Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malacca and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Malacca: $612 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $30,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Malacca
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Malacca Living Index
155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index

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Malacca

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$612

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malacca and in Sydney

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

A single person spends $612 per month in Malacca vs $3,152 in Sydney, rent included.

Malacca $612
Sydney $3,152

A couple spends around $977 per month in Malacca vs $4,710 in Sydney, rent included.

Malacca $977
Sydney $4,710

A family of three spends $1,343 per month in Malacca vs $6,268 in Sydney, rent included.

Malacca $1,343
Sydney $6,268

Malacca is about 81% cheaper than Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Malacca sits 55% below the global median, while Sydney is 133% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.27 MYR 13.36

$17.57 A$25.29

-81.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.71 MYR 76.3

$91.5 A$132

-79.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.80 MYR 19.60

$11.96 A$17.21

-59.87%

Cappuccino

$2.83 MYR 11.56

$4.07 A$5.85

-30.47%

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

$0.77 MYR 3.15

$2.85 A$4.10

-72.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 MYR 2.21

$2.25 A$3.24

-76.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.93 MYR 7.87

$7.60 A$10.94

-74.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 MYR 12.10

$7.43 A$10.69

-60.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MYR 7.03

$1.66 A$2.38

3.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 MYR 4.52

$2.78 A$4.00

-60.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MYR 5.78

$2.42 A$3.49

-41.32%

Eggs

$1.72 MYR 7.02

$5.64 A$8.12

-69.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.49 MYR 75.4

$11.71 A$16.85

57.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.59 MYR 18.73

$9.66 A$13.89

-52.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.83 MYR 44.18

$16.75 A$24.10

-35.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 MYR 13.29

$4.07 A$5.85

-19.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 MYR 7.18

$3.25 A$4.68

-45.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 MYR 9.72

$3.44 A$4.96

-30.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 MYR 6.69

$4.28 A$6.16

-61.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 MYR 5.99

$3.28 A$4.72

-55.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 MYR 7.09

$2.30 A$3.30

-24.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 MYR 5.61

$2.30 A$3.31

-40.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.23

$1.21 A$1.74

-54.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.19 MYR 17.11

$43.71 A$62.9

-90.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.92 MYR 56.8

$13.88 A$19.97

0.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 MYR 8.84

$3.90 A$5.62

-44.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 MYR 12.67

$3.91 A$5.63

-20.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 MYR 1.92

$3.04 A$4.38

-84.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.40 MYR 50.6

$150 A$216

-91.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.00 MYR 4.09

$3.38 A$4.86

-70.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 MYR 2.85

$1.56 A$2.24

-55.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.03 MYR 49.08

$40.01 A$57.6

-69.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.51 MYR 2.10

$1.40 A$2.01

-63.57%

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

$41.7K MYR 170.3K

$29.1K A$41.9K

43.32%

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

$34.9K MYR 142.4K

$30.1K A$43.4K

15.83%

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

$51.7 MYR 211

$223 A$320

-76.77%

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

$11.20 MYR 45.69

$27.16 A$39.08

-58.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.12 MYR 115

$55.8 A$80.3

-49.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.13 MYR 90.3

$74.6 A$107

-70.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.76 MYR 47.97

$23.99 A$34.52

-50.98%

Cinema Ticket

$5.02 MYR 20.49

$17.56 A$25.27

-71.41%

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

$163 MYR 665

$2,196 A$3,160

-92.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,501 MYR 18.4K

$28.2K A$40.6K

-84.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 MYR 223

$78.4 A$113

-30.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.80 MYR 68.5

$68.4 A$98.5

-75.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.3 MYR 336

$111 A$160

-26.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.7 MYR 399

$134 A$193

-27.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$192 MYR 784

$2,500 A$3,598

-92.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,191 MYR 4,861

$13.2K A$18.9K

-90.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$804 MYR 3,280

$8,370 A$12.0K

-90.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$411 MYR 1,677

$4,113 A$5,919

-90.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

5.84

-30.48%

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

Last update for Malacca: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Malacca

$261 42.7%

Sydney

$379 12% 44.9% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Malacca

$113 18.5%

Sydney

$177 5.6% 56% $63

Eating Out

Malacca

$95 15.6%

Sydney

$299 9.5% 213% $203

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malacca

$91 14.9%

Sydney

$306 9.7% 236% $215

Sport & Entertainment

Malacca

$32 5.3%

Sydney

$110 3.5% 241% $78

Getting Around

Malacca

$19 3.1%

Sydney

$174 5.5% 824% $155

Accommodation & Living

Malacca

- * 0%

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $192 in Malacca versus $2,500 in Sydney. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 901% higher in Sydney, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Malacca versus $91.0 in Sydney. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $261 vs $379 – making Malacca the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Malacca

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

07:20 7:20 AM

10:20 10:20 AM

3 h ahead of Malacca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

579,000

4,840,600

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Malacca Sydney 6,500 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Malacca
Sydney

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

Malacca vs Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $612 in Malacca, $3,152 in Sydney – roughly 415% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $918 per month in Malacca and $4,728 in Sydney. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Malacca, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Malacca and $91.0 in Sydney. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $612 in Malacca and $3,152 in Sydney. That's a gap of about 415%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Malacca, where all-in costs run around $612, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Malacca it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Malacca has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $612 in Malacca to $3,152 in Sydney. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Malacca. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sydney makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.