Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Makassar

For one person, living is cheaper in Makassar: $641 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $26,200 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Makassar
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Makassar Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Makassar

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Makassar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $641 in Makassar.

Melbourne $2,821
Makassar $641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $985 in Makassar.

Melbourne $4,235
Makassar $985

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,328 in Makassar.

Melbourne $5,650
Makassar $1,328

Living in Melbourne is roughly 340% more expensive than in Makassar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Makassar is 53% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$1.72 Rp 30.9K

913.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$8.88 Rp 159.2K

852.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$3.15 Rp 56.5K

295.56%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$1.92 Rp 34.4K

114.06%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.50 Rp 9,001

512.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.36 Rp 6,476

600.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$2.49 Rp 44.6K

293.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$3.30 Rp 59.2K

159.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.59 Rp 28.5K

-6.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$0.98 Rp 17.6K

200.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.62 Rp 11.2K

329.03%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.50 Rp 26.9K

269.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$6.29 Rp 112.9K

67.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$3.44 Rp 61.7K

180.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$5.24 Rp 94.0K

190.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.35 Rp 42.1K

69.79%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.36 Rp 24.5K

122.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$1.90 Rp 34.2K

63.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.86 Rp 33.3K

159.14%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.25 Rp 22.5K

142.40%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.57 Rp 28.1K

55.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.73 Rp 13.1K

236.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.42 Rp 7,502

288.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$2.63 Rp 47.3K

1575.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$22.11 Rp 396.8K

-42.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.81 Rp 32.6K

206.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$3.00 Rp 53.9K

74.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.27 Rp 4,839

1285.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$4.30 Rp 77.2K

3098.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$0.49 Rp 8,754

820.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.35 Rp 6,251

288.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$2.66 Rp 47.7K

1044.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$0.74 Rp 13.2K

98.65%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$23.9K Rp 429.4M

21.18%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$30.9K Rp 555.2M

-14.44%

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

$234 A$336

$89.0 Rp 1.6M

162.68%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$2.71 Rp 48.5K

930.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$24.90 Rp 446.7K

123.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$21.47 Rp 385.3K

130.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$8.40 Rp 150.6K

155.71%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$3.36 Rp 60.3K

349.11%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$93.5 Rp 1.7M

2437.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$3,746 Rp 67.2M

706.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$26.95 Rp 483.6K

196.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$23.52 Rp 422.0K

115.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$75.3 Rp 1.4M

60.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$40.00 Rp 717.7K

226.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$232 Rp 4.2M

657.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$148 Rp 2.7M

838.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$546 Rp 9.8M

539.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$360 Rp 6.5M

593.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$1,159 Rp 20.8M

497.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$803 Rp 14.4M

702.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$214 Rp 3.8M

1950.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

9.46

-37.63%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Makassar: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Makassar

$148 23.1% 89.3% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Makassar

$197 30.7% 48.7% $187

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Makassar

$117 18.2% 63.3% $201

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Makassar

$69 10.7% 78.2% $246

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Makassar

$75 11.6% 56.6% $97

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Makassar

$7.6 1.2% 95.4% $156

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Makassar

$28 4.4% 64.6% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $232 in Makassar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 1950% 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 $9.00 in Makassar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $197 per month, with Makassar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇮🇩 Makassar

🕒 Local time

05:09 5:09 AM

02:09 2:09 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

1,427,619

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.57 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.96 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, 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).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 17,943 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.57 USD). 1 EUR = 20,174 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.96 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Makassar 4,460 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Makassar

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 Makassar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Makassar wins on cost – living expenses run 340% lower than in Melbourne. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Makassar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1950% 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 $232 in Makassar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Makassar runs roughly 3098% less than in Melbourne. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $93.5 in Makassar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $641 in Makassar versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Makassar but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Makassar 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 Makassar 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 Makassar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 340% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.