Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calamba and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Calamba: $518 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $27,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Calamba
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Calamba Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Calamba

🇵🇭 Philippines

$518

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $518 in Calamba versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Calamba $518
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $764 in Calamba versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Calamba $764
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,010 in Calamba versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Calamba $1,010
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Calamba costs roughly 82% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Calamba is 62% below, Melbourne is 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.92 ₱247

$17.43 A$25.08

-77.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.02 ₱757

$84.6 A$122

-85.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.82 ₱178

$12.46 A$17.92

-77.37%

Cappuccino

$1.79 ₱113

$4.11 A$5.91

-56.45%

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

$0.56 ₱35.44

$3.06 A$4.40

-81.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱21.06

$2.52 A$3.62

-86.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.94 ₱59.5

$9.80 A$14.10

-90.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ₱97.7

$8.57 A$12.33

-81.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ₱101

$1.48 A$2.14

8.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₱70.1

$2.94 A$4.23

-62.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ₱61.0

$2.66 A$3.82

-63.53%

Eggs

$2.00 ₱126

$5.54 A$7.97

-63.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.20 ₱327

$10.51 A$15.13

-50.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ₱214

$9.65 A$13.89

-64.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.80 ₱491

$15.22 A$21.91

-48.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 ₱145

$3.99 A$5.75

-42.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 ₱96.9

$3.02 A$4.34

-49.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 ₱151

$3.10 A$4.46

-22.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.06 ₱66.9

$4.82 A$6.93

-78.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 ₱109

$3.03 A$4.36

-42.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 ₱112

$2.44 A$3.52

-27.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ₱38.68

$2.46 A$3.54

-75.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱31.10

$1.63 A$2.34

-69.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.92 ₱184

$44.07 A$63.4

-93.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.87 ₱558

$12.70 A$18.28

-30.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₱60.3

$5.54 A$7.97

-82.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 ₱132

$5.23 A$7.52

-59.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 ₱51.9

$4.51 A$6.50

-81.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₱15.75

$1.36 A$1.96

-81.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 ₱119

$30.45 A$43.81

-93.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 ₱58.7

$1.47 A$2.12

-36.73%

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

$21.1K ₱1.3M

$29.0K A$41.7K

-27.13%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$26.5K A$38.1K

-28.19%

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

$139 ₱8,759

$234 A$336

-40.47%

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

$17.36 ₱1,093

$27.93 A$40.19

-37.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.85 ₱1,502

$55.7 A$80.2

-57.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$5.04 ₱317

$15.09 A$21.72

-66.60%

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

$130 ₱8,193

$2,371 A$3,412

-94.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K ₱668.9K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-64.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.54 ₱1,797

$80.0 A$115

-64.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.73 ₱1,242

$50.7 A$73.0

-61.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.0 ₱4,468

$121 A$174

-41.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.3 ₱3,482

$130 A$188

-57.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

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)

$260 ₱16.4K

$4,383 A$6,307

-94.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

5.9

14.41%

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

Last update for Calamba: October 12, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calamba

$180 34.8%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 76% $137

Groceries & Markets

Calamba

$175 33.7%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 120% $209

Clothing & Footwear

Calamba

$79 15.2%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 119% $93

Eating Out

Calamba

$73 14%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 332% $242

Sport & Entertainment

Calamba

$10 * 1.9%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 690% $70

Getting Around

Calamba

$2.1 * 0.4%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 7774% $162

Accommodation & Living

Calamba

- * 0%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

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

Cost Breakdown

Melbourne pays 1587% 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: $12.00 in Calamba vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $175 vs $384 per month, with Calamba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Calamba

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

02:51 2:51 AM

05:51 5:51 AM

3 h ahead of Calamba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

539,671

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Calamba Melbourne 6,300 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Calamba
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

Calamba vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calamba wins on cost – living expenses run 444% lower than in Melbourne. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Calamba the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 1587% 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 120% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $518 per month in Calamba versus $2,821 in Melbourne – a 444% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $518 in Calamba versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Calamba but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Calamba 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, Calamba 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 Calamba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 444% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.