Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Rawang

For one person, living is cheaper in Rawang: $741 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,000 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Rawang
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Rawang Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Rawang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$741

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Rawang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $741 in Rawang.

Melbourne $2,821
Rawang $741

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,183 in Rawang.

Melbourne $4,235
Rawang $1,183

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,624 in Rawang.

Melbourne $5,650
Rawang $1,624

Living in Melbourne is roughly 281% more expensive than in Rawang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Rawang is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$3.75 MYR 15.31

364.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$19.68 MYR 80.3

329.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$5.04 MYR 20.55

147.22%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.99 MYR 12.20

37.46%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.83 MYR 3.38

268.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.39 MYR 1.61

546.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$4.25 MYR 17.33

130.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$4.39 MYR 17.89

95.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.95 MYR 7.96

-24.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.04 MYR 4.26

182.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.76 MYR 7.19

51.14%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.23 MYR 9.08

148.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$14.15 MYR 57.7

-25.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$4.48 MYR 18.29

115.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$9.85 MYR 40.19

54.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$3.06 MYR 12.49

30.39%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.84 MYR 7.49

64.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.63 MYR 10.73

17.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.44 MYR 5.89

234.72%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.32 MYR 5.37

129.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.33 MYR 5.43

83.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.18 MYR 4.80

108.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.57 MYR 2.34

185.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$4.54 MYR 18.53

870.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$19.13 MYR 78.1

-33.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.96 MYR 12.09

87.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$5.09 MYR 20.75

2.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.77 MYR 3.12

385.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$12.31 MYR 50.2

1017.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$1.66 MYR 6.77

171.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.37 MYR 1.52

267.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$6.88 MYR 28.05

342.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$0.89 MYR 3.64

65.17%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$42.4K MYR 173.0K

-31.61%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$34.7K MYR 141.4K

-23.61%

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

$234 A$336

$36.56 MYR 149

539.17%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$9.78 MYR 39.90

185.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$29.31 MYR 120

90.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$39.87 MYR 163

23.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$7.13 MYR 29.08

201.26%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$4.90 MYR 19.99

207.96%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$301 MYR 1,227

688.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$10.9K MYR 44.6K

176.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$59.8 MYR 244

33.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$35.75 MYR 146

41.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$82.6 MYR 337

46.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$70.9 MYR 289

83.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$140 MYR 569

1160.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$103 MYR 421

1245.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$577 MYR 2,354

505.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$232 MYR 945

975.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$2,051 MYR 8,368

237.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,090 MYR 4,445

491.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$1,035 MYR 4,223

323.42%

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 Rawang: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Rawang

$103 13.9% 92.6% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Rawang

$266 35.9% 30.8% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Rawang

$76 10.2% 76.2% $242

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Rawang

$116 15.6% 63.1% $199

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Rawang

$112 15.1% 34.8% $60

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Rawang

$19 2.6% 88.5% $145

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Rawang

$50 6.7% 37.6% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $140 in Rawang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 323% 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 $20.00 in Rawang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $266 per month, with Rawang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇲🇾 Rawang

🕒 Local time

16:02 4:02 PM

13:02 1:02 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

50,000

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Melbourne Rawang 6,390 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
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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 Rawang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Rawang differ by about 281% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $741 including rent). Rawang is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 323% 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 $140 in Rawang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $301 in Rawang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 44% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $741 in Rawang versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Rawang but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Rawang 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 Rawang 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 Rawang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 281% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.