Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Mataram

For one person, living is cheaper in Mataram: $608 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $26,900 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Mataram
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Mataram Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Mataram

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Mataram

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,853 in Melbourne versus $608 in Mataram.

Melbourne $2,853
Mataram $608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,275 in Melbourne versus $967 in Mataram.

Melbourne $4,275
Mataram $967

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,697 in Melbourne versus $1,327 in Mataram.

Melbourne $5,697
Mataram $1,327

Living in Melbourne is roughly 369% more expensive than in Mataram, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 111% above, Mataram is 55% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.20 A$24.75

$0.93 Rp 16.8K

1749.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 A$120

$9.22 Rp 166.0K

801.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 A$17.88

$3.21 Rp 57.8K

287.23%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.82

$1.47 Rp 26.4K

175.51%

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

$3.12 A$4.50

$0.44 Rp 7,889

609.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.31 Rp 5,491

693.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.52 A$13.71

$2.71 Rp 48.8K

251.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.74

$3.45 Rp 62.1K

136.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.25

$1.38 Rp 24.9K

13.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.18

$1.47 Rp 26.4K

97.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.80 Rp 14.5K

232.50%

Eggs

$5.37 A$7.72

$1.49 Rp 26.9K

260.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 A$15.36

$7.12 Rp 128.2K

49.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 A$14.17

$3.00 Rp 54.1K

228.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 A$22.11

$7.39 Rp 133.0K

107.85%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$6.00

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

82.89%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$1.25 Rp 22.4K

152.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 A$4.69

$1.70 Rp 30.6K

91.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.85

$1.29 Rp 23.1K

268.99%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.41

$1.24 Rp 22.3K

146.77%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.55

$1.94 Rp 34.9K

27.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.52

$0.73 Rp 13.1K

235.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.40 Rp 7,214

307.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.17 A$65.0

$2.63 Rp 47.3K

1617.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.25

$20.99 Rp 377.9K

-39.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.69 A$8.18

$1.91 Rp 34.4K

197.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.53

$3.04 Rp 54.7K

72.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 A$5.57

$0.27 Rp 4,838

1333.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$204

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 A$6.53

$0.50 Rp 8,960

808.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.04

$0.35 Rp 6,222

305.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.59 A$44.01

$2.72 Rp 48.9K

1024.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$0.62 Rp 11.2K

137.10%

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

$28.9K A$41.5K

$23.8K Rp 428.7M

21.19%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$30.6K Rp 551.3M

-15.39%

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

$235 A$338

$66.0 Rp 1.2M

256.44%

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

$27.45 A$39.51

$3.96 Rp 71.3K

593.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$80.8

$19.47 Rp 350.5K

188.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 A$72.1

$19.35 Rp 348.4K

158.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.49 A$30.93

$8.15 Rp 146.8K

163.68%

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 A$25.56

$2.85 Rp 51.2K

523.16%

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

$2,385 A$3,432

$94.8 Rp 1.7M

2417.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.7K

$7,572 Rp 136.3M

291.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 A$114

$44.19 Rp 795.3K

79.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.49 A$71.2

$28.84 Rp 519.0K

71.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$170

$73.5 Rp 1.3M

61.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$71.4 Rp 1.3M

85.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 A$2,537

$225 Rp 4.0M

683.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 A$2,031

$133 Rp 2.4M

960.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,522 A$5,069

$530 Rp 9.5M

564.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 A$3,634

$356 Rp 6.4M

610.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,136 A$10.3K

$1,184 Rp 21.3M

502.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,355 A$9,144

$796 Rp 14.3M

698.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,258 A$6,128

$222 Rp 4.0M

1816.83%

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 17, 2026

Last update for Mataram: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5%

Mataram

$133 21.9% 90.6% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$388 13.6%

Mataram

$201 33.1% 48.2% $187

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$319 11.2%

Mataram

$89 14.7% 72% $229

Eating Out

Melbourne

$310 10.9%

Mataram

$58 9.6% 81.2% $252

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Mataram

$98 16.1% 42.6% $73

Getting Around

Melbourne

$169 5.9%

Mataram

$3.3 * 0.5% 98% $166

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$86 3%

Mataram

$25 4.1% 70.7% $61

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,763 in Melbourne and $225 in Mataram. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 1817% 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: $83.0 in Melbourne vs $9.00 in Mataram for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $388 vs $201 per month, with Mataram cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇮🇩 Mataram

🕒 Local time

03:02 3:02 AM

00:02 12:02 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

402,843

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 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 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Mataram 4,350 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Mataram

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 Mataram: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Mataram differ by about 369% in total monthly costs ($2,853 vs $608 including rent). Mataram is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1817% 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: $1,763 in Melbourne versus $225 in Mataram. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 93% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,853 per month in Melbourne versus $608 in Mataram – a 369% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $608 in Mataram versus $2,853 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mataram but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Mataram 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 Mataram 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 Mataram gentler on the wallet – expenses run 369% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.