Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Miri

For one person, living is cheaper in Miri: $814 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $24,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Miri
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Miri Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Miri

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$814

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Miri

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,852 in Melbourne versus $814 in Miri.

Melbourne $2,852
Miri $814

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,297 in Melbourne versus $1,247 in Miri.

Melbourne $4,297
Miri $1,247

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,742 in Melbourne versus $1,680 in Miri.

Melbourne $5,742
Miri $1,680

Living in Melbourne is roughly 250% more expensive than in Miri, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 113% above, Miri is 39% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.75 A$25.40

$3.43 MYR 14.02

417.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.8 A$121

$12.16 MYR 49.65

597.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 A$17.40

$4.55 MYR 18.58

167.25%

Cappuccino

$3.93 A$5.62

$2.30 MYR 9.40

70.87%

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

$3.14 A$4.49

$0.78 MYR 3.17

302.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.47

$0.30 MYR 1.24

710.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.90 A$14.17

$2.96 MYR 12.10

234.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.29 A$11.86

$3.82 MYR 15.59

117.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.21

$1.40 MYR 5.72

10.71%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 A$4.31

$1.81 MYR 7.40

66.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.12

$0.94 MYR 3.85

206.38%

Eggs

$5.44 A$7.79

$3.50 MYR 14.27

55.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.59 A$15.16

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 A$13.76

$4.79 MYR 19.58

100.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.99 A$21.46

$15.10 MYR 61.6

-0.73%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 A$5.94

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.37

$1.96 MYR 8.01

55.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 A$4.72

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.81

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.34

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.65

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.55

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.33

$0.36 MYR 1.47

352.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.1

$4.35 MYR 17.77

913.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.43 A$17.79

$19.28 MYR 78.7

-35.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.33 A$7.63

$3.08 MYR 12.59

73.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.38

$2.41 MYR 9.85

114.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.50

$0.51 MYR 2.09

652.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$203

$14.41 MYR 58.8

881.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 A$6.29

$1.19 MYR 4.87

269.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.64 MYR 2.60

118.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.83 A$42.69

$6.05 MYR 24.71

393.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 A$2.09

$0.65 MYR 2.64

124.62%

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

$28.1K A$40.3K

$51.0K MYR 208.3K

-44.82%

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

$25.9K A$37.1K

$32.7K MYR 133.3K

-20.54%

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

$233 A$333

$49.79 MYR 203

367.26%

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

$27.28 A$39.04

$9.53 MYR 38.91

186.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$81.6

$33.24 MYR 136

71.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 A$75.4

$29.63 MYR 121

77.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.62 A$32.37

$6.17 MYR 25.21

266.61%

Cinema Ticket

$17.10 A$24.48

$4.45 MYR 18.18

284.27%

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

$2,373 A$3,397

$102 MYR 416

2228.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K A$43.6K

$6,641 MYR 27.1K

358.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.2 A$112

$44.13 MYR 180

77.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 A$72.2

$22.74 MYR 92.9

121.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$172

$56.2 MYR 230

114.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$191

$42.80 MYR 175

211.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 A$2,451

$341 MYR 1,390

403.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 A$2,006

$280 MYR 1,145

399.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,339 A$4,778

$596 MYR 2,435

459.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 A$3,619

$594 MYR 2,425

325.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,018 A$10.0K

$1,219 MYR 4,977

475.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,767 A$9,685

$671 MYR 2,741

908.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,228 A$6,051

$692 MYR 2,826

510.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

4.12

43.20%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Last update for Miri: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Miri

$280 35.2% 80% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$385 13.5%

Miri

$194 * 24.4% 49.6% $191

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.1%

Miri

$93 11.6% 70.8% $224

Eating Out

Melbourne

$314 11%

Miri

$96 12% 69.6% $218

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Miri

$75 9.4% 56.6% $97

Getting Around

Melbourne

$168 5.9%

Miri

$21 2.6% 87.6% $147

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$87 3.1%

Miri

$39 4.8% 55.7% $48

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 $1,713 in Melbourne and $341 in Miri. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 511% 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 Miri for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $194 per month, with Miri cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇲🇾 Miri

🕒 Local time

15:55 3:55 PM

12:55 12:55 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

248,877

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.58 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Miri 5,680 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Miri

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 Miri: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Miri differ by about 250% in total monthly costs ($2,852 vs $814 including rent). Miri is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 511% 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: $1,713 in Melbourne versus $341 in Miri. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,373 in Melbourne versus $102 in Miri. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 99% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $814 in Miri versus $2,852 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Miri but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Miri 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 Miri 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 Miri gentler on the wallet – expenses run 250% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.