Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Sarawak

For one person, living is cheaper in Sarawak: $933 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $23,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Sarawak
Learn more

Sarawak Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Sarawak

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$933

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Sarawak

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,853 in Melbourne versus $933 in Sarawak.

Melbourne $2,853
Sarawak $933

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,275 in Melbourne versus $1,391 in Sarawak.

Melbourne $4,275
Sarawak $1,391

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,697 in Melbourne versus $1,849 in Sarawak.

Melbourne $5,697
Sarawak $1,849

Living in Melbourne is roughly 206% more expensive than in Sarawak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 111% above, Sarawak is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.20 A$24.75

$3.65 MYR 14.88

371.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 A$120

$19.77 MYR 80.6

320.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 A$17.88

$4.75 MYR 19.38

161.68%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.82

$2.88 MYR 11.74

40.63%

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

$3.12 A$4.50

$0.81 MYR 3.29

285.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.39 MYR 1.61

530.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.52 A$13.71

$3.60 MYR 14.68

164.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.74

$4.61 MYR 18.81

77.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.25

$1.86 MYR 7.58

-16.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.18

$1.04 MYR 4.24

178.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.48 MYR 6.04

79.73%

Eggs

$5.37 A$7.72

$2.04 MYR 8.32

163.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 A$15.36

$13.84 MYR 56.5

-22.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 A$14.17

$4.30 MYR 17.54

129.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 A$22.11

$9.43 MYR 38.47

62.88%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$6.00

$3.14 MYR 12.83

32.80%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$1.71 MYR 6.97

84.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 A$4.69

$2.51 MYR 10.22

29.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.85

$1.61 MYR 6.55

195.65%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.41

$1.27 MYR 5.18

140.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.55

$1.15 MYR 4.68

114.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.52

$1.17 MYR 4.79

109.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.53 MYR 2.18

207.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.17 A$65.0

$4.54 MYR 18.52

894.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.25

$19.12 MYR 78.0

-33.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.69 A$8.18

$2.94 MYR 12.01

93.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.53

$4.51 MYR 18.38

15.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 A$5.57

$0.71 MYR 2.89

445.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$204

$12.15 MYR 49.57

1068.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 A$6.53

$1.25 MYR 5.10

263.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.04

$0.51 MYR 2.07

178.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.59 A$44.01

$7.21 MYR 29.41

324.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$0.82 MYR 3.34

79.27%

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

$28.9K A$41.5K

$42.2K MYR 172.1K

-31.59%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$34.8K MYR 141.8K

-25.45%

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

$235 A$338

$48.56 MYR 198

384.16%

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

$27.45 A$39.51

$9.65 MYR 39.38

184.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$80.8

$27.71 MYR 113

102.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 A$72.1

$40.76 MYR 166

22.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.49 A$30.93

$7.10 MYR 28.98

202.68%

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 A$25.56

$4.92 MYR 20.05

260.98%

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

$2,385 A$3,432

$190 MYR 775

1155.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.7K

$7,067 MYR 28.8K

319.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 A$114

$56.8 MYR 232

39.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.49 A$71.2

$34.52 MYR 141

43.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$170

$79.8 MYR 325

48.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$75.9 MYR 310

74.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 A$2,537

$410 MYR 1,674

329.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 A$2,031

$299 MYR 1,219

372.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,522 A$5,069

$672 MYR 2,742

424.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 A$3,634

$477 MYR 1,946

429.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,136 A$10.3K

$2,042 MYR 8,329

249.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,355 A$9,144

$1,074 MYR 4,381

491.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,258 A$6,128

$339 MYR 1,381

1157.94%

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 17, 2026

Last update for Sarawak: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5%

Sarawak

$299 32% 78.8% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$388 13.6%

Sarawak

$258 27.6% 33.7% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$319 11.2%

Sarawak

$86 9.2% 73% $233

Eating Out

Melbourne

$310 10.9%

Sarawak

$110 11.8% 64.5% $200

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Sarawak

$111 11.9% 34.9% $60

Getting Around

Melbourne

$169 5.9%

Sarawak

$19 2% 88.9% $150

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$86 3%

Sarawak

$51 5.4% 40.9% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,763 in Melbourne and $410 in Sarawak. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 1158% 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 $20.00 in Sarawak for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $388 vs $258 per month, with Sarawak cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇲🇾 Sarawak

🕒 Local time

02:31 2:31 AM

23:31 11:31 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Sarawak 5,650 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Sarawak

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 Sarawak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Sarawak differ by about 206% in total monthly costs ($2,853 vs $933 including rent). Sarawak is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1158% 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 $410 in Sarawak. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,385 in Melbourne versus $190 in Sarawak. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $933 in Sarawak versus $2,853 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sarawak but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Sarawak 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 Sarawak 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 Sarawak gentler on the wallet – expenses run 206% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.