind of food, not from that place. Chef Amazing is not paid by any place on this page.
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