Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Bukit Mertajam

For one person, living is cheaper in Bukit Mertajam: $623 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $26,400 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Bukit Mertajam
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Bukit Mertajam Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Bukit Mertajam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$623

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Bukit Mertajam

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 Bukit Mertajam actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $623 in Bukit Mertajam.

Melbourne $2,821
Bukit Mertajam $623

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $979 in Bukit Mertajam.

Melbourne $4,235
Bukit Mertajam $979

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,335 in Bukit Mertajam.

Melbourne $5,650
Bukit Mertajam $1,335

Living in Melbourne is roughly 353% more expensive than in Bukit Mertajam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Bukit Mertajam is 54% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$1.93 MYR 7.87

803.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$20.63 MYR 84.2

309.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$3.93 MYR 16.03

217.05%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$3.14 MYR 12.80

30.89%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.72 MYR 2.93

325.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.47 MYR 1.93

436.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$4.30 MYR 17.52

127.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$6.05 MYR 24.69

41.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.74 MYR 7.10

-14.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.12 MYR 4.58

162.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.94 MYR 7.91

37.11%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.52 MYR 10.26

119.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$14.07 MYR 57.4

-25.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$4.34 MYR 17.71

122.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$9.65 MYR 39.35

57.72%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$3.49 MYR 14.24

14.33%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.79 MYR 7.32

68.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.31 MYR 9.42

34.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.53 MYR 6.23

215.03%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.33 MYR 5.42

127.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.41 MYR 5.76

73.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.12 MYR 4.57

119.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.67 MYR 2.72

143.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$4.32 MYR 17.64

920.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$19.48 MYR 79.5

-34.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$3.65 MYR 14.91

51.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$5.05 MYR 20.60

3.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$1.19 MYR 4.84

278.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$1.25 MYR 5.11

8.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$5.03 MYR 20.50

505.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$0.87 MYR 3.54

68.97%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$41.2K MYR 168.3K

-29.68%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$34.4K MYR 140.4K

-23.08%

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

$234 A$336

$62.4 MYR 255

274.25%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$8.54 MYR 34.85

227.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$26.31 MYR 107

111.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$5.06 MYR 20.65

198.22%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$242 MYR 989

877.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$13.0K MYR 52.9K

132.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$71.6 MYR 292

11.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$41.95 MYR 171

20.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$87.5 MYR 357

37.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$97.3 MYR 397

34.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$567 MYR 2,312

673.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

4.18

41.15%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Bukit Mertajam: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Bukit Mertajam

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Bukit Mertajam

$271 43.5% 29.4% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Bukit Mertajam

$97 15.6% 69.3% $220

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Bukit Mertajam

$103 16.6% 67.2% $211

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Bukit Mertajam

$134 21.5% 21.8% $38

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Bukit Mertajam

$7.5 * 1.2% 95.5% $156

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Bukit Mertajam

$10 * 1.6% 87.3% $69

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

Cost Breakdown

Melbourne pays 673% 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: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $21.00 in Bukit Mertajam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $271 per month, with Bukit Mertajam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇲🇾 Bukit Mertajam

🕒 Local time

14:20 2:20 PM

11:20 11:20 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

212,329

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Bukit Mertajam 6,640 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

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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 Bukit Mertajam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Bukit Mertajam differ by about 353% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $623 including rent). Bukit Mertajam is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 673% higher in Melbourne, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,821 per month in Melbourne versus $623 in Bukit Mertajam – a 353% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $623 in Bukit Mertajam versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bukit Mertajam but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Bukit Mertajam 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, Melbourne and Bukit Mertajam 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 Bukit Mertajam gentler on the wallet – expenses run 353% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.