Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Australia and the Philippines

Name: Philippines
Address: PH

For one person, living is cheaper in the Philippines: $883 a month against $2,589 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $20,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Australia
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Australia Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in the Philippines
Learn more

Philippines Living Index

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🇦🇺 Australia

$2,589

/mo nomad

🇵🇭 Philippines

$883

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Australia and in the Philippines

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

A single person spends $2,589 per month in Australia vs $883 in the Philippines, rent included.

Australia $2,589
Philippines $883

A couple spends around $3,789 per month in Australia vs $1,365 in the Philippines, rent included.

Australia $3,789
Philippines $1,365

A family of three spends $4,990 per month in Australia vs $1,846 in the Philippines, rent included.

Australia $4,990
Philippines $1,846

The regional cost range is wider in Australia ($1,068–$3,299) than in the Philippines ($124–$1,174), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Australia is about 193% higher than in the Philippines on average.

Australia sits 91% above the global median, while the Philippines is 35% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.24 A$24.68

$4.00 ₱254

331.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.1 A$122

$23.75 ₱1,507

258.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.18 A$16.01

$3.93 ₱250

184.48%

Cappuccino

$4.01 A$5.74

$2.30 ₱146

74.35%

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

$2.90 A$4.15

$0.79 ₱50.0

267.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 A$3.29

$0.44 ₱27.62

422.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.74 A$11.08

$1.33 ₱84.5

481.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.69

$2.39 ₱152

241.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 A$2.47

$1.75 ₱111

-1.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.69 A$3.85

$1.29 ₱81.9

108.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 A$3.20

$0.93 ₱59.2

140.86%

Eggs

$4.95 A$7.08

$2.03 ₱129

143.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 A$13.49

$7.83 ₱497

20.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.40 A$13.45

$4.46 ₱283

110.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.30 A$21.90

$7.25 ₱460

111.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.65 A$5.23

$3.05 ₱193

19.67%

Banana (1kg)

$3.08 A$4.41

$1.51 ₱96.0

103.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 A$4.68

$2.42 ₱153

35.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.59 A$6.56

$1.65 ₱105

178.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.83 A$4.05

$2.14 ₱136

32.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.26 A$3.24

$2.31 ₱146

-2.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.37 A$3.40

$1.71 ₱109

38.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 A$2.37

$0.62 ₱39.58

167.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.43 A$55.0

$3.04 ₱193

1164.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.21 A$20.34

$7.26 ₱460

95.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.95 A$7.09

$1.18 ₱75.1

319.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.13 A$7.35

$1.83 ₱116

180.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.46 A$3.53

$0.23 ₱14.55

969.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.0 A$133

$13.47 ₱854

590.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.66 A$5.24

$1.02 ₱64.5

258.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 A$2.60

$0.22 ₱13.96

727.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.83 A$62.8

$1.93 ₱122

2170.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 A$1.93

$1.19 ₱75.5

13.45%

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

$29.8K A$42.7K

$21.4K ₱1.4M

39.32%

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

$26.1K A$37.4K

$18.8K ₱1.2M

38.72%

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

$208 A$298

$115 ₱7,326

80.25%

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

$29.05 A$41.58

$14.02 ₱889

107.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.7 A$84.0

$26.85 ₱1,703

118.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 A$80.7

$35.19 ₱2,233

60.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.40 A$27.78

$6.10 ₱387

218.03%

Cinema Ticket

$15.11 A$21.63

$6.25 ₱397

141.76%

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

$2,113 A$3,024

$296 ₱18.8K

614.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K A$33.0K

$9,773 ₱620.0K

136.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$50.3 ₱3,193

58.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.2 A$77.6

$25.88 ₱1,642

109.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 A$160

$72.8 ₱4,618

53.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 A$178

$59.8 ₱3,793

108.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,620 A$2,319

$459 ₱29.1K

252.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,256 A$1,798

$279 ₱17.7K

349.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,616 A$3,745

$1,067 ₱67.7K

145.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,007 A$2,873

$569 ₱36.1K

252.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,539 A$12.2K

$4,174 ₱264.8K

104.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,404 A$9,167

$2,305 ₱146.2K

177.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,931 A$5,627

$325 ₱20.6K

1107.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.96

7.02

-15.10%

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

Last update for Australia: November 3, 2026

Last update for the Philippines: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Australia

$1.3K 48.5%

Philippines

$279 31.6% 77.8% $977

Groceries & Markets

Australia

$373 14.4%

Philippines

$201 22.8% 46% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Australia

$296 11.4%

Philippines

$156 17.7% 47.2% $140

Eating Out

Australia

$295 11.4%

Philippines

$88 9.9% 70.3% $208

Clothing & Footwear

Australia

$167 6.4%

Philippines

$94 10.6% 43.6% $73

Getting Around

Australia

$116 4.5%

Philippines

$17 1.9% 85.7% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Australia

$87 3.4%

Philippines

$48 5.4% 44.9% $39

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,381 in Australia vs $302 in the Philippines. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,761 in Canberra and $533 in Manila.

Average salary: $3,863 in Australia vs $270 in the Philippines. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 357% higher in Australia.

Dining out costs 337% more in Australia.

Public transport is 554% more expensive in Australia.

Salaries are about 14 times higher in Australia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Australia.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Australia

🇵🇭 Philippines

🕒 Local time

07:58 7:58 AM

04:58 4:58 AM

3 h behind Australia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,473,055

109,035,343

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

100 PHP = 1.58 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 63.44 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 70.95 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Australia Philippines 6,290 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Australia
Philippines

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

Australia vs Philippines: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

The Philippines is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 66% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,381 versus $302 in the Philippines.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in the Philippines – part of why living there is about 66% cheaper overall.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in the Philippines, but in Australia it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

The Philippines is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.