Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Alor Setar

For one person, living is cheaper in Alor Setar: $881 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $23,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Alor Setar
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Alor Setar Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Alor Setar

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$881

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Alor Setar

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $881 in Alor Setar, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Alor Setar $881

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $1,277 in Alor Setar, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Alor Setar $1,277

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $1,672 in Alor Setar, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Alor Setar $1,672

Melbourne costs about 220% more than Alor Setar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Melbourne sits 109% above the global median, while Alor Setar is 35% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$2.08 MYR 8.48

737.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$12.30 MYR 50.2

587.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$4.28 MYR 17.44

191.12%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$1.82 MYR 7.40

125.82%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.56 MYR 2.30

446.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.30 MYR 1.24

740.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$4.25 MYR 17.33

130.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$4.33 MYR 17.68

97.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.60 MYR 6.51

-7.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$0.85 MYR 3.49

245.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.68 MYR 6.85

58.33%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.51 MYR 6.17

266.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$13.63 MYR 55.6

-22.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$4.35 MYR 17.76

121.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$8.75 MYR 35.68

73.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.94 MYR 11.98

35.71%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.24 MYR 5.04

143.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.72 MYR 11.10

13.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.45 MYR 5.91

232.41%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.06 MYR 4.33

185.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.13 MYR 4.62

115.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.10 MYR 4.48

123.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.54 MYR 2.18

201.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$4.50 MYR 18.37

879.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$18.89 MYR 77.1

-32.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.90 MYR 11.83

91.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$5.36 MYR 21.88

-2.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.79 MYR 3.21

373.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$10.78 MYR 43.98

1175.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$1.67 MYR 6.80

170.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.40 MYR 1.65

240.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$7.37 MYR 30.08

313.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$0.51 MYR 2.09

188.24%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$41.8K MYR 170.3K

-30.55%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$35.9K MYR 146.6K

-26.33%

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

$234 A$336

$37.61 MYR 153

521.32%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$7.49 MYR 30.57

272.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$21.82 MYR 89.0

155.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$39.96 MYR 163

23.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$7.19 MYR 29.33

198.75%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$4.95 MYR 20.19

204.85%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$427 MYR 1,741

455.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$10.7K MYR 43.7K

182.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$60.3 MYR 246

32.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$34.46 MYR 141

47.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$82.4 MYR 336

46.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$68.8 MYR 281

89.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$371 MYR 1,513

374.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$305 MYR 1,246

355.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$662 MYR 2,700

427.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$449 MYR 1,831

455.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$1,986 MYR 8,103

248.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$970 MYR 3,958

564.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$1,642 MYR 6,697

166.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

4.04

46.04%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Alor Setar: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Alor Setar

$305 34.7% 78% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Alor Setar

$246 27.9% 36% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Alor Setar

$67 7.6% 78.9% $250

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Alor Setar

$85 9.6% 73.1% $230

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Alor Setar

$111 12.6% 35.6% $61

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Alor Setar

$18 2% 89.2% $146

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Alor Setar

$50 5.7% 37.4% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in Melbourne versus $371 in Alor Setar. 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 167% 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 $85.0 in Melbourne versus $12.00 in Alor Setar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $246 – making Alor Setar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇲🇾 Alor Setar

🕒 Local time

04:41 4:41 AM

01:41 1:41 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

423,868

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Alor Setar 6,720 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Alor Setar

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

Melbourne vs Alor Setar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne costs about 220% more than Alor Setar, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,231 per month in Melbourne and $1,321 in Alor Setar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $2,371 per month in Melbourne and $427 in Alor Setar. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 56% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Alor Setar, where all-in costs run around $881, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Alor Setar it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Alor Setar – 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 Alor Setar. 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.