Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lucena and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Lucena: $646 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $26,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Lucena
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Lucena Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Lucena

🇵🇭 Philippines

$646

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $646 per month in Lucena vs $2,821 in Melbourne, rent included.

Lucena $646
Melbourne $2,821

A couple spends around $1,041 per month in Lucena vs $4,235 in Melbourne, rent included.

Lucena $1,041
Melbourne $4,235

A family of three spends $1,436 per month in Lucena vs $5,650 in Melbourne, rent included.

Lucena $1,436
Melbourne $5,650

Lucena is about 77% cheaper than Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lucena sits 52% below the global median, while Melbourne is 109% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.50 ₱94.4

$17.43 A$25.08

-91.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.91 ₱1,191

$84.6 A$122

-77.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$1.72 ₱108

$12.46 A$17.92

-86.20%

Cappuccino

$1.32 ₱83.2

$4.11 A$5.91

-67.88%

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

$0.33 ₱20.88

$3.06 A$4.40

-89.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ₱18.26

$2.52 A$3.62

-88.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.38 ₱86.7

$9.80 A$14.10

-85.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 ₱80.9

$8.57 A$12.33

-85.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₱105

$1.48 A$2.14

12.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 ₱73.4

$2.94 A$4.23

-60.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ₱57.6

$2.66 A$3.82

-65.41%

Eggs

$1.75 ₱110

$5.54 A$7.97

-68.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.82 ₱429

$10.51 A$15.13

-35.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.21 ₱265

$9.65 A$13.89

-56.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.13 ₱449

$15.22 A$21.91

-53.15%

Apples (1kg)

$4.04 ₱254

$3.99 A$5.75

1.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 ₱86.0

$3.02 A$4.34

-54.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.58 ₱225

$3.10 A$4.46

15.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.17 ₱73.5

$4.82 A$6.93

-75.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.27 ₱143

$3.03 A$4.36

-25.08%

Onion (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$2.44 A$3.52

35.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 ₱89.6

$2.46 A$3.54

-42.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 ₱57.0

$1.63 A$2.34

-44.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.74 ₱173

$44.07 A$63.4

-93.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.74 ₱487

$12.70 A$18.28

-39.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₱84.6

$5.54 A$7.97

-75.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 ₱111

$5.23 A$7.52

-66.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 ₱14.97

$3.74 A$5.38

-93.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.08 ₱761

$138 A$198

-91.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₱51.0

$4.51 A$6.50

-82.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.19

$1.36 A$1.96

-84.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 ₱160

$30.45 A$43.81

-91.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 ₱77.6

$1.47 A$2.12

-16.33%

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

$21.3K ₱1.3M

$29.0K A$41.7K

-26.55%

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

$18.8K ₱1.2M

$26.5K A$38.1K

-29.13%

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

$47.89 ₱3,015

$234 A$336

-79.51%

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

$6.37 ₱401

$27.93 A$40.19

-77.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.06 ₱696

$55.7 A$80.2

-80.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.15 ₱2,150

$49.40 A$71.1

-30.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.02 ₱253

$21.48 A$30.91

-81.28%

Cinema Ticket

$7.38 ₱465

$15.09 A$21.72

-51.09%

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

$71.9 ₱4,529

$2,371 A$3,412

-96.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,515 ₱158.3K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-91.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.78 ₱2,253

$80.0 A$115

-55.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.69 ₱1,428

$50.7 A$73.0

-55.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 ₱5,020

$121 A$174

-33.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.4 ₱4,683

$130 A$188

-42.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$262 ₱16.5K

$1,759 A$2,531

-85.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$170 ₱10.7K

$1,390 A$2,000

-87.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$516 ₱32.5K

$3,494 A$5,027

-85.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 ₱22.5K

$2,493 A$3,588

-85.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,274 ₱143.2K

$6,926 A$9,967

-67.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$921 ₱58.0K

$6,445 A$9,274

-85.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$320 ₱20.2K

$4,383 A$6,307

-92.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

18.64%

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

Last update for Lucena: October 12, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Lucena

$206 31.9%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 86.3% $178

Accommodation & Living

Lucena

$170 26.3%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 719% $1.2K

Clothing & Footwear

Lucena

$96 14.8%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 79.5% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lucena

$65 10.1%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 386% $252

Sport & Entertainment

Lucena

$49 7.6%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 62.7% $31

Eating Out

Lucena

$45 7%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 600% $270

Getting Around

Lucena

$15 2.3%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 1000% $149

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $262 in Lucena 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 1268% 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 Lucena versus $85.0 in Melbourne. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $206 vs $384 – making Lucena the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Lucena

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

06:29 6:29 AM

09:29 9:29 AM

3 h ahead of Lucena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

278,924

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 = 70.78 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

Lucena Melbourne 6,250 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Lucena
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

Lucena vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $646 in Lucena, $2,821 in Melbourne – roughly 337% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $968 per month in Lucena 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 Lucena, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $71.9 per month in Lucena and $2,371 in Melbourne. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 86% 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 Lucena, where all-in costs run around $646, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Lucena it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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 Lucena. 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.