Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Kuala Terengganu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuala Terengganu: $924 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $22,800 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 Terengganu
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Kuala Terengganu Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Kuala Terengganu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $924 in Kuala Terengganu.

Melbourne $2,821
Kuala Terengganu $924

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,372 in Kuala Terengganu.

Melbourne $4,235
Kuala Terengganu $1,372

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,821 in Kuala Terengganu.

Melbourne $5,650
Kuala Terengganu $1,821

Living in Melbourne is roughly 205% more expensive than in Kuala Terengganu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Kuala Terengganu is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$2.49 MYR 10.15

600.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$23.06 MYR 94.1

266.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$4.72 MYR 19.25

163.98%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.72 MYR 11.08

51.10%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.47 MYR 1.90

551.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.28 MYR 1.14

800.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$3.56 MYR 14.52

175.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$4.18 MYR 17.05

105.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.70 MYR 6.94

-12.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.02 MYR 4.15

188.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.28 MYR 5.22

107.81%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.13 MYR 8.68

160.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$15.66 MYR 63.9

-32.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$4.35 MYR 17.73

121.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$8.41 MYR 34.29

80.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$3.36 MYR 13.73

18.75%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.61 MYR 6.59

87.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.10 MYR 8.59

47.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.50 MYR 6.13

221.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.47 MYR 6.01

106.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.09 MYR 4.45

123.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.00 MYR 4.09

146.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.53 MYR 2.17

207.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$4.46 MYR 18.18

888.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$17.84 MYR 72.8

-28.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.92 MYR 11.91

89.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$4.82 MYR 19.66

8.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.67 MYR 2.75

458.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$10.62 MYR 43.31

1194.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$1.27 MYR 5.20

255.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.46 MYR 1.89

195.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$6.55 MYR 26.73

364.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$0.90 MYR 3.65

63.33%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$43.8K MYR 178.8K

-33.83%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$32.1K MYR 131.0K

-17.55%

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

$234 A$336

$45.25 MYR 185

416.42%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$8.79 MYR 35.87

217.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$25.10 MYR 102

122.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$44.04 MYR 180

12.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$7.97 MYR 32.49

169.51%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$4.81 MYR 19.61

213.72%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$172 MYR 701

1279.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$6,936 MYR 28.3K

335.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$57.5 MYR 235

39.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$36.37 MYR 148

39.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$86.5 MYR 353

39.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$68.0 MYR 278

91.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$361 MYR 1,472

387.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$312 MYR 1,275

344.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$722 MYR 2,946

383.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$471 MYR 1,923

428.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$2,073 MYR 8,456

234.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,145 MYR 4,669

463.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

4.06

45.32%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Kuala Terengganu: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Kuala Terengganu

$312 33.8% 77.5% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Kuala Terengganu

$254 27.5% 33.8% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Kuala Terengganu

$79 8.6% 75.1% $238

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Kuala Terengganu

$96 10.4% 69.5% $219

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Kuala Terengganu

$112 12.1% 34.9% $60

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Kuala Terengganu

$17 1.8% 89.7% $147

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Kuala Terengganu

$54 5.8% 32.6% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $361 in Kuala Terengganu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $23.00 in Kuala Terengganu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $254 per month, with Kuala Terengganu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇲🇾 Kuala Terengganu

🕒 Local time

14:23 2:23 PM

11:23 11:23 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

375,424

💱 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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Melbourne Kuala Terengganu 6,450 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
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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 Kuala Terengganu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Kuala Terengganu differ by about 205% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $924 including rent). Kuala Terengganu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $4,231 in Melbourne and $1,386 in Kuala Terengganu 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,759 in Melbourne versus $361 in Kuala Terengganu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,821 per month in Melbourne versus $924 in Kuala Terengganu – a 205% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kuala Terengganu runs roughly 1195% less than in Melbourne. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $924 in Kuala Terengganu versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kuala Terengganu but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Kuala Terengganu 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 Kuala Terengganu 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 Kuala Terengganu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 205% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.