Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Malacca

For one person, living is cheaper in Malacca: $612 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $26,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Malacca
Learn more

Malacca Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Malacca

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$612

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Malacca

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $612 in Malacca, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Malacca $612

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $977 in Malacca, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Malacca $977

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $1,343 in Malacca, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Malacca $1,343

Melbourne costs about 361% more than Malacca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Melbourne sits 109% above the global median, while Malacca is 55% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$3.27 MYR 13.36

433.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$18.71 MYR 76.3

351.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$4.80 MYR 19.60

159.58%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.83 MYR 11.56

45.23%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.77 MYR 3.15

297.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.54 MYR 2.21

366.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$1.93 MYR 7.87

407.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$2.97 MYR 12.10

188.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.72 MYR 7.03

-13.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.11 MYR 4.52

164.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.42 MYR 5.78

87.32%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.72 MYR 7.02

222.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$18.49 MYR 75.4

-43.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$4.59 MYR 18.73

110.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$10.83 MYR 44.18

40.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$3.26 MYR 13.29

22.39%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.76 MYR 7.18

71.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.38 MYR 9.72

30.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.64 MYR 6.69

193.90%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.47 MYR 5.99

106.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.74 MYR 7.09

40.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.37 MYR 5.61

79.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.55 MYR 2.23

196.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$4.19 MYR 17.11

951.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$13.92 MYR 56.8

-8.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.17 MYR 8.84

155.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$3.11 MYR 12.67

68.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.47 MYR 1.92

695.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$12.40 MYR 50.6

1009.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$1.00 MYR 4.09

351.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.70 MYR 2.85

94.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$12.03 MYR 49.08

153.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$0.51 MYR 2.10

188.24%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$41.7K MYR 170.3K

-30.52%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$34.9K MYR 142.4K

-24.14%

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

$234 A$336

$51.7 MYR 211

351.99%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$11.20 MYR 45.69

149.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$28.12 MYR 115

98.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$22.13 MYR 90.3

123.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$11.76 MYR 47.97

82.65%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$5.02 MYR 20.49

200.60%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$163 MYR 665

1354.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$4,501 MYR 18.4K

570.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$54.7 MYR 223

46.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$16.80 MYR 68.5

201.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$82.3 MYR 336

46.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$97.7 MYR 399

33.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$192 MYR 784

815.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$1,191 MYR 4,861

481.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$804 MYR 3,280

701.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$411 MYR 1,677

966.18%

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 Malacca: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Malacca

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Malacca

$261 42.7% 32% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Malacca

$91 14.9% 71.3% $226

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Malacca

$95 15.6% 69.7% $219

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Malacca

$113 18.5% 34.1% $59

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Malacca

$19 3.1% 88.5% $145

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Malacca

$32 5.3% 59.6% $47

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 $192 in Malacca. 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 966% 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 $19.00 in Malacca. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $261 – making Malacca the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇲🇾 Malacca

🕒 Local time

10:20 10:20 AM

07:20 7:20 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

579,000

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Malacca 6,250 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Malacca

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 Malacca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne, $612 in Malacca – roughly 361% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,231 per month in Melbourne and $918 in Malacca. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Malacca, 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 $19.00 in Malacca. 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 $612 in Malacca. That's a gap of about 361%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Malacca, where all-in costs run around $612, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Malacca it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Malacca has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $612 in Malacca to $2,821 in Melbourne. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Malacca. 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.