Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johor Bahru and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Johor Bahru: $1,056 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $21,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Johor Bahru
Learn more

Johor Bahru Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index

Jump to prices

Johor Bahru

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,056

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Johor Bahru and in Melbourne

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Johor Bahru and in Melbourne actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,056 in Johor Bahru versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Johor Bahru $1,056
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,551 in Johor Bahru versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Johor Bahru $1,551
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,046 in Johor Bahru versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Johor Bahru $2,046
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Johor Bahru costs roughly 63% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Johor Bahru is 22% below, Melbourne is 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.56 MYR 14.53

$17.43 A$25.08

-79.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.68 MYR 76.2

$84.6 A$122

-77.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.93 MYR 20.11

$12.46 A$17.92

-60.43%

Cappuccino

$2.86 MYR 11.67

$4.11 A$5.91

-30.41%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MYR 3.45

$3.06 A$4.40

-72.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.25

$2.52 A$3.62

-78.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.54 MYR 18.52

$9.80 A$14.10

-53.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.20 MYR 25.31

$8.57 A$12.33

-27.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 MYR 6.79

$1.48 A$2.14

12.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 MYR 4.52

$2.94 A$4.23

-62.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 MYR 6.13

$2.66 A$3.82

-43.61%

Eggs

$1.72 MYR 7.00

$5.54 A$7.97

-68.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.86 MYR 72.9

$10.51 A$15.13

69.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.56 MYR 18.58

$9.65 A$13.89

-52.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.49 MYR 42.80

$15.22 A$21.91

-31.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 MYR 13.28

$3.99 A$5.75

-18.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 MYR 6.94

$3.02 A$4.34

-43.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.91 MYR 15.96

$3.10 A$4.46

26.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 MYR 6.86

$4.82 A$6.93

-65.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 MYR 6.00

$3.03 A$4.36

-51.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 MYR 6.74

$2.44 A$3.52

-32.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 MYR 5.37

$2.46 A$3.54

-46.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.24

$1.63 A$2.34

-66.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.17 MYR 17.01

$44.07 A$63.4

-90.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.98 MYR 57.1

$12.70 A$18.28

10.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 MYR 11.59

$5.54 A$7.97

-48.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 MYR 12.68

$5.23 A$7.52

-40.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 MYR 2.90

$3.74 A$5.38

-81.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.11 MYR 49.42

$138 A$198

-91.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.96 MYR 3.90

$4.51 A$6.50

-78.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 MYR 2.85

$1.36 A$1.96

-48.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.50 MYR 38.75

$30.45 A$43.81

-68.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 MYR 3.40

$1.47 A$2.12

-43.54%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$41.1K MYR 167.8K

$29.0K A$41.7K

41.79%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$36.1K MYR 147.2K

$26.5K A$38.1K

36.31%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$53.0 MYR 216

$234 A$336

-77.31%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$10.99 MYR 44.84

$27.93 A$40.19

-60.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.42 MYR 116

$55.7 A$80.2

-49.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.45 MYR 161

$49.40 A$71.1

-20.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.63 MYR 22.97

$21.48 A$30.91

-73.79%

Cinema Ticket

$4.92 MYR 20.08

$15.09 A$21.72

-67.40%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$161 MYR 658

$2,371 A$3,412

-93.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,478 MYR 18.3K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-85.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 MYR 221

$80.0 A$115

-32.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.54 MYR 67.5

$50.7 A$73.0

-67.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.5 MYR 332

$121 A$174

-32.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.3 MYR 397

$130 A$188

-25.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$517 MYR 2,109

$1,759 A$2,531

-70.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$397 MYR 1,620

$1,390 A$2,000

-71.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 MYR 3,673

$3,494 A$5,027

-74.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 MYR 2,548

$2,493 A$3,588

-74.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,019 MYR 8,238

$6,926 A$9,967

-70.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,167 MYR 4,759

$6,445 A$9,274

-81.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,060 MYR 4,325

$4,383 A$6,307

-75.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

5.9

-31.19%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Johor Bahru: October 13, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Johor Bahru

$397 37.6%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 250% $992

Groceries & Markets

Johor Bahru

$267 25.3%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 43.9% $117

Eating Out

Johor Bahru

$118 11.2%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 166% $196

Clothing & Footwear

Johor Bahru

$112 10.6%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 52.9% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johor Bahru

$92 8.8%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 243% $225

Sport & Entertainment

Johor Bahru

$49 4.7%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 61.4% $30

Getting Around

Johor Bahru

$19 1.8%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 744% $144

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $517 in Johor Bahru and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 313% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $19.00 in Johor Bahru vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $384 per month, with Johor Bahru cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Johor Bahru

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

09:42 9:42 AM

12:42 12:42 PM

3 h ahead of Johor Bahru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

858,118

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Johor Bahru Melbourne 6,080 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Johor Bahru
Melbourne

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Johor Bahru vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johor Bahru and Melbourne differ by about 167% in total monthly costs ($1,056 vs $2,821 including rent). Johor Bahru is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 313% lower in Melbourne. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $517 in Johor Bahru versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Johor Bahru – a meal for two runs $19.00 versus $85.0 in Melbourne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,056 per month in Johor Bahru versus $2,821 in Melbourne – a 167% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,056 in Johor Bahru versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Johor Bahru but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Johor Bahru the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Johor Bahru and Melbourne are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Johor Bahru gentler on the wallet – expenses run 167% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.