Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Gili Trawangan

For one person, living is cheaper in Gili Trawangan: $948 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $22,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Melbourne
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,853
/mo nomad
Gili Trawangan
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$948
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Gili Trawangan

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 Gili Trawangan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,853 in Melbourne versus $948 in Gili Trawangan.

  • Melbourne $2,853
  • Gili Trawangan $948

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,275 in Melbourne versus $1,580 in Gili Trawangan.

  • Melbourne $4,275
  • Gili Trawangan $1,580

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,697 in Melbourne versus $2,213 in Gili Trawangan.

  • Melbourne $5,697
  • Gili Trawangan $2,213

Living in Melbourne is roughly 201% more expensive than in Gili Trawangan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 111% above, Gili Trawangan is 30% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Melbourne
Gili Trawangan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.20 A$24.75
$2.24 Rp 40.3K
667.86%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$83.1 A$120
$23.76 Rp 427.7K
249.79%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.43 A$17.88
$3.74 Rp 67.4K
232.35%
Cappuccino
$4.05 A$5.82
$1.83 Rp 32.9K
121.31%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.12 A$4.50
$1.09 Rp 19.7K
186.24%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.46 A$3.54
$0.55 Rp 9,840
347.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.52 A$13.71
$1.76 Rp 31.7K
440.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.16 A$11.74
$2.99 Rp 53.8K
172.91%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Melbourne
Gili Trawangan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.56 A$2.25
$1.16 Rp 20.8K
34.48%
White Bread (500g)
$2.90 A$4.18
$1.75 Rp 31.6K
65.71%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.66 A$3.82
$0.94 Rp 17.0K
182.98%
Eggs
$5.37 A$7.72
$1.64 Rp 29.5K
227.44%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.67 A$15.36
$13.01 Rp 234.2K
-17.99%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.85 A$14.17
$2.99 Rp 53.9K
229.43%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.36 A$22.11
$9.03 Rp 162.6K
70.10%
Apples (1kg)
$4.17 A$6.00
$2.70 Rp 48.6K
54.44%
Banana (1kg)
$3.15 A$4.53
$1.16 Rp 20.8K
171.55%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.26 A$4.69
$1.77 Rp 31.9K
84.18%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.76 A$6.85
$1.45 Rp 26.2K
228.28%
Potato (1kg)
$3.06 A$4.41
$1.37 Rp 24.7K
123.36%
Onion (1kg)
$2.47 A$3.55
$1.76 Rp 31.7K
40.34%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.45 A$3.52
$0.74 Rp 13.4K
231.08%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.63 A$2.34
$0.41 Rp 7,341
297.56%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$45.17 A$65.0
$1.73 Rp 31.1K
2510.98%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.68 A$18.25
$17.33 Rp 311.9K
-26.83%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$5.69 A$8.18
$1.75 Rp 31.6K
225.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.23 A$7.53
$2.22 Rp 40.0K
135.59%
🚌 Getting Around
Melbourne
Gili Trawangan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.87 A$5.57
$0.21 Rp 3,778
1742.86%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$142 A$204
$7.14 Rp 128.5K
1888.24%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.54 A$6.53
$0.40 Rp 7,268
1035.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.42 A$2.04
$0.37 Rp 6,649
283.78%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$30.59 A$44.01
$5.09 Rp 91.6K
500.98%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 A$2.11
$0.68 Rp 12.3K
116.18%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.9K A$41.5K
$20.6K Rp 370.8M
40.10%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.9K A$37.3K
$28.0K Rp 503.7M
-7.38%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Melbourne
Gili Trawangan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$235 A$338
$69.7 Rp 1.3M
237.41%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.45 A$39.51
$5.49 Rp 98.9K
400.00%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$56.1 A$80.8
$15.46 Rp 278.3K
263.07%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Melbourne
Gili Trawangan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$50.1 A$72.1
$39.13 Rp 704.3K
28.03%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.49 A$30.93
$12.90 Rp 232.3K
66.59%
Cinema Ticket
$17.76 A$25.56
$3.09 Rp 55.6K
474.76%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Melbourne
Gili Trawangan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,385 A$3,432
$347 Rp 6.3M
586.38%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$29.7K A$42.7K
$4,182 Rp 75.3M
609.26%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Melbourne
Gili Trawangan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$79.2 A$114
$38.51 Rp 693.1K
105.56%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.49 A$71.2
$30.37 Rp 546.7K
62.96%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$118 A$170
$66.6 Rp 1.2M
77.75%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$132 A$190
$67.8 Rp 1.2M
94.81%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Melbourne
Gili Trawangan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,763 A$2,537
$677 Rp 12.2M
160.54%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,411 A$2,031
$419 Rp 7.5M
236.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,522 A$5,069
$2,150 Rp 38.7M
63.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,525 A$3,634
$1,042 Rp 18.8M
142.39%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,136 A$10.3K
$1,665 Rp 30.0M
328.51%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,355 A$9,144
$1,371 Rp 24.7M
363.53%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Melbourne
Gili Trawangan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,258 A$6,128
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.9
13.78
-57.18%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 17, 2026

Last update for Gili Trawangan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Melbourne
$1.4K
Gili Trawangan
$419 70.3% $992
Groceries & Markets
Melbourne
$388
Gili Trawangan
$219 43.7% $170
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Melbourne
$319
Gili Trawangan
$91 71.6% $228
Eating Out
Melbourne
$310
Gili Trawangan
$72 76.6% $237
Clothing & Footwear
Melbourne
$171
Gili Trawangan
$92 46.4% $79
Getting Around
Melbourne
$169
Gili Trawangan
$10 93.9% $159
Sport & Entertainment
Melbourne
$86
Gili Trawangan
$45 47.1% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,763 in Melbourne and $677 in Gili Trawangan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $83.0 in Melbourne vs $24.00 in Gili Trawangan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $388 vs $219 per month, with Gili Trawangan cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇦🇺 Melbourne
🇮🇩 Gili Trawangan
🕒 Local time
05:49 5:49 AM
02:49 2:49 AM
3 h behind Melbourne
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
5,031,195
1,500
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

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).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Melbourne Gili Trawangan 4,380 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Melbourne
  • Gili Trawangan

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 Gili Trawangan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Gili Trawangan cheaper than Melbourne?
Gili Trawangan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 201% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $4,280 in Melbourne and $1,422 in Gili Trawangan to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Melbourne and Gili Trawangan?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,763 in Melbourne versus $677 in Gili Trawangan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do food prices compare in Melbourne and in Gili Trawangan?
Supermarket bills run roughly 78% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is eating out cheaper in Melbourne or in Gili Trawangan?
Dining out is cheaper in Gili Trawangan – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $83.0 in Melbourne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Melbourne or in Gili Trawangan?
At $948 in Gili Trawangan versus $2,853 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Gili Trawangan but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Gili Trawangan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Melbourne or in Gili Trawangan?
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.
Which city is safer, Melbourne or Gili Trawangan?
Safety-wise, Melbourne and Gili Trawangan are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Gili Trawangan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 201% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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