Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Sibu

For one person, living is cheaper in Sibu: $866 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $23,800 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Sibu
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Sibu Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Sibu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$866

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Sibu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,853 in Melbourne versus $866 in Sibu.

Melbourne $2,853
Sibu $866

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,275 in Melbourne versus $1,293 in Sibu.

Melbourne $4,275
Sibu $1,293

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,697 in Melbourne versus $1,720 in Sibu.

Melbourne $5,697
Sibu $1,720

Living in Melbourne is roughly 230% more expensive than in Sibu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 111% above, Sibu is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.20 A$24.75

$2.16 MYR 8.82

696.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 A$120

$19.47 MYR 79.4

326.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 A$17.88

$4.21 MYR 17.18

195.25%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.82

$2.38 MYR 9.70

70.17%

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

$3.12 A$4.50

$0.67 MYR 2.74

365.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.23 MYR 0.93

969.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.52 A$13.71

$2.92 MYR 11.92

226.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.74

$4.40 MYR 17.96

85.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.25

$1.80 MYR 7.33

-13.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.18

$0.89 MYR 3.65

225.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.67 MYR 6.80

59.28%

Eggs

$5.37 A$7.72

$2.24 MYR 9.16

139.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 A$15.36

$11.65 MYR 47.53

-8.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 A$14.17

$3.84 MYR 15.66

156.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 A$22.11

$9.69 MYR 39.55

58.51%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$6.00

$3.72 MYR 15.16

12.10%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$1.53 MYR 6.26

105.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 A$4.69

$2.34 MYR 9.55

39.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.85

$1.38 MYR 5.62

244.93%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.41

$1.12 MYR 4.58

173.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.55

$1.30 MYR 5.29

90.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.52

$1.17 MYR 4.76

109.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.54 MYR 2.22

201.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.17 A$65.0

$4.53 MYR 18.48

897.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.25

$18.28 MYR 74.6

-30.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.69 A$8.18

$2.85 MYR 11.64

99.65%

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

$0.83 MYR 3.40

366.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$204

$13.85 MYR 56.5

924.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 A$6.53

$1.40 MYR 5.70

224.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.04

$0.54 MYR 2.18

162.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.59 A$44.01

$8.01 MYR 32.68

281.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$0.80 MYR 3.28

83.75%

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

$28.9K A$41.5K

$49.1K MYR 200.3K

-41.22%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$35.6K MYR 145.4K

-27.29%

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

$235 A$338

$49.59 MYR 202

374.11%

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

$27.45 A$39.51

$7.14 MYR 29.14

284.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$80.8

$26.47 MYR 108

112.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 A$72.1

$26.94 MYR 110

85.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.49 A$30.93

$6.44 MYR 26.26

233.70%

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 A$25.56

$3.74 MYR 15.24

374.87%

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

$2,385 A$3,432

$181 MYR 739

1215.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.7K

$6,906 MYR 28.2K

329.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 A$114

$55.4 MYR 226

42.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.49 A$71.2

$30.48 MYR 124

62.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$170

$89.2 MYR 364

32.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$75.2 MYR 307

75.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 A$2,537

$340 MYR 1,386

418.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 A$2,031

$282 MYR 1,150

400.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,522 A$5,069

$597 MYR 2,437

489.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 A$3,634

$451 MYR 1,841

459.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,136 A$10.3K

$1,782 MYR 7,272

300.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,355 A$9,144

$966 MYR 3,941

557.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,258 A$6,128

$496 MYR 2,021

759.33%

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 Sibu: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5%

Sibu

$282 32.6% 80% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$388 13.6%

Sibu

$247 28.5% 36.5% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$319 11.2%

Sibu

$83 9.6% 73.9% $236

Eating Out

Melbourne

$310 10.9%

Sibu

$85 9.9% 72.4% $224

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Sibu

$113 13% 34% $58

Getting Around

Melbourne

$169 5.9%

Sibu

$21 2.5% 87.4% $148

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$86 3%

Sibu

$34 4% 59.8% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,763 in Melbourne and $340 in Sibu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 759% 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 $19.00 in Sibu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $388 vs $247 per month, with Sibu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇲🇾 Sibu

🕒 Local time

02:12 2:12 AM

23:12 11:12 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

198,239

💱 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

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Between locations

Melbourne Sibu 5,610 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Sibu

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 Sibu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Sibu differ by about 230% in total monthly costs ($2,853 vs $866 including rent). Sibu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 759% 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 $340 in Sibu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,385 in Melbourne versus $181 in Sibu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 57% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $866 in Sibu versus $2,853 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sibu but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Sibu 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 Sibu 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 Sibu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 230% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.