Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Baguio

For one person, living is cheaper in Baguio: $755 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Baguio
Learn more

Baguio Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Baguio

🇵🇭 Philippines

$755

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Baguio

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,852 in Melbourne versus $755 in Baguio.

Melbourne $2,852
Baguio $755

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,297 in Melbourne versus $1,183 in Baguio.

Melbourne $4,297
Baguio $1,183

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,742 in Melbourne versus $1,611 in Baguio.

Melbourne $5,742
Baguio $1,611

Living in Melbourne is roughly 277% more expensive than in Baguio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 113% above, Baguio is 44% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.75 A$25.40

$3.97 ₱249

347.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.8 A$121

$16.85 ₱1,057

403.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 A$17.40

$2.76 ₱173

340.58%

Cappuccino

$3.93 A$5.62

$1.84 ₱115

113.59%

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

$3.14 A$4.49

$0.60 ₱37.75

423.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.47

$0.34 ₱21.40

614.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.90 A$14.17

$1.01 ₱63.6

880.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.29 A$11.86

$1.64 ₱103

405.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.21

$1.69 ₱106

-8.28%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 A$4.31

$1.13 ₱70.9

166.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.12

$1.03 ₱64.5

179.61%

Eggs

$5.44 A$7.79

$2.02 ₱126

169.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.59 A$15.16

$4.96 ₱311

113.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 A$13.76

$3.37 ₱211

185.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.99 A$21.46

$7.68 ₱482

95.18%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 A$5.94

$2.31 ₱145

79.65%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.37

$1.60 ₱100

90.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 A$4.72

$2.33 ₱146

41.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.81

$1.08 ₱67.5

340.74%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.34

$1.67 ₱104

82.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.65

$1.72 ₱108

48.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.55

$0.67 ₱41.91

270.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.33

$0.53 ₱33.15

207.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.1

$2.98 ₱187

1378.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.43 A$17.79

$8.72 ₱547

42.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.33 A$7.63

$0.97 ₱61.1

449.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.38

$2.08 ₱130

148.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.50

$0.25 ₱15.73

1436.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$203

$12.66 ₱794

1017.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 A$6.29

$0.83 ₱52.0

430.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.25 ₱15.78

460.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.83 A$42.69

$1.89 ₱119

1478.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 A$2.09

$1.25 ₱78.7

16.80%

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

$28.1K A$40.3K

$21.1K ₱1.3M

33.14%

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

$25.9K A$37.1K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

34.03%

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

$233 A$333

$142 ₱8,910

63.76%

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

$27.28 A$39.04

$17.90 ₱1,122

52.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$81.6

$23.77 ₱1,491

139.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 A$75.4

$21.07 ₱1,322

150.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.62 A$32.37

$5.18 ₱325

336.68%

Cinema Ticket

$17.10 A$24.48

$5.15 ₱323

232.04%

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

$2,373 A$3,397

$132 ₱8,307

1692.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K A$43.6K

$10.8K ₱675.4K

182.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.2 A$112

$29.14 ₱1,827

168.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 A$72.2

$19.94 ₱1,251

153.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$172

$73.0 ₱4,578

65.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$191

$55.5 ₱3,480

140.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 A$2,451

$403 ₱25.3K

324.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 A$2,006

$195 ₱12.2K

620.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,339 A$4,778

$824 ₱51.7K

305.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 A$3,619

$460 ₱28.9K

449.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,018 A$10.0K

$2,677 ₱167.9K

162.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,767 A$9,685

$928 ₱58.2K

629.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,228 A$6,051

$185 ₱11.6K

2189.98%

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 6, 2026

Last update for Baguio: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Baguio

$195 25.8% 86.1% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$385 13.5%

Baguio

$175 23.2% 54.6% $210

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.1%

Baguio

$184 24.4% 42% $133

Eating Out

Melbourne

$314 11%

Baguio

$74 9.8% 76.4% $240

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Baguio

$80 10.6% 53.6% $92

Getting Around

Melbourne

$168 5.9%

Baguio

$16 2.1% 90.6% $153

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$87 3.1%

Baguio

$31 4.2% 63.9% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,713 in Melbourne and $403 in Baguio. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 2190% 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 Baguio for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $175 per month, with Baguio cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇭 Baguio

🕒 Local time

12:53 12:53 PM

09:53 9:53 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

366,358

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Baguio 6,550 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Baguio

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 Baguio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baguio wins on cost – living expenses run 277% lower than in Melbourne. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Baguio the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 2190% 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: $1,713 in Melbourne versus $403 in Baguio. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,852 per month in Melbourne versus $755 in Baguio – a 277% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Baguio runs roughly 1018% less than in Melbourne. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $755 in Baguio versus $2,852 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Baguio but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Baguio 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 Baguio 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 Baguio gentler on the wallet – expenses run 277% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.