Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and George Town

For one person, living is cheaper in George Town: $956 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $22,400 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
46

Cost of Living Index in George Town
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George Town Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

George Town

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in George Town

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 George Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $956 in George Town.

Melbourne $2,821
George Town $956

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,599 in George Town.

Melbourne $4,235
George Town $1,599

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $2,243 in George Town.

Melbourne $5,650
George Town $2,243

Living in Melbourne is roughly 195% more expensive than in George Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, George Town is 29% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$3.41 MYR 13.92

411.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$15.33 MYR 62.5

451.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$4.55 MYR 18.58

173.85%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.61 MYR 10.66

57.47%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.78 MYR 3.16

292.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.35 MYR 1.43

620.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$2.42 MYR 9.88

304.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$4.46 MYR 18.21

92.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.85 MYR 7.56

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.05 MYR 4.28

180.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.68 MYR 6.85

58.33%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.21 MYR 9.03

150.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$13.65 MYR 55.7

-23.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$4.51 MYR 18.38

113.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$8.49 MYR 34.62

79.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.43 MYR 9.89

64.20%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.43 MYR 5.84

111.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.23 MYR 9.12

39.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.19 MYR 4.86

305.04%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$0.93 MYR 3.77

225.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$0.85 MYR 3.45

187.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.70 MYR 2.87

251.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.57 MYR 2.31

185.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$4.42 MYR 18.03

897.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$18.74 MYR 76.5

-32.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.42 MYR 9.89

128.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$3.59 MYR 14.65

45.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.47 MYR 1.91

695.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$10.84 MYR 44.24

1168.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$1.24 MYR 5.08

263.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.51 MYR 2.09

166.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$6.87 MYR 28.03

343.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$0.84 MYR 3.43

75.00%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$42.3K MYR 172.6K

-31.47%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$28.7K MYR 117.0K

-7.72%

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

$234 A$336

$36.87 MYR 150

533.79%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$8.21 MYR 33.51

240.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$28.51 MYR 116

95.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$40.21 MYR 164

22.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$5.04 MYR 20.55

326.19%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$4.76 MYR 19.43

217.02%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$173 MYR 705

1273.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$4,848 MYR 19.8K

522.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$53.1 MYR 216

50.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$34.45 MYR 141

47.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$74.5 MYR 304

62.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$69.8 MYR 285

86.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$505 MYR 2,059

248.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$374 MYR 1,524

271.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$932 MYR 3,804

274.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$992 MYR 4,046

151.37%

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

$1,094 MYR 4,462

300.70%

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 George Town: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

George Town

$374 39.1% 73.1% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

George Town

$240 25.1% 37.5% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

George Town

$74 7.7% 76.8% $244

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

George Town

$98 10.2% 68.9% $217

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

George Town

$104 10.9% 39.3% $67

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

George Town

$17 1.7% 89.9% $147

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

George Town

$50 5.2% 37.5% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $505 in George Town. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 301% 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 $15.00 in George Town for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $240 per month, with George Town cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇲🇾 George Town

🕒 Local time

06:09 6:09 AM

03:09 3:09 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

794,313

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Melbourne George Town 6,660 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
George Town

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 George Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

George Town is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 195% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 301% higher in Melbourne, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,759 in Melbourne versus $505 in George Town. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in George Town runs roughly 1169% less than in Melbourne. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $173 in George Town. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $956 in George Town versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in George Town but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes George Town the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, George Town 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, Melbourne and George Town 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 George Town gentler on the wallet – expenses run 195% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.