Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manado and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Manado: $557 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $27,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in Manado
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Manado Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Manado

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$557

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $557 per month in Manado vs $2,853 in Melbourne, rent included.

Manado $557
Melbourne $2,853

A couple spends around $881 per month in Manado vs $4,275 in Melbourne, rent included.

Manado $881
Melbourne $4,275

A family of three spends $1,206 per month in Manado vs $5,697 in Melbourne, rent included.

Manado $1,206
Melbourne $5,697

Manado is about 80% cheaper than Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Manado sits 59% below the global median, while Melbourne is 111% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.44 Rp 25.9K

$17.20 A$24.75

-91.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.91 Rp 304.4K

$83.1 A$120

-79.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.78 Rp 50.0K

$12.43 A$17.88

-77.63%

Cappuccino

$1.75 Rp 31.6K

$4.05 A$5.82

-56.79%

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

$0.61 Rp 11.0K

$3.12 A$4.50

-80.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 Rp 4,526

$2.46 A$3.54

-89.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 Rp 61.6K

$9.52 A$13.71

-64.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 Rp 49.6K

$8.16 A$11.74

-66.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 Rp 24.8K

$1.56 A$2.25

-11.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 Rp 19.8K

$2.90 A$4.18

-62.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 Rp 13.9K

$2.66 A$3.82

-71.05%

Eggs

$1.85 Rp 33.2K

$5.37 A$7.72

-65.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.47 Rp 296.4K

$10.67 A$15.36

54.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.73 Rp 49.1K

$9.85 A$14.17

-72.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.25 Rp 112.5K

$15.36 A$22.11

-59.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 Rp 41.2K

$4.17 A$6.00

-45.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 Rp 27.1K

$3.15 A$4.53

-52.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.30 Rp 23.4K

$3.26 A$4.69

-60.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.02 Rp 18.3K

$4.76 A$6.85

-78.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

$3.06 A$4.41

-72.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.78 Rp 50.1K

$2.47 A$3.55

12.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 Rp 14.3K

$2.45 A$3.52

-67.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 Rp 8,183

$1.63 A$2.34

-72.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.38 Rp 42.8K

$45.17 A$65.0

-94.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.83 Rp 374.9K

$12.68 A$18.25

64.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 Rp 33.0K

$5.69 A$8.18

-67.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 Rp 54.4K

$5.23 A$7.53

-42.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 Rp 5,363

$3.87 A$5.57

-92.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$204

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.52 Rp 9,385

$4.54 A$6.53

-88.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 Rp 6,183

$1.42 A$2.04

-76.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 Rp 48.2K

$30.59 A$44.01

-91.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.65 Rp 11.7K

$1.47 A$2.11

-55.78%

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

$23.5K Rp 422.4M

$28.9K A$41.5K

-18.69%

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

$31.5K Rp 566.9M

$25.9K A$37.3K

21.52%

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

$52.9 Rp 951.8K

$235 A$338

-77.51%

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

$4.26 Rp 76.6K

$27.45 A$39.51

-84.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.10 Rp 253.8K

$56.1 A$80.8

-74.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.16 Rp 236.9K

$50.1 A$72.1

-73.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.53 Rp 153.5K

$21.49 A$30.93

-60.31%

Cinema Ticket

$2.56 Rp 46.1K

$17.76 A$25.56

-85.59%

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

$126 Rp 2.3M

$2,385 A$3,432

-94.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,771 Rp 85.9M

$29.7K A$42.7K

-83.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 Rp 991.0K

$79.2 A$114

-30.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.35 Rp 366.3K

$49.49 A$71.2

-58.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.5 Rp 1.3M

$118 A$170

-41.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.5 Rp 1.2M

$132 A$190

-51.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$253 Rp 4.5M

$1,763 A$2,537

-85.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$81.6 Rp 1.5M

$1,411 A$2,031

-94.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$302 Rp 5.4M

$3,522 A$5,069

-91.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$169 Rp 3.0M

$2,525 A$3,634

-93.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,185 Rp 21.3M

$7,136 A$10.3K

-83.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$790 Rp 14.2M

$6,355 A$9,144

-87.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$215 Rp 3.9M

$4,258 A$6,128

-94.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

69.49%

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

Last update for Manado: October 19, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Manado

$221 39.7%

Melbourne

$388 13.6% 75.5% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Manado

$94 16.9%

Melbourne

$171 6% 81.1% $76

Accommodation & Living

Manado

$82 14.7%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5% 1629% $1.3K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manado

$71 12.8%

Melbourne

$319 11.2% 347% $247

Eating Out

Manado

$67 12%

Melbourne

$310 10.9% 363% $243

Sport & Entertainment

Manado

$18 3.3%

Melbourne

$86 3% 368% $67

Getting Around

Manado

$3.4 * 0.6%

Melbourne

$169 5.9% 4829% $166

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $253 in Manado versus $1,763 in Melbourne. 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 1877% higher in Melbourne, 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 $17.00 in Manado versus $83.0 in Melbourne. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $221 vs $388 – making Manado the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Manado

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

00:51 12:51 AM

03:51 3:51 AM

3 h ahead of Manado

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

423,257

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Manado Melbourne 4,840 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Manado
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

Manado vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Melbourne is pricier by about 412%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $836 per month in Manado and $4,280 in Melbourne. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Manado, 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 $17.00 in Manado and $83.0 in Melbourne. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 76% more in Melbourne, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Manado, where all-in costs run around $557, than in Melbourne at $2,853. In Manado it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Manado – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Manado. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Melbourne makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.