Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sentul and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Sentul: $878 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $23,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Sentul
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Sentul Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Sentul

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$878

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sentul and in Melbourne

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sentul and in Melbourne actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $878 in Sentul versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Sentul $878
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,334 in Sentul versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Sentul $1,334
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,790 in Sentul versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Sentul $1,790
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Sentul costs roughly 69% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sentul is 35% below, Melbourne is 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.64 MYR 14.84

$17.43 A$25.08

-79.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.09 MYR 90.1

$84.6 A$122

-73.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.03 MYR 20.53

$12.46 A$17.92

-59.63%

Cappuccino

$2.99 MYR 12.21

$4.11 A$5.91

-27.25%

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

$0.83 MYR 3.40

$3.06 A$4.40

-72.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.51 MYR 2.10

$2.52 A$3.62

-79.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 MYR 13.38

$9.80 A$14.10

-66.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.87 MYR 23.93

$8.57 A$12.33

-31.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MYR 6.92

$1.48 A$2.14

14.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 MYR 4.21

$2.94 A$4.23

-64.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MYR 5.80

$2.66 A$3.82

-46.62%

Eggs

$1.74 MYR 7.11

$5.54 A$7.97

-68.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.66 MYR 39.39

$10.51 A$15.13

-8.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.17 MYR 12.94

$9.65 A$13.89

-67.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.45 MYR 38.56

$15.22 A$21.91

-37.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.25 MYR 13.26

$3.99 A$5.75

-18.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 MYR 6.87

$3.02 A$4.34

-44.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 MYR 10.81

$3.10 A$4.46

-14.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 MYR 6.53

$4.82 A$6.93

-66.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 MYR 5.97

$3.03 A$4.36

-51.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 MYR 6.70

$2.44 A$3.52

-32.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 MYR 5.38

$2.46 A$3.54

-46.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 MYR 2.08

$1.63 A$2.34

-68.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.16 MYR 16.99

$44.07 A$63.4

-90.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.89 MYR 56.7

$12.70 A$18.28

9.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 MYR 10.81

$5.54 A$7.97

-52.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 MYR 12.68

$5.23 A$7.52

-40.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 MYR 3.31

$3.74 A$5.38

-78.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.06 MYR 49.19

$138 A$198

-91.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.96 MYR 3.91

$4.51 A$6.50

-78.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 MYR 1.57

$1.36 A$1.96

-72.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 MYR 36.60

$30.45 A$43.81

-70.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 MYR 3.54

$1.47 A$2.12

-40.82%

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

$41.2K MYR 168.2K

$29.0K A$41.7K

42.13%

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

$32.5K MYR 132.7K

$26.5K A$38.1K

22.89%

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

$49.70 MYR 203

$234 A$336

-78.73%

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

$8.10 MYR 33.04

$27.93 A$40.19

-71.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.39 MYR 112

$55.7 A$80.2

-50.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.09 MYR 168

$49.40 A$71.1

-16.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.45 MYR 30.40

$21.48 A$30.91

-65.32%

Cinema Ticket

$5.04 MYR 20.57

$15.09 A$21.72

-66.60%

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

$161 MYR 658

$2,371 A$3,412

-93.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,446 MYR 18.1K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-85.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.5 MYR 206

$80.0 A$115

-36.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.38 MYR 66.8

$50.7 A$73.0

-67.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.1 MYR 315

$121 A$174

-36.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.6 MYR 349

$130 A$188

-34.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$348 MYR 1,419

$1,759 A$2,531

-80.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 MYR 1,150

$1,390 A$2,000

-79.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$707 MYR 2,883

$3,494 A$5,027

-79.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$484 MYR 1,976

$2,493 A$3,588

-80.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,147 MYR 8,759

$6,926 A$9,967

-69.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,058 MYR 4,315

$6,445 A$9,274

-83.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$890 MYR 3,631

$4,383 A$6,307

-79.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

5.9

-31.19%

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

Last update for Sentul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sentul

$282 32.1%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 393% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Sentul

$224 25.6%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 71.1% $160

Eating Out

Sentul

$114 12.9%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 177% $201

Clothing & Footwear

Sentul

$103 11.8%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 66.2% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sentul

$85 9.7%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 273% $232

Sport & Entertainment

Sentul

$51 5.8%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 55.5% $28

Getting Around

Sentul

$18 2.1%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 801% $146

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $348 in Sentul and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 392% 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: $22.00 in Sentul vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $224 vs $384 per month, with Sentul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Sentul

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

07:15 7:15 AM

10:15 10:15 AM

3 h ahead of Sentul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,000

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sentul Melbourne 6,370 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Sentul
Melbourne

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

Sentul vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sentul and Melbourne differ by about 221% in total monthly costs ($878 vs $2,821 including rent). Sentul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 392% lower in Melbourne. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $348 in Sentul versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $161 in Sentul versus $2,371 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 71% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $878 in Sentul versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sentul but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Sentul 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, Sentul and Melbourne 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 Sentul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 221% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.