Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iloilo and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Iloilo: $693 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Iloilo
🇵🇭 Philippines
$693
/mo nomad
Melbourne
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,852
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $693 per month in Iloilo vs $2,852 in Melbourne, rent included.

  • Iloilo $693
  • Melbourne $2,852

A couple spends around $1,054 per month in Iloilo vs $4,297 in Melbourne, rent included.

  • Iloilo $1,054
  • Melbourne $4,297

A family of three spends $1,416 per month in Iloilo vs $5,742 in Melbourne, rent included.

  • Iloilo $1,416
  • Melbourne $5,742

Iloilo is about 76% cheaper than Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Iloilo sits 48% below the global median, while Melbourne is 113% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Iloilo
Melbourne
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.83 ₱177
$17.75 A$25.40
-84.06%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.43 ₱1,219
$84.8 A$121
-77.10%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.15 ₱198
$12.16 A$17.40
-74.10%
Cappuccino
$2.09 ₱131
$3.93 A$5.62
-46.82%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.65 ₱40.93
$3.14 A$4.49
-79.30%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.34 ₱21.39
$2.43 A$3.47
-86.01%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.06 ₱66.6
$9.90 A$14.17
-89.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.81 ₱113
$8.29 A$11.86
-78.17%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Iloilo
Melbourne
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.69 ₱106
$1.55 A$2.21
9.03%
White Bread (500g)
$1.20 ₱75.1
$3.01 A$4.31
-60.13%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.84 ₱52.9
$2.88 A$4.12
-70.83%
Eggs
$2.06 ₱129
$5.44 A$7.79
-62.13%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.05 ₱379
$10.59 A$15.16
-42.87%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.04 ₱254
$9.61 A$13.76
-57.96%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.18 ₱388
$14.99 A$21.46
-58.77%
Apples (1kg)
$3.32 ₱208
$4.15 A$5.94
-20.00%
Banana (1kg)
$1.04 ₱65.3
$3.05 A$4.37
-65.90%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.06 ₱192
$3.30 A$4.72
-7.27%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.38 ₱86.4
$4.76 A$6.81
-71.01%
Potato (1kg)
$2.39 ₱150
$3.04 A$4.34
-21.38%
Onion (1kg)
$2.71 ₱170
$2.55 A$3.65
6.27%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 ₱92.4
$2.48 A$3.55
-40.73%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.81 ₱50.8
$1.63 A$2.33
-50.31%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.99 ₱188
$44.07 A$63.1
-93.22%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.19 ₱388
$12.43 A$17.79
-50.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.10 ₱68.8
$5.33 A$7.63
-79.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.26 ₱78.8
$5.16 A$7.38
-75.58%
🚌 Getting Around
Iloilo
Melbourne
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.24 ₱15.09
$3.84 A$5.50
-93.75%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$4.59 ₱288
$142 A$203
-96.76%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.82 ₱51.4
$4.40 A$6.29
-81.36%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.34 ₱21.10
$1.40 A$2.01
-75.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.36 ₱148
$29.83 A$42.69
-92.09%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.16 ₱72.9
$1.46 A$2.09
-20.55%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.8K ₱1.4M
$28.1K A$40.3K
-22.64%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.5K ₱1.2M
$25.9K A$37.1K
-24.71%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Iloilo
Melbourne
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$64.5 ₱4,044
$233 A$333
-72.29%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.82 ₱616
$27.28 A$39.04
-64.00%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.65 ₱1,734
$57.0 A$81.6
-51.53%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Iloilo
Melbourne
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$9.76 ₱612
$52.7 A$75.4
-81.47%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$22.62 A$32.37
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.70 ₱295
$17.10 A$24.48
-72.51%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Iloilo
Melbourne
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$31.77 ₱1,993
$2,373 A$3,397
-98.66%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$30.5K A$43.6K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Iloilo
Melbourne
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$23.50 ₱1,474
$78.2 A$112
-69.95%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$17.74 ₱1,113
$50.5 A$72.2
-64.85%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$55.5 ₱3,480
$121 A$172
-53.96%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$23.96 ₱1,503
$133 A$191
-82.01%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Iloilo
Melbourne
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$308 ₱19.3K
$1,713 A$2,451
-81.99%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$246 ₱15.4K
$1,402 A$2,006
-82.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 ₱74.3K
$3,339 A$4,778
-64.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$436 ₱27.4K
$2,529 A$3,619
-82.75%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,633 ₱227.9K
$7,018 A$10.0K
-48.23%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,055 ₱66.2K
$6,767 A$9,685
-84.41%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Iloilo
Melbourne
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$206 ₱12.9K
$4,228 A$6,051
-95.13%
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 Iloilo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Iloilo
$246
Melbourne
$1.4K 469% $1.2K
Groceries & Markets
Iloilo
$188
Melbourne
$385 105% $197
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Iloilo
$102
Melbourne
$317 211% $215
Eating Out
Iloilo
$70
Melbourne
$314 348% $244
Clothing & Footwear
Iloilo
$54
Melbourne
$172 217% $118
Sport & Entertainment
Iloilo
$19
Melbourne
$87 353% $68
Getting Around
Iloilo
$8.1
Melbourne
$168 1988% $160

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $308 in Iloilo versus $1,713 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 1953% 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 $19.00 in Iloilo versus $85.0 in Melbourne. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $188 vs $385 – making Iloilo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇭 Iloilo
🇦🇺 Melbourne
🕒 Local time
15:15 3:15 PM
18:15 6:15 PM
3 h ahead of Iloilo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
457,626
5,031,195
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Iloilo Melbourne 5,880 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Iloilo
  • 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
Iloilo vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Melbourne cheaper than Iloilo?
Yes – Melbourne is pricier by about 311%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,040 per month in Iloilo and $4,277 in Melbourne. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Iloilo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Iloilo or in Melbourne?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Iloilo and $85.0 in Melbourne. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Iloilo and in Melbourne?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $693 in Iloilo and $2,852 in Melbourne. That's a gap of about 311%.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Iloilo or in Melbourne?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Iloilo, where all-in costs run around $693, than in Melbourne at $2,852. In Iloilo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Iloilo or Melbourne more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Iloilo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Iloilo or Melbourne?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Iloilo. 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.

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