Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Langkawi

For one person, living is cheaper in Langkawi: $537 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $27,400 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Langkawi
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Langkawi Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Langkawi

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$537

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Langkawi

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $537 in Langkawi, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Langkawi $537

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $770 in Langkawi, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Langkawi $770

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $1,003 in Langkawi, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Langkawi $1,003

Melbourne costs about 425% more than Langkawi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Melbourne sits 109% above the global median, while Langkawi is 60% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$3.27 MYR 13.33

433.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$19.71 MYR 80.4

328.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$6.38 MYR 26.04

95.30%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$1.65 MYR 6.72

149.09%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.82 MYR 3.36

273.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.53 MYR 2.18

375.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$1.72 MYR 7.03

469.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$2.26 MYR 9.22

279.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.74 MYR 7.10

-14.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.31 MYR 5.36

124.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.79 MYR 7.30

209.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$17.48 MYR 71.3

-39.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.02 MYR 8.23

97.52%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$0.99 MYR 4.05

205.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$1.68 MYR 6.86

84.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.67 MYR 6.83

188.62%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$0.76 MYR 3.09

221.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.69 MYR 15.04

1094.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$8.82 MYR 36.00

43.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$0.94 MYR 3.82

489.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.19 MYR 4.87

339.50%

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

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$0.88 MYR 3.57

67.05%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$24.4K MYR 99.6K

18.79%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

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

$234 A$336

$36.65 MYR 150

537.60%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$24.82 MYR 101

99.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

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

$2,371 A$3,412

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$308 MYR 1,255

471.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$244 MYR 997

468.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$374 MYR 1,528

832.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$320 MYR 1,304

680.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$1,168 MYR 4,765

493.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$1,240 MYR 5,060

253.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Langkawi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Langkawi

$244 45.5% 82.4% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Langkawi

$148 * 27.5% 61.6% $236

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Langkawi

$37 * 6.8% 88.5% $281

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Langkawi

$84 15.6% 73.4% $231

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Langkawi

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Langkawi

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Langkawi

$25 * 4.6% 68.8% $55

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in Melbourne versus $308 in Langkawi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 253% higher in Melbourne, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Melbourne versus $20.00 in Langkawi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $148 – making Langkawi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇲🇾 Langkawi

🕒 Local time

09:42 9:42 AM

06:42 6:42 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

30,212

💱 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 Langkawi 6,780 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Langkawi

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 Langkawi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne, $537 in Langkawi – roughly 425% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,231 per month in Melbourne and $806 in Langkawi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Melbourne and $20.00 in Langkawi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,821 in Melbourne and $537 in Langkawi. That's a gap of about 425%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Langkawi, where all-in costs run around $537, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Langkawi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Langkawi – 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 Langkawi. 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.