Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Malacca

For one person, living is cheaper in Malacca: $612 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $30,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Malacca
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Malacca Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Malacca

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$612

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Malacca

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

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $612 in Malacca, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Malacca $612

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $977 in Malacca, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Malacca $977

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $1,343 in Malacca, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Malacca $1,343

Sydney costs about 415% more than Malacca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 133% above the global median, while Malacca is 55% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$3.27 MYR 13.36

437.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$18.71 MYR 76.3

388.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$4.80 MYR 19.60

149.17%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.83 MYR 11.56

43.82%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.77 MYR 3.15

270.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.54 MYR 2.21

316.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$1.93 MYR 7.87

293.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$2.97 MYR 12.10

150.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.72 MYR 7.03

-3.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.11 MYR 4.52

150.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$1.42 MYR 5.78

70.42%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$1.72 MYR 7.02

227.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$18.49 MYR 75.4

-36.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$4.59 MYR 18.73

110.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$10.83 MYR 44.18

54.66%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$3.26 MYR 13.29

24.85%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$1.76 MYR 7.18

84.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$2.38 MYR 9.72

44.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$1.64 MYR 6.69

160.98%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$1.47 MYR 5.99

123.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$1.74 MYR 7.09

32.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$1.37 MYR 5.61

67.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.55 MYR 2.23

120.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$4.19 MYR 17.11

943.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$13.92 MYR 56.8

-0.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$2.17 MYR 8.84

79.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$3.11 MYR 12.67

25.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$0.47 MYR 1.92

546.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$12.40 MYR 50.6

1111.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$1.00 MYR 4.09

238.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$0.70 MYR 2.85

122.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$12.03 MYR 49.08

232.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.51 MYR 2.10

174.51%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$41.7K MYR 170.3K

-30.23%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$34.9K MYR 142.4K

-13.66%

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

$223 A$320

$51.7 MYR 211

330.56%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$11.20 MYR 45.69

142.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$28.12 MYR 115

98.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$22.13 MYR 90.3

237.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

$11.76 MYR 47.97

104.00%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$5.02 MYR 20.49

249.80%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$163 MYR 665

1247.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$4,501 MYR 18.4K

526.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$54.7 MYR 223

43.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$16.80 MYR 68.5

307.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$82.3 MYR 336

35.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$97.7 MYR 399

37.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$192 MYR 784

1200.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$1,191 MYR 4,861

1005.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$804 MYR 3,280

941.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

$411 MYR 1,677

900.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

4.06

43.84%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Malacca: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Malacca

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Malacca

$261 42.7% 31% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Malacca

$91 14.9% 70.2% $215

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Malacca

$95 15.6% 68% $203

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Malacca

$113 18.5% 35.9% $63

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Malacca

$19 3.1% 89.2% $155

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Malacca

$32 5.3% 70.7% $78

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney versus $192 in Malacca. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 901% higher in Sydney, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Sydney versus $19.00 in Malacca. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $261 – making Malacca the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇲🇾 Malacca

🕒 Local time

11:07 11:07 AM

08:07 8:07 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

579,000

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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

Sydney Malacca 6,500 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Malacca

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

Sydney vs Malacca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,152 in Sydney, $612 in Malacca – roughly 415% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,728 per month in Sydney and $918 in Malacca. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Malacca, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Sydney and $19.00 in Malacca. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,152 in Sydney and $612 in Malacca. That's a gap of about 415%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Malacca, where all-in costs run around $612, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Malacca it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Malacca has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $612 in Malacca to $3,152 in Sydney. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Malacca. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sydney makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.