Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Bacolod

For one person, living is cheaper in Bacolod: $607 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $26,600 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Bacolod
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Bacolod Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Bacolod

🇵🇭 Philippines

$607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Bacolod

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $607 in Bacolod, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Bacolod $607

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $885 in Bacolod, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Bacolod $885

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $1,162 in Bacolod, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Bacolod $1,162

Melbourne costs about 364% more than Bacolod, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Melbourne sits 109% above the global median, while Bacolod is 55% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$2.34 ₱147

644.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$12.87 ₱810

556.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$4.03 ₱254

209.18%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.46 ₱155

67.07%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.70 ₱43.96

337.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.38 ₱23.61

563.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$1.37 ₱86.3

615.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$1.78 ₱112

381.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.61 ₱101

-8.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.16 ₱73.2

153.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.95 ₱60.0

180.00%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.66 ₱105

233.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$8.92 ₱561

17.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$6.95 ₱437

38.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$3.37 ₱212

18.40%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$2.42 ₱152

24.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$0.53 ₱33.60

809.43%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$2.00 ₱126

22.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$1.03 ₱64.8

58.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$2.77 ₱175

1490.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$0.91 ₱57.4

508.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.18 ₱11.18

1977.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$0.61 ₱38.66

639.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.28 ₱80.5

14.84%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$22.1K ₱1.4M

31.47%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$24.0K ₱1.5M

10.32%

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

$234 A$336

$137 ₱8,646

70.16%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$7.99 ₱503

249.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$28.20 ₱1,776

97.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$15.87 ₱999

211.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$2.44 ₱153

780.33%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$4.37 ₱275

245.31%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$31.23 ₱1,966

7492.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$267 ₱16.8K

559.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$178 ₱11.2K

679.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$475 ₱29.9K

634.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$347 ₱21.8K

619.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$206 ₱13.0K

2026.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Bacolod: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Bacolod

$178 29.4% 87.2% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Bacolod

$155 * 25.5% 59.7% $229

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Bacolod

$174 28.6% 45.3% $144

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Bacolod

$75 12.4% 76.2% $240

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Bacolod

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Bacolod

$1.3 * 0.2% 99.2% $162

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Bacolod

$25 4.1% 69.1% $55

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in Melbourne versus $267 in Bacolod. 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 2027% 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 $85.0 in Melbourne versus $13.00 in Bacolod. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $155 – making Bacolod the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇭 Bacolod

🕒 Local time

12:06 12:06 PM

09:06 9:06 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

561,875

💱 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 Bacolod 5,860 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Bacolod

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 Bacolod: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne, $607 in Bacolod – roughly 364% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,231 per month in Melbourne and $911 in Bacolod. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Melbourne and $13.00 in Bacolod. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 148% 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 Bacolod, where all-in costs run around $607, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Bacolod it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Bacolod has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $607 in Bacolod to $2,821 in Melbourne. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Bacolod. 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.