Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Lumut, Perak

For one person, living is cheaper in Lumut, Perak: $987 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $22,000 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Lumut, Perak
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Lumut, Perak Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Lumut, Perak

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$987

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Lumut, Perak

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $987 in Lumut, Perak.

Melbourne $2,821
Lumut, Perak $987

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,449 in Lumut, Perak.

Melbourne $4,235
Lumut, Perak $1,449

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,910 in Lumut, Perak.

Melbourne $5,650
Lumut, Perak $1,910

Living in Melbourne is roughly 186% more expensive than in Lumut, Perak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Lumut, Perak is 27% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$3.56 MYR 14.52

389.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$12.21 MYR 49.79

592.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$4.92 MYR 20.06

153.25%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.97 MYR 12.14

38.38%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.83 MYR 3.39

268.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.38 MYR 1.56

563.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$3.84 MYR 15.65

155.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$5.97 MYR 24.34

43.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$2.14 MYR 8.73

-30.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.07 MYR 4.38

174.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$2.02 MYR 8.25

31.68%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.46 MYR 10.05

125.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$13.82 MYR 56.4

-23.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$4.38 MYR 17.88

120.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$9.89 MYR 40.36

53.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$3.35 MYR 13.68

19.10%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.83 MYR 7.45

65.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.25 MYR 9.18

37.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.60 MYR 6.53

201.25%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.28 MYR 5.24

136.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.35 MYR 5.52

80.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.18 MYR 4.82

108.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.66 MYR 2.68

146.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$4.39 MYR 17.90

903.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$19.67 MYR 80.2

-35.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$3.51 MYR 14.31

57.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$5.03 MYR 20.51

3.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.64 MYR 2.62

484.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$11.47 MYR 46.78

1098.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$1.23 MYR 5.03

266.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$1.21 MYR 4.92

12.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$4.92 MYR 20.06

518.90%

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

$42.2K MYR 172.2K

-31.30%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$34.0K MYR 138.7K

-22.13%

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

$234 A$336

$61.4 MYR 251

280.40%

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

$26.41 MYR 108

111.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$37.77 MYR 154

30.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$6.93 MYR 28.29

209.96%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$5.12 MYR 20.89

194.73%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$303 MYR 1,236

682.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$12.9K MYR 52.6K

133.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$70.9 MYR 289

12.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$41.12 MYR 168

23.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$87.5 MYR 357

37.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$95.2 MYR 388

37.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$406 MYR 1,657

332.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$299 MYR 1,222

364.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$686 MYR 2,798

409.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$475 MYR 1,940

424.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$2,306 MYR 9,407

200.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,183 MYR 4,824

444.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$381 MYR 1,555

1049.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

4.18

41.15%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lumut, Perak: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Lumut, Perak

$299 30.4% 78.5% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Lumut, Perak

$274 27.8% 28.7% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Lumut, Perak

$97 9.8% 69.6% $221

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Lumut, Perak

$115 11.6% 63.5% $200

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Lumut, Perak

$133 13.4% 22.8% $39

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Lumut, Perak

$21 2.2% 87% $142

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Lumut, Perak

$48 4.9% 39.7% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $406 in Lumut, Perak. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 1050% 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 $12.00 in Lumut, Perak for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $274 per month, with Lumut, Perak cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇲🇾 Lumut, Perak

🕒 Local time

16:59 4:59 PM

13:59 1:59 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

39,595

💱 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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Melbourne Lumut, Perak 6,540 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Lumut, Perak

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 Lumut, Perak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lumut, Perak wins on cost – living expenses run 186% lower than in Melbourne. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lumut, Perak the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1050% 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 $406 in Lumut, Perak. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lumut, Perak – a meal for two runs $12.00 versus $85.0 in Melbourne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,821 per month in Melbourne versus $987 in Lumut, Perak – a 186% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $987 in Lumut, Perak versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Lumut, Perak but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Lumut, Perak 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 Lumut, Perak 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 Lumut, Perak gentler on the wallet – expenses run 186% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.