Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Bacong

For one person, living is cheaper in Bacong: $647 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.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Bacong
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Bacong Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Bacong

🇵🇭 Philippines

$647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Bacong

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $647 in Bacong, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Bacong $647

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $981 in Bacong, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Bacong $981

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $1,314 in Bacong, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Bacong $1,314

Melbourne costs about 336% more than Bacong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$2.73 ₱172

538.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$18.84 ₱1,186

348.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$3.14 ₱198

296.82%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.02 ₱127

103.47%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.68 ₱42.84

350.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.33 ₱20.79

663.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$0.92 ₱57.9

965.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$1.72 ₱108

398.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.60 ₱101

-7.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.15 ₱72.5

155.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.88 ₱55.4

202.27%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.07 ₱130

167.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$5.95 ₱374

76.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$3.98 ₱251

142.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$6.30 ₱397

141.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$3.28 ₱206

21.65%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.08 ₱67.8

179.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.93 ₱184

5.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.43 ₱90.3

237.06%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.38 ₱150

27.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$2.72 ₱172

-10.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.39 ₱87.6

76.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.81 ₱51.3

101.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$2.99 ₱188

1373.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$6.46 ₱407

96.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.08 ₱67.8

412.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.31 ₱82.3

299.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.22 ₱14.13

1600.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$9.96 ₱627

1280.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$0.79 ₱49.61

470.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.36 ₱22.84

277.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$2.45 ₱155

1142.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$0.99 ₱62.6

48.48%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$21.0K ₱1.3M

37.82%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$19.0K ₱1.2M

39.56%

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

$234 A$336

$51.4 ₱3,233

354.98%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$9.28 ₱584

200.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$27.26 ₱1,716

104.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$32.11 ₱2,022

53.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$3.98 ₱251

439.70%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$4.66 ₱294

223.82%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$32.30 ₱2,034

7241.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$8,576 ₱539.9K

252.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$33.62 ₱2,117

137.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$19.41 ₱1,222

161.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$56.3 ₱3,543

114.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$23.62 ₱1,487

452.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$147 ₱9,270

1094.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$191 ₱12.0K

628.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$587 ₱36.9K

495.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$305 ₱19.2K

718.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$2,384 ₱150.1K

190.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,056 ₱66.5K

510.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

7.33

-19.51%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Bacong: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Bacong

$191 29.5% 86.3% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Bacong

$187 28.8% 51.4% $197

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Bacong

$88 13.6% 72.3% $229

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Bacong

$68 10.4% 78.5% $247

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Bacong

$60 9.2% 65.2% $112

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Bacong

$13 2.1% 91.8% $150

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Bacong

$41 6.4% 47.9% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in Melbourne versus $147 in Bacong. 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 Bacong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $187 – making Bacong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇭 Bacong

🕒 Local time

09:29 9:29 AM

06:29 6:29 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

41,207

💱 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 Bacong 5,700 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Bacong

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 Bacong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Melbourne is pricier by about 336%, 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 $971 in Bacong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bacong, 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 $19.00 in Bacong. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,821 in Melbourne and $647 in Bacong. That's a gap of about 336%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Bacong, where all-in costs run around $647, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Bacong it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bacong – 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 Bacong. 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.