Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Albay

For one person, living is cheaper in Albay: $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 Albay
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Albay Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Albay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$740

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Albay

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 Albay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $740 in Albay.

Melbourne $2,821
Albay $740

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,099 in Albay.

Melbourne $4,235
Albay $1,099

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,457 in Albay.

Melbourne $5,650
Albay $1,457

Living in Melbourne is roughly 281% more expensive than in Albay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Albay is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$3.98 ₱250

337.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$17.00 ₱1,070

397.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$2.72 ₱171

358.09%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.27 ₱143

81.06%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.62 ₱39.23

393.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.33 ₱21.01

663.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$1.17 ₱73.6

737.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$1.97 ₱124

335.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.85 ₱116

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.04 ₱65.2

182.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.86 ₱54.0

209.30%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.99 ₱125

178.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$4.92 ₱310

113.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$4.17 ₱263

131.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$6.55 ₱413

132.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.71 ₱171

47.23%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.58 ₱99.3

91.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.12 ₱133

46.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.03 ₱65.0

367.96%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.78 ₱112

70.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$2.26 ₱142

7.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.86 ₱53.9

186.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.49 ₱30.89

232.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$2.67 ₱168

1550.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$7.49 ₱472

69.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.10 ₱69.2

403.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.88 ₱118

178.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.26 ₱16.50

1338.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$10.06 ₱634

1267.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$0.68 ₱42.90

563.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.19 ₱11.90

615.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$1.65 ₱104

1745.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.38 ₱87.1

6.52%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$18.5K ₱1.2M

57.09%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$19.5K ₱1.2M

35.46%

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

$234 A$336

$115 ₱7,229

103.54%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$15.40 ₱970

81.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$25.92 ₱1,632

115.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$37.20 ₱2,342

32.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$5.27 ₱332

307.59%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$5.34 ₱336

182.58%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$133 ₱8,400

1677.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$7,069 ₱445.1K

327.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$28.70 ₱1,807

178.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$19.91 ₱1,254

154.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$72.9 ₱4,587

65.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$50.2 ₱3,160

159.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$230 ₱14.5K

666.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$190 ₱11.9K

632.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$489 ₱30.8K

614.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$328 ₱20.6K

660.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$2,576 ₱162.2K

168.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$959 ₱60.4K

572.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$163 ₱10.2K

2592.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

6.79

-13.11%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Albay: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Albay

$190 25.6% 86.4% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Albay

$176 23.7% 54.3% $208

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Albay

$156 21.1% 50.8% $161

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Albay

$81 10.9% 74.3% $234

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Albay

$77 10.4% 55% $95

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Albay

$13 1.7% 92.2% $151

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Albay

$48 6.5% 39.9% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $230 in Albay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 2592% 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: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $17.00 in Albay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $176 per month, with Albay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇭 Albay

🕒 Local time

16:51 4:51 PM

13:51 1:51 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

179,481

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Albay 6,080 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Albay

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 Albay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Albay differ by about 281% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $740 including rent). Albay is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 2592% higher in Melbourne, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,759 in Melbourne versus $230 in Albay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 119% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Albay – a meal for two runs $17.00 versus $85.0 in Melbourne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $740 in Albay versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Albay but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Albay 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, Melbourne and Albay 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 Albay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 281% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.