Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Kuala Lipis

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuala Lipis: $939 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $22,600 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Lipis
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Kuala Lipis Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Kuala Lipis

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$939

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Kuala Lipis

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 Kuala Lipis actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $939 in Kuala Lipis, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Kuala Lipis $939

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $1,395 in Kuala Lipis, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Kuala Lipis $1,395

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $1,852 in Kuala Lipis, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Kuala Lipis $1,852

Melbourne costs about 200% more than Kuala Lipis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Melbourne sits 109% above the global median, while Kuala Lipis is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$3.72 MYR 15.17

368.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$24.25 MYR 98.9

248.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$4.97 MYR 20.26

150.70%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$3.12 MYR 12.74

31.73%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.85 MYR 3.47

260.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.45 MYR 1.83

460.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$3.37 MYR 13.76

190.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$5.84 MYR 23.84

46.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.93 MYR 7.86

-23.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.07 MYR 4.36

174.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.47 MYR 6.00

80.95%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.86 MYR 7.57

197.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$9.63 MYR 39.28

9.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$3.30 MYR 13.45

192.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$9.46 MYR 38.59

60.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$3.47 MYR 14.16

14.99%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.87 MYR 7.64

61.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.63 MYR 10.75

17.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.74 MYR 7.09

177.01%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.10 MYR 8.59

44.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.95 MYR 7.95

25.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.44 MYR 5.89

70.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.51 MYR 2.09

219.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$4.55 MYR 18.56

868.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$19.95 MYR 81.4

-36.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.76 MYR 11.28

100.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$4.68 MYR 19.11

11.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.70 MYR 2.86

434.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$14.01 MYR 57.1

881.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$1.21 MYR 4.93

272.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.38 MYR 1.57

257.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$8.96 MYR 36.55

239.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$0.86 MYR 3.52

70.93%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$42.4K MYR 172.9K

-31.59%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$32.6K MYR 133.1K

-18.86%

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

$234 A$336

$50.1 MYR 205

366.06%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$8.01 MYR 32.68

248.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$26.76 MYR 109

108.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$38.90 MYR 159

26.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$6.94 MYR 28.30

209.51%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$4.91 MYR 20.05

207.33%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$274 MYR 1,119

764.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$10.5K MYR 42.6K

188.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$52.2 MYR 213

53.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$29.64 MYR 121

71.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$77.9 MYR 318

54.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$85.9 MYR 350

51.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$433 MYR 1,767

306.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$309 MYR 1,260

349.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$777 MYR 3,171

349.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$467 MYR 1,907

433.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$1,798 MYR 7,336

285.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,129 MYR 4,606

470.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

4.51

30.82%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Kuala Lipis: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Kuala Lipis

$309 32.9% 77.8% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Kuala Lipis

$250 26.6% 34.9% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Kuala Lipis

$85 9% 73.2% $232

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Kuala Lipis

$116 12.3% 63.2% $199

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Kuala Lipis

$111 11.8% 35.6% $61

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Kuala Lipis

$20 2.1% 87.8% $144

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Kuala Lipis

$49 5.2% 38.8% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in Melbourne versus $433 in Kuala Lipis. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Melbourne versus $24.00 in Kuala Lipis. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $250 – making Kuala Lipis the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇲🇾 Kuala Lipis

🕒 Local time

14:25 2:25 PM

11:25 11:25 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

20,000

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Kuala Lipis 6,430 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Kuala Lipis

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 Kuala Lipis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Melbourne is pricier by about 200%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,231 per month in Melbourne and $1,408 in Kuala Lipis. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,821 in Melbourne and $939 in Kuala Lipis. That's a gap of about 200%.

Public transport costs about 882% less in Kuala Lipis. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kuala Lipis, where all-in costs run around $939, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Kuala Lipis it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kuala Lipis – 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 Kuala Lipis. 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.