Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dipolog and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Dipolog: $602 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $27,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Dipolog
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Dipolog Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Dipolog

🇵🇭 Philippines

$602

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $602 per month in Dipolog vs $2,849 in Melbourne, rent included.

Dipolog $602
Melbourne $2,849

A couple spends around $839 per month in Dipolog vs $4,274 in Melbourne, rent included.

Dipolog $839
Melbourne $4,274

A family of three spends $1,076 per month in Dipolog vs $5,699 in Melbourne, rent included.

Dipolog $1,076
Melbourne $5,699

Dipolog is about 79% cheaper than Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Dipolog sits 56% below the global median, while Melbourne is 109% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.36 ₱87.1

$17.50 A$24.88

-92.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.30 ₱1,235

$84.3 A$120

-77.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.72 ₱174

$12.17 A$17.30

-77.65%

Cappuccino

$2.02 ₱129

$4.07 A$5.79

-50.37%

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

$0.64 ₱40.84

$3.18 A$4.52

-79.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ₱18.78

$2.50 A$3.55

-88.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.04 ₱66.7

$9.57 A$13.61

-89.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₱110

$8.25 A$11.73

-79.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ₱103

$1.50 A$2.14

6.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.77 ₱49.00

$2.97 A$4.22

-74.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.82 ₱52.5

$2.68 A$3.82

-69.40%

Eggs

$1.87 ₱120

$5.45 A$7.76

-65.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.77 ₱369

$10.71 A$15.23

-46.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.12 ₱264

$10.05 A$14.29

-59.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.71 ₱365

$15.00 A$21.33

-61.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.60 ₱102

$4.07 A$5.79

-60.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 ₱68.8

$3.14 A$4.46

-65.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₱186

$3.12 A$4.43

-6.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 ₱91.6

$4.73 A$6.73

-69.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 ₱118

$2.98 A$4.24

-38.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 ₱171

$2.49 A$3.55

7.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 ₱93.8

$2.48 A$3.53

-40.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ₱39.31

$1.60 A$2.27

-61.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 ₱194

$44.65 A$63.5

-93.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.93 ₱251

$12.68 A$18.03

-69.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 ₱72.1

$5.55 A$7.89

-79.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 ₱80.5

$5.18 A$7.37

-75.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₱16.75

$3.84 A$5.46

-93.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.99 ₱703

$139 A$197

-92.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₱51.6

$4.36 A$6.20

-81.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 ₱20.75

$1.37 A$1.94

-76.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.32 ₱149

$29.72 A$42.26

-92.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 ₱57.1

$1.49 A$2.11

-40.27%

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

$21.2K ₱1.4M

$29.1K A$41.4K

-27.15%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$25.7K A$36.5K

-26.02%

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

$64.3 ₱4,112

$236 A$335

-72.73%

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

$7.73 ₱495

$28.01 A$39.83

-72.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.98 ₱1,534

$57.2 A$81.4

-58.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.70 ₱2,093

$48.39 A$68.8

-32.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.65 ₱298

$21.46 A$30.52

-78.33%

Cinema Ticket

$4.70 ₱301

$17.67 A$25.12

-73.40%

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

$32.00 ₱2,048

$2,461 A$3,499

-98.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,107 ₱518.7K

$29.7K A$42.2K

-72.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.03 ₱2,114

$81.2 A$115

-59.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.08 ₱1,221

$49.28 A$70.1

-61.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.9 ₱3,579

$120 A$170

-53.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$23.76 ₱1,521

$131 A$186

-81.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$156 ₱9,970

$1,703 A$2,421

-90.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$172 ₱11.0K

$1,409 A$2,003

-87.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$513 ₱32.8K

$3,496 A$4,971

-85.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$134 ₱8,602

$2,527 A$3,593

-94.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,401 ₱153.6K

$7,978 A$11.3K

-69.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,119 ₱71.6K

$6,900 A$9,812

-83.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$234 ₱15.0K

$4,257 A$6,053

-94.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.33

5.9

24.24%

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

Last update for Dipolog: October 25, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dipolog

$172 28.6%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4% 719% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Dipolog

$163 27%

Melbourne

$386 13.6% 137% $224

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dipolog

$96 15.9%

Melbourne

$321 11.3% 234% $225

Clothing & Footwear

Dipolog

$59 9.9%

Melbourne

$171 6% 189% $112

Eating Out

Dipolog

$56 9.2%

Melbourne

$312 11% 461% $257

Sport & Entertainment

Dipolog

$42 7%

Melbourne

$84 2.9% 98.8% $42

Getting Around

Dipolog

$14 2.4%

Melbourne

$165 5.8% 1042% $151

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $156 in Dipolog versus $1,703 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 in Melbourne are about 18 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Dipolog versus $84 in Melbourne. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $163 vs $386 – making Dipolog the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Dipolog

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

23:20 11:20 PM

02:20 2:20 AM

3 h ahead of Dipolog

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

130,759

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.56 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.56 USD). 1 EUR = 71.22 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dipolog Melbourne 5,630 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Dipolog
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

Dipolog vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne costs about 373% more than Dipolog, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $904 per month in Dipolog and $4,273 in Melbourne. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dipolog, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $156 there versus $1,703 in Melbourne.

Kindergarten costs $32 per month in Dipolog and $2,461 in Melbourne. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 137% 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 $800 monthly budget goes further in Dipolog, where all-in costs run around $602, than in Melbourne at $2,849. In Dipolog it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Dipolog – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Dipolog. 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.