Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bacolod and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Bacolod: $607 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $26,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Bacolod
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Bacolod Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Bacolod

🇵🇭 Philippines

$607

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $607 per month in Bacolod vs $2,821 in Melbourne, rent included.

Bacolod $607
Melbourne $2,821

A couple spends around $885 per month in Bacolod vs $4,235 in Melbourne, rent included.

Bacolod $885
Melbourne $4,235

A family of three spends $1,162 per month in Bacolod vs $5,650 in Melbourne, rent included.

Bacolod $1,162
Melbourne $5,650

Bacolod is about 78% cheaper than Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Bacolod sits 55% below the global median, while Melbourne is 109% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.34 ₱147

$17.43 A$25.08

-86.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.87 ₱810

$84.6 A$122

-84.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.03 ₱254

$12.46 A$17.92

-67.66%

Cappuccino

$2.46 ₱155

$4.11 A$5.91

-40.15%

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

$0.70 ₱43.96

$3.06 A$4.40

-77.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 ₱23.61

$2.52 A$3.62

-84.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.37 ₱86.3

$9.80 A$14.10

-86.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 ₱112

$8.57 A$12.33

-79.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 ₱101

$1.48 A$2.14

8.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 ₱73.2

$2.94 A$4.23

-60.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.95 ₱60.0

$2.66 A$3.82

-64.29%

Eggs

$1.66 ₱105

$5.54 A$7.97

-70.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.92 ₱561

$10.51 A$15.13

-15.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.95 ₱437

$9.65 A$13.89

-27.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 ₱212

$3.99 A$5.75

-15.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 ₱152

$3.02 A$4.34

-19.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

Tomato (1kg)

$0.53 ₱33.60

$4.82 A$6.93

-89.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 ₱126

$2.44 A$3.52

-18.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ₱64.8

$1.63 A$2.34

-36.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.77 ₱175

$44.07 A$63.4

-93.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 ₱57.4

$5.54 A$7.97

-83.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 ₱11.18

$3.74 A$5.38

-95.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 ₱38.66

$4.51 A$6.50

-86.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ₱80.5

$1.47 A$2.12

-12.93%

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

$22.1K ₱1.4M

$29.0K A$41.7K

-23.94%

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

$24.0K ₱1.5M

$26.5K A$38.1K

-9.35%

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

$137 ₱8,646

$234 A$336

-41.23%

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

$7.99 ₱503

$27.93 A$40.19

-71.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.20 ₱1,776

$55.7 A$80.2

-49.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.87 ₱999

$49.40 A$71.1

-67.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.44 ₱153

$21.48 A$30.91

-88.64%

Cinema Ticket

$4.37 ₱275

$15.09 A$21.72

-71.04%

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

$31.23 ₱1,966

$2,371 A$3,412

-98.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$267 ₱16.8K

$1,759 A$2,531

-84.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$178 ₱11.2K

$1,390 A$2,000

-87.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$475 ₱29.9K

$3,494 A$5,027

-86.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$347 ₱21.8K

$2,493 A$3,588

-86.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$206 ₱13.0K

$4,383 A$6,307

-95.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

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

Last update for Bacolod: 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

Bacolod

$178 29.4%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 679% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bacolod

$174 28.6%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 82.9% $144

Groceries & Markets

Bacolod

$155 * 25.5%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 148% $229

Eating Out

Bacolod

$75 12.4%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 319% $240

Sport & Entertainment

Bacolod

$25 4.1%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 223% $55

Getting Around

Bacolod

$1.3 * 0.2%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 12308% $162

Clothing & Footwear

Bacolod

- * 0%

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $267 in Bacolod versus $1,759 in Melbourne. 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 2027% higher in Melbourne, 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 $13.00 in Bacolod versus $85.0 in Melbourne. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $155 vs $384 – making Bacolod the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Bacolod

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

04:43 4:43 AM

07:43 7:43 AM

3 h ahead of Bacolod

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

561,875

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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 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

Bacolod Melbourne 5,860 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Bacolod
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

Bacolod vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $607 in Bacolod, $2,821 in Melbourne – roughly 364% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $911 per month in Bacolod and $4,231 in Melbourne. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bacolod, 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 $13.00 in Bacolod and $85.0 in Melbourne. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 148% more in Melbourne, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bacolod, where all-in costs run around $607, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Bacolod it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Bacolod has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $607 in Bacolod to $2,821 in Melbourne. 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 Bacolod. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Melbourne makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.