Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dasmarinas and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Dasmarinas: $496 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $28,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Dasmarinas
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Dasmarinas Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Dasmarinas

🇵🇭 Philippines

$496

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $496 in Dasmarinas versus $2,853 in Melbourne.

Dasmarinas $496
Melbourne $2,853

Estimated couple costs with rent: $738 in Dasmarinas versus $4,275 in Melbourne.

Dasmarinas $738
Melbourne $4,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $980 in Dasmarinas versus $5,697 in Melbourne.

Dasmarinas $980
Melbourne $5,697

Living in Dasmarinas costs roughly 83% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dasmarinas is 63% below, Melbourne is 111% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.08 ₱257

$17.20 A$24.75

-76.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.95 ₱1,067

$83.1 A$120

-79.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.71 ₱171

$12.43 A$17.88

-78.20%

Cappuccino

$1.75 ₱110

$4.05 A$5.82

-56.79%

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

$0.57 ₱35.76

$3.12 A$4.50

-81.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₱19.30

$2.46 A$3.54

-87.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.96 ₱60.1

$9.52 A$13.71

-89.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₱99.4

$8.16 A$11.74

-80.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 ₱87.5

$1.56 A$2.25

-10.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 ₱69.5

$2.90 A$4.18

-62.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.66 ₱41.36

$2.66 A$3.82

-75.19%

Eggs

$1.79 ₱113

$5.37 A$7.72

-66.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.94 ₱311

$10.67 A$15.36

-53.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.49 ₱219

$9.85 A$14.17

-64.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.72 ₱297

$15.36 A$22.11

-69.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 ₱143

$4.17 A$6.00

-45.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₱102

$3.15 A$4.53

-48.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 ₱150

$3.26 A$4.69

-26.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 ₱67.3

$4.76 A$6.85

-77.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 ₱110

$3.06 A$4.41

-42.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 ₱108

$2.47 A$3.55

-30.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ₱38.39

$2.45 A$3.52

-75.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ₱32.54

$1.63 A$2.34

-68.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.88 ₱181

$45.17 A$65.0

-93.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.59 ₱541

$12.68 A$18.25

-32.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ₱58.5

$5.69 A$8.18

-83.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 ₱125

$5.23 A$7.53

-61.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 A$5.57

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$204

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.78 ₱48.96

$4.54 A$6.53

-82.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₱15.76

$1.42 A$2.04

-82.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 ₱117

$30.59 A$44.01

-93.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ₱70.1

$1.47 A$2.11

-24.49%

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

$21.4K ₱1.3M

$28.9K A$41.5K

-25.89%

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

$18.9K ₱1.2M

$25.9K A$37.3K

-27.05%

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

$48.45 ₱3,050

$235 A$338

-79.39%

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

$17.55 ₱1,105

$27.45 A$39.51

-36.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.72 ₱1,494

$56.1 A$80.8

-57.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.43 ₱2,105

$50.1 A$72.1

-33.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.49 A$30.93

Cinema Ticket

$5.30 ₱334

$17.76 A$25.56

-70.16%

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

$134 ₱8,415

$2,385 A$3,432

-94.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ₱674.0K

$29.7K A$42.7K

-63.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.53 ₱1,796

$79.2 A$114

-63.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.55 ₱1,231

$49.49 A$71.2

-60.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.5 ₱4,561

$118 A$170

-38.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.4 ₱3,552

$132 A$190

-57.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 A$2,537

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$46.95 ₱2,956

$1,411 A$2,031

-96.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,522 A$5,069

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 A$3,634

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,136 A$10.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,355 A$9,144

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$353 ₱22.2K

$4,258 A$6,128

-91.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.4

5.9

8.47%

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

Last update for Dasmarinas: October 18, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dasmarinas

$160 32.3%

Melbourne

$388 13.6% 143% $228

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dasmarinas

$90 18.1%

Melbourne

$319 11.2% 255% $229

Clothing & Footwear

Dasmarinas

$80 16.1%

Melbourne

$171 6% 114% $91

Eating Out

Dasmarinas

$73 14.8%

Melbourne

$310 10.9% 323% $236

Accommodation & Living

Dasmarinas

$47 9.5%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5% 2906% $1.4K

Sport & Entertainment

Dasmarinas

$44 8.9%

Melbourne

$86 3% 94.5% $42

Getting Around

Dasmarinas

$2 * 0.4%

Melbourne

$169 5.9% 8229% $167

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

Cost Breakdown

Melbourne pays 1107% 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 Dasmarinas vs $83.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $160 vs $388 per month, with Dasmarinas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Dasmarinas

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

10:26 10:26 AM

13:26 1:26 PM

3 h ahead of Dasmarinas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

659,019

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 21, 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 21, 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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Highest

Between locations

Dasmarinas Melbourne 6,320 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Dasmarinas
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

Dasmarinas vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dasmarinas and Melbourne differ by about 476% in total monthly costs ($496 vs $2,853 including rent). Dasmarinas is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 1107% 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.

Childcare runs $134 in Dasmarinas versus $2,385 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Dasmarinas – a meal for two runs $17.00 versus $83.0 in Melbourne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $496 in Dasmarinas versus $2,853 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Dasmarinas but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Dasmarinas 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, Dasmarinas 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 Dasmarinas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 476% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.