Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Timika and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Timika: $618 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $26,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Timika
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Timika Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Timika

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$618

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Timika 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 Timika and in Melbourne actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $618 in Timika versus $2,852 in Melbourne.

Timika $618
Melbourne $2,852

Estimated couple costs with rent: $978 in Timika versus $4,297 in Melbourne.

Timika $978
Melbourne $4,297

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,337 in Timika versus $5,742 in Melbourne.

Timika $1,337
Melbourne $5,742

Living in Timika costs roughly 78% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Timika is 54% below, Melbourne is 113% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.70 Rp 30.4K

$17.75 A$25.40

-90.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.73 Rp 245.4K

$84.8 A$121

-83.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.25 Rp 58.1K

$12.16 A$17.40

-73.27%

Cappuccino

$1.48 Rp 26.5K

$3.93 A$5.62

-62.34%

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

$0.42 Rp 7,516

$3.14 A$4.49

-86.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 Rp 4,105

$2.43 A$3.47

-90.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 Rp 42.2K

$9.90 A$14.17

-76.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 Rp 62.5K

$8.29 A$11.86

-57.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Rp 20.7K

$1.55 A$2.21

-25.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 Rp 18.9K

$3.01 A$4.31

-64.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 Rp 15.5K

$2.88 A$4.12

-69.79%

Eggs

$1.47 Rp 26.3K

$5.44 A$7.79

-72.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.23 Rp 129.2K

$10.59 A$15.16

-31.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.90 Rp 51.8K

$9.61 A$13.76

-69.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.40 Rp 132.2K

$14.99 A$21.46

-50.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 Rp 38.9K

$4.15 A$5.94

-47.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 Rp 22.4K

$3.05 A$4.37

-59.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.65 Rp 29.6K

$3.30 A$4.72

-50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.21 Rp 21.6K

$4.76 A$6.81

-74.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 Rp 22.9K

$3.04 A$4.34

-57.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.98 Rp 35.5K

$2.55 A$3.65

-22.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 Rp 12.8K

$2.48 A$3.55

-70.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 Rp 7,057

$1.63 A$2.33

-76.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.62 Rp 46.8K

$44.07 A$63.1

-94.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.61 Rp 368.5K

$12.43 A$17.79

65.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 Rp 33.5K

$5.33 A$7.63

-64.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 Rp 53.3K

$5.16 A$7.38

-42.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 Rp 5,241

$3.84 A$5.50

-92.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$203

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.48 Rp 8,512

$4.40 A$6.29

-89.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 Rp 6,168

$1.40 A$2.01

-75.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 Rp 50.3K

$29.83 A$42.69

-90.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.79 Rp 14.2K

$1.46 A$2.09

-45.89%

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

$23.0K Rp 410.4M

$28.1K A$40.3K

-18.44%

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

$31.0K Rp 553.4M

$25.9K A$37.1K

19.33%

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

$65.1 Rp 1.2M

$233 A$333

-72.03%

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

$4.39 Rp 78.4K

$27.28 A$39.04

-83.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.32 Rp 345.4K

$57.0 A$81.6

-66.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.53 Rp 349.0K

$52.7 A$75.4

-62.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.13 Rp 145.4K

$22.62 A$32.37

-64.06%

Cinema Ticket

$2.76 Rp 49.4K

$17.10 A$24.48

-83.86%

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

$92.0 Rp 1.6M

$2,373 A$3,397

-96.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,610 Rp 136.0M

$30.5K A$43.6K

-75.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.09 Rp 788.2K

$78.2 A$112

-43.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.50 Rp 509.4K

$50.5 A$72.2

-43.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.1 Rp 1.3M

$121 A$172

-38.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.2 Rp 1.3M

$133 A$191

-46.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$225 Rp 4.0M

$1,713 A$2,451

-86.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$148 Rp 2.7M

$1,402 A$2,006

-89.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$553 Rp 9.9M

$3,339 A$4,778

-83.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 Rp 6.4M

$2,529 A$3,619

-85.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,176 Rp 21.0M

$7,018 A$10.0K

-83.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$812 Rp 14.5M

$6,767 A$9,685

-88.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,228 A$6,051

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.46

5.9

60.34%

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

Last update for Timika: October 5, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Timika

$193 31.2%

Melbourne

$385 13.5% 99.6% $192

Accommodation & Living

Timika

$148 24%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 845% $1.3K

Clothing & Footwear

Timika

$98 15.8%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 75.5% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Timika

$89 14.3%

Melbourne

$317 11.1% 257% $228

Eating Out

Timika

$63 10.1%

Melbourne

$314 11% 402% $251

Sport & Entertainment

Timika

$25 4.1%

Melbourne

$87 3.1% 247% $62

Getting Around

Timika

$3.4 * 0.6%

Melbourne

$168 5.9% 4894% $165

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $225 in Timika and $1,713 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $14.00 in Timika vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $193 vs $385 per month, with Timika cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Timika

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

14:24 2:24 PM

16:24 4:24 PM

2 h ahead of Timika

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

142,000

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17,875 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,048 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Timika Melbourne 3,790 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Timika
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

Timika vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Timika and Melbourne differ by about 361% in total monthly costs ($618 vs $2,852 including rent). Timika is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $927 in Timika and $4,277 in Melbourne to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $225 in Timika versus $1,713 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 100% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $618 per month in Timika versus $2,852 in Melbourne – a 361% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $618 in Timika versus $2,852 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Timika but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Timika 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, Timika 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 Timika gentler on the wallet – expenses run 361% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.