Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Albay and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Albay: $740 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Albay
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Albay Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Albay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$740

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $740 in Albay versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Albay $740
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,099 in Albay versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Albay $1,099
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,457 in Albay versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Albay $1,457
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Albay costs roughly 74% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Albay is 45% below, Melbourne is 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.98 ₱250

$17.43 A$25.08

-77.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.00 ₱1,070

$84.6 A$122

-79.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.72 ₱171

$12.46 A$17.92

-78.17%

Cappuccino

$2.27 ₱143

$4.11 A$5.91

-44.77%

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

$0.62 ₱39.23

$3.06 A$4.40

-79.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱21.01

$2.52 A$3.62

-86.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ₱73.6

$9.80 A$14.10

-88.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ₱124

$8.57 A$12.33

-77.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ₱116

$1.48 A$2.14

25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 ₱65.2

$2.94 A$4.23

-64.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.86 ₱54.0

$2.66 A$3.82

-67.67%

Eggs

$1.99 ₱125

$5.54 A$7.97

-64.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.92 ₱310

$10.51 A$15.13

-53.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.17 ₱263

$9.65 A$13.89

-56.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.55 ₱413

$15.22 A$21.91

-56.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 ₱171

$3.99 A$5.75

-32.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 ₱99.3

$3.02 A$4.34

-47.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 ₱133

$3.10 A$4.46

-31.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.03 ₱65.0

$4.82 A$6.93

-78.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 ₱112

$3.03 A$4.36

-41.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.26 ₱142

$2.44 A$3.52

-7.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 ₱53.9

$2.46 A$3.54

-65.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱30.89

$1.63 A$2.34

-69.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.67 ₱168

$44.07 A$63.4

-93.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.49 ₱472

$12.70 A$18.28

-41.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 ₱69.2

$5.54 A$7.97

-80.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 ₱118

$5.23 A$7.52

-64.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₱16.50

$3.74 A$5.38

-93.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.06 ₱634

$138 A$198

-92.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.68 ₱42.90

$4.51 A$6.50

-84.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.19 ₱11.90

$1.36 A$1.96

-86.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.65 ₱104

$30.45 A$43.81

-94.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 ₱87.1

$1.47 A$2.12

-6.12%

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

$18.5K ₱1.2M

$29.0K A$41.7K

-36.34%

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

$19.5K ₱1.2M

$26.5K A$38.1K

-26.18%

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

$115 ₱7,229

$234 A$336

-50.87%

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

$15.40 ₱970

$27.93 A$40.19

-44.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.92 ₱1,632

$55.7 A$80.2

-53.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.20 ₱2,342

$49.40 A$71.1

-24.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.27 ₱332

$21.48 A$30.91

-75.47%

Cinema Ticket

$5.34 ₱336

$15.09 A$21.72

-64.61%

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

$133 ₱8,400

$2,371 A$3,412

-94.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,069 ₱445.1K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-76.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.70 ₱1,807

$80.0 A$115

-64.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.91 ₱1,254

$50.7 A$73.0

-60.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.9 ₱4,587

$121 A$174

-39.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.2 ₱3,160

$130 A$188

-61.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$230 ₱14.5K

$1,759 A$2,531

-86.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$190 ₱11.9K

$1,390 A$2,000

-86.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$489 ₱30.8K

$3,494 A$5,027

-85.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$328 ₱20.6K

$2,493 A$3,588

-86.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,576 ₱162.2K

$6,926 A$9,967

-62.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$959 ₱60.4K

$6,445 A$9,274

-85.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$163 ₱10.2K

$4,383 A$6,307

-96.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

5.9

15.08%

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

Last update for Albay: 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

Albay

$190 25.6%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 633% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Albay

$176 23.7%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 119% $208

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Albay

$156 21.1%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 103% $161

Eating Out

Albay

$81 10.9%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 289% $234

Clothing & Footwear

Albay

$77 10.4%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 122% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Albay

$48 6.5%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 66.3% $32

Getting Around

Albay

$13 1.7%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 1186% $151

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $230 in Albay and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 2592% 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: $17.00 in Albay vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $176 vs $384 per month, with Albay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Albay

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

08:00 8:00 AM

11:00 11:00 AM

3 h ahead of Albay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

179,481

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Albay Melbourne 6,080 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Albay
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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

Albay vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Albay and Melbourne differ by about 281% in total monthly costs ($740 vs $2,821 including rent). Albay is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 2592% 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: $230 in Albay versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 119% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Albay – a meal for two runs $17.00 versus $85.0 in Melbourne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $740 in Albay versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Albay but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Albay 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, Albay 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 Albay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 281% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.