Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kedah and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Kedah: $877 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $23,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Kedah
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Kedah Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Kedah

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$877

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kedah 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 Kedah and in Melbourne actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $877 in Kedah versus $2,849 in Melbourne.

Kedah $877
Melbourne $2,849

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,399 in Kedah versus $4,274 in Melbourne.

Kedah $1,399
Melbourne $4,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,920 in Kedah versus $5,699 in Melbourne.

Kedah $1,920
Melbourne $5,699

Living in Kedah costs roughly 69% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kedah is 36% below, Melbourne is 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.72 MYR 15.14

$17.50 A$24.86

-78.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.32 MYR 50.2

$84.3 A$120

-85.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.56 MYR 18.59

$12.17 A$17.29

-62.53%

Cappuccino

$2.91 MYR 11.87

$4.07 A$5.79

-28.50%

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

$0.77 MYR 3.14

$3.18 A$4.52

-75.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 MYR 1.59

$2.50 A$3.55

-84.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.24 MYR 17.26

$9.57 A$13.60

-55.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 MYR 17.75

$8.25 A$11.72

-47.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 MYR 7.66

$1.50 A$2.14

25.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 MYR 4.32

$2.97 A$4.22

-64.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 MYR 6.99

$2.68 A$3.81

-35.82%

Eggs

$2.19 MYR 8.91

$5.45 A$7.75

-59.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.55 MYR 55.2

$10.71 A$15.22

26.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.34 MYR 17.69

$10.05 A$14.28

-56.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.84 MYR 36.02

$15.00 A$21.31

-41.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 MYR 11.98

$4.07 A$5.78

-27.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 MYR 6.65

$3.14 A$4.46

-48.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.75 MYR 11.20

$3.12 A$4.43

-11.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 MYR 5.92

$4.73 A$6.72

-69.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 MYR 4.48

$2.98 A$4.23

-63.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 MYR 4.43

$2.49 A$3.55

-56.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 MYR 4.61

$2.48 A$3.53

-54.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 MYR 2.34

$1.60 A$2.27

-64.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.62 MYR 18.83

$44.65 A$63.4

-89.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.76 MYR 76.5

$12.68 A$18.02

47.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 MYR 12.15

$5.55 A$7.88

-46.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.33 MYR 21.72

$5.18 A$7.37

2.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 MYR 3.10

$3.84 A$5.45

-80.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.85 MYR 52.4

$139 A$197

-90.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 MYR 6.76

$4.36 A$6.19

-61.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 MYR 1.54

$1.37 A$1.94

-72.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.29 MYR 29.70

$29.72 A$42.23

-75.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 MYR 2.46

$1.49 A$2.11

-59.73%

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

$45.6K MYR 185.9K

$29.1K A$41.3K

56.89%

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

$35.8K MYR 146.1K

$25.7K A$36.5K

39.65%

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

$36.47 MYR 149

$236 A$335

-84.52%

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

$9.66 MYR 39.35

$28.01 A$39.80

-65.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.48 MYR 120

$57.2 A$81.3

-48.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.63 MYR 141

$48.39 A$68.8

-28.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.85 MYR 27.92

$21.46 A$30.50

-68.08%

Cinema Ticket

$4.79 MYR 19.53

$17.67 A$25.10

-72.89%

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

$388 MYR 1,579

$2,461 A$3,497

-84.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K MYR 43.4K

$29.7K A$42.2K

-64.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 MYR 240

$81.2 A$115

-27.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.76 MYR 142

$49.28 A$70.0

-29.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.6 MYR 333

$120 A$170

-31.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.7 MYR 288

$131 A$186

-46.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$358 MYR 1,458

$1,703 A$2,419

-78.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$258 MYR 1,051

$1,409 A$2,002

-81.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$712 MYR 2,902

$3,496 A$4,967

-79.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 MYR 2,472

$2,527 A$3,590

-75.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,930 MYR 7,865

$7,978 A$11.3K

-75.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,258 MYR 5,124

$6,900 A$9,805

-81.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,339 MYR 5,456

$4,257 A$6,049

-68.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.04

5.9

-31.53%

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

Last update for Kedah: October 25, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kedah

$258 29.4%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4% 446% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Kedah

$257 29.3%

Melbourne

$386 13.6% 50.6% $130

Eating Out

Kedah

$113 12.9%

Melbourne

$312 11% 177% $200

Clothing & Footwear

Kedah

$111 12.6%

Melbourne

$171 6% 54.9% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kedah

$76 8.6%

Melbourne

$321 11.3% 324% $245

Sport & Entertainment

Kedah

$44 5%

Melbourne

$84 2.9% 89.3% $40

Getting Around

Kedah

$19 2.2%

Melbourne

$165 5.8% 750% $146

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $358 in Kedah and $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays about 3.2 times 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: $12 in Kedah vs $84 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $386 per month, with Kedah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kedah

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

21:50 9:50 PM

00:50 12:50 AM

3 h ahead of Kedah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

417,800

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.53 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kedah Melbourne 6,720 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Kedah
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

Kedah vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kedah and Melbourne differ by about 225% in total monthly costs ($877 vs $2,849 including rent). Kedah is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 69% lower in Kedah. 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: $358 in Kedah versus $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $388 in Kedah versus $2,461 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $877 in Kedah versus $2,849 in Melbourne, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Kedah but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Kedah the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Kedah is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Melbourne, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Kedah 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 Kedah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 69% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.