RM50 for mee goreng? Here’s how much Malaysian food costs in Australia

Malaysians can disagree on a lot of things like politics, fashion, or even littering in stadiums. But if there’s anything we can all agree on, it’s that we will never let anyone insult our food – which thankfully won’t be a problem in Australia!

You’d be surprised at how much Australians love Malaysian food… they literally find it sexy.

But while the food seems to be authentic enough to remind you of home, the prices are not. Exactly how much do dishes like nasi lemak, mee goreng, and satay cost Down Under? Well, together with our friends at AirAsia X, we are salivatingly excited to present you the prices of 6 popular Malaysian foods from nine different restaurants across three major Australian cities:

• Melbourne,
• Perth, and
• Sydney

…to see how crazy the price tags can get. Basically, we looked at 3 Malaysian restaurants in each of these cities and noted the average price for each dish. Then, we ran the exchange rate through Google Finance (accurate as of Nov 29 2022).

Also, we get that it’s expensive because of exchange rate, cost of living, higher operating costs and all that yadda yadda but hey, if you crave Malaysian food, you will have to pay non-Malaysian prices. Btw, you’ll also be out of luck if you’re craving more specific foods like asam laksa or murtabak – those are pretty rare commodities in Australia.

So put on your seatbelts, ladies and gentlemen. This is a strictly no-smoking flight.

 

1. Nasi lemak – Average: AUD$15.13 (RM46.00)

Cheapest: Karache’by Sani & Tingkat (Perth) – AUD$10/RM30.40

Most expensive: Sedap Place (Perth) – AUD$20/RM60.80

We weren’t kidding about the “Aussies loving Malaysian food” part; here’s what an angmoh had to say about the nasi lemak from the Sedap Place restaurant in Perth:

“Very delicious. The beef rendang was spicier than I expected which isn’t a bad thing as most places don’t make it spicy enough.” – Steve Stone, Perth resident

In fact, the Google reviews for nasi lemak were mostly gempak across the 9 cafes we looked at. Price wise, though, AUD$15.25 (about RM46) is a bit steep considering the “atas” nasi lemak we have here is like RM25.90.

 

2. Satay – Average: AUD$15.50 (RM47.10)

Cheapest: Little Nyonya Kitchen Perth (Perth) – AUD$11/RM33.40

Most expensive: Pappa Rich QV(Melbourne) – AUD$19/RM57.80

Six sticks of satay ayam would probably cost about RM6-ish in Malaysia, but in Australia, that’ll set you back an extra RM40. Hoo boy. Then again, patrons of Mamak Melbourne seem to be okay with that, so who are we to argue otherwise:

“Busy Malaysian restaurant. Tasty roti with a variety of dips, satay with delicious peanut sauce.” – Bill Mrozek, Melbourne resident

Guess it’s kinda like how we’re willing to shell out a bit more to get yakitori skewers at Japanese restaurants here.

 

3. Mee Goreng – Average: AUD$16.70 (RM50.80)

Cheapest: KCH North Perth (Perth) – AUD$14/RM42.60

Most expensive: Pappa Rich QV (Melbourne) – AUD$21/RM63.80

This dish was the most available out of all the ones we looked up, probably cuz y’know, it’s stir-fried noodles. Disregarding his misspelling of “char kuey teow”, some Aussie dude actually knew how authentic Malaysian mee goreng tastes like, cuz the one he tasted from KCH North Perth was apparently pretty OG:

“Authentic Malaysian food 👌🏻 I’ve tried mee goreng and fried keow teow, and both were delicious.” – Stan, not of Eminem fame

Come Malaysia Stan we belanja you betul-betul authentic punya Malaysian mee goreng.

 

4. Curry Laksa – Average: AUD$16.30 (RM49.50)

Cheapest: Malay Chinese Takeaway (Sydney) – AUD$13.70/RM41.60

Most expensive: Pappa Rich QV (Melbourne) – AUD$21/RM63.80

While we did not manage to find out what kind of curry laksa they sell in Australia, we do know how much they cost there on average… a whopping AUD$17.70 (about RM53.70).

“Tried their special laksa. It is different from the one I ate in the other places, but I like it.” – Tina L, Perth resident

We also found different variations of laksa, like chicken, fish, and beef. But the one beef we’d like to avoid is the beef between Penang, Sarawak, and Johor people claiming their laksa is more authentic, so… let’s move on to the next dish.

 

5. Roti Canai – Average: AUD$7.80 (RM23.80)

Cheapest: Alice’s Makan (Sydney) – AUD$3.20/RM9.70

Most expensive: Pappa Rich QV (Melbourne) – AUD$11.90/RM36.20

No shade on roti canai or roti canai enjoyers, but what in the tepung gandum? RM36.20 for two pieces of roti canai? It’s literally dough that’s flattened and heated up on a metal pan. Pappa Rich sure is living up to its name.

“Food is good and value for money. Ultimate Asian comfort food! Prata was soft and freshly cooked and not bland.” – Nadine Madamba, Melbourne resident

Also, prata? C’mon, man, it’s a Malaysian restaurant.

 

6. Char Koay Teow – Average: AUD$16.80 (RM51.20)

Cheapest: Karache’by Sani (Perth) – AUD$12/RM36.50

Most expensive: Pappa Rich QV (Melbourne) – AUD$21/RM63.80

Imagine paying RM50 for a plate of char koay teow, man. We’d expect it to come with lobster or something. That’s… not the case with the RM50 char koay teow in Australia. Just the regular noodles, shrimp and cockles.

“Just had Char Kway Teow delivered and it was perfectly made to my order. Will definately be ordering from here again. 10 out of 10” – Troy Harwood

Yeah, my guy definately enjoyed his char koay teow from Tingkat (in Perth), tho.

 

For the price of 12 Australian char koay teows, you can fly to Australia

No, it’s for real. AirAsia X currently has flights to Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, and Auckland (NZ) from RM599 for a one-way ticket, the average price of roughly 12 CKTs in Australia.

If y’all want an extra layer of comfort for these international flights, they’ve got the option of premium flatbeds from RM1,899 (or 37 Australian CKTs) so it’ll be like you’re lying on air… in the air.

The clock’s ticking for these seats, because these promo prices are only available from now till 4th December 2022 only. You can make your booking through the Air Asia Super App or on their website linked here.

But eat char koay teow here in Malaysia ah. Australia very expensive leh.