Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Alabang

For one person, living is cheaper in Alabang: $740 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Alabang
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Alabang Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Alabang

🇵🇭 Philippines

$740

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Alabang

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Melbourne and in Alabang actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $740 in Alabang, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Alabang $740

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $1,123 in Alabang, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Alabang $1,123

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $1,506 in Alabang, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Alabang $1,506

Melbourne costs about 281% more than Alabang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Melbourne sits 109% above the global median, while Alabang is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$4.02 ₱253

333.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$19.41 ₱1,222

335.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$2.85 ₱179

337.19%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.41 ₱152

70.54%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.74 ₱46.70

313.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.31 ₱19.42

712.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$0.99 ₱62.3

889.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$1.95 ₱123

339.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.63 ₱102

-9.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.16 ₱73.1

153.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.90 ₱56.6

195.56%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.76 ₱111

214.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$5.21 ₱328

101.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$3.51 ₱221

174.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$6.90 ₱435

120.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.22 ₱140

79.73%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.38 ₱86.6

118.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.30 ₱145

34.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.03 ₱65.2

367.96%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.68 ₱106

80.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.71 ₱108

42.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.67 ₱42.07

267.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.50 ₱31.47

226.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$2.82 ₱177

1462.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$7.36 ₱463

72.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$0.98 ₱62.0

465.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.75 ₱110

198.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.27 ₱17.25

1285.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$12.43 ₱783

1006.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$0.84 ₱52.9

436.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.21 ₱13.18

547.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$1.89 ₱119

1511.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.20 ₱75.5

22.50%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$21.6K ₱1.4M

34.46%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$18.8K ₱1.2M

41.14%

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

$234 A$336

$143 ₱8,974

63.94%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$14.41 ₱907

93.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$23.56 ₱1,484

136.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$34.52 ₱2,174

43.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$4.53 ₱285

374.17%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$5.33 ₱336

183.11%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$74.1 ₱4,664

3100.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$2,528 ₱159.1K

1094.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$28.82 ₱1,815

177.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$19.68 ₱1,239

157.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$72.1 ₱4,536

67.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$56.4 ₱3,548

131.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$222 ₱14.0K

691.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$170 ₱10.7K

718.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$513 ₱32.3K

580.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$356 ₱22.4K

599.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$2,233 ₱140.6K

210.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$903 ₱56.9K

613.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

6.75

-12.59%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Alabang: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Alabang

$170 23% 87.8% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Alabang

$166 22.5% 56.7% $218

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Alabang

$181 24.4% 43.1% $137

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Alabang

$83 11.2% 73.7% $232

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Alabang

$80 10.8% 53.7% $92

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Alabang

$15 2.1% 90.6% $148

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Alabang

$45 6.1% 43.2% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in Melbourne versus $222 in Alabang. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Melbourne versus $19.00 in Alabang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $166 – making Alabang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇭 Alabang

🕒 Local time

09:11 9:11 AM

06:11 6:11 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

71,075

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

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).

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).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Alabang 6,320 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Alabang

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

Melbourne vs Alabang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Melbourne is pricier by about 281%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,231 per month in Melbourne and $1,109 in Alabang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Alabang, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 131% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Melbourne and $19.00 in Alabang. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Alabang, where all-in costs run around $740, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Alabang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Alabang – 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 Alabang. 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.