Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Bataan

For one person, living is cheaper in Bataan: $498 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $27,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Bataan
Learn more

Bataan Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Bataan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$498

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Bataan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $498 in Bataan.

Melbourne $2,821
Bataan $498

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $831 in Bataan.

Melbourne $4,235
Bataan $831

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,165 in Bataan.

Melbourne $5,650
Bataan $1,165

Living in Melbourne is roughly 466% more expensive than in Bataan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Bataan is 63% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$1.39 ₱87.5

1153.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$16.77 ₱1,056

404.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$2.79 ₱175

346.59%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$1.37 ₱86.0

200.00%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.60 ₱37.61

410.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.25 ₱15.77

908.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$0.98 ₱61.6

900.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$1.56 ₱98.3

449.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.62 ₱102

-8.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.17 ₱73.7

151.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.01 ₱63.6

163.37%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.81 ₱114

206.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$5.08 ₱320

106.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$3.00 ₱189

221.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$8.10 ₱510

87.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.21 ₱139

80.54%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.54 ₱97.2

96.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.41 ₱152

28.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.03 ₱64.8

367.96%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.74 ₱110

74.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.78 ₱112

37.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.61 ₱38.47

303.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.49 ₱30.93

232.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$2.26 ₱142

1850.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$8.80 ₱554

44.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$0.98 ₱61.7

465.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.98 ₱125

164.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.24 ₱15.03

1458.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$12.00 ₱756

1046.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$0.82 ₱51.6

450.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.23 ₱14.46

491.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$1.94 ₱122

1469.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.01 ₱63.4

45.54%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

36.89%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$19.3K ₱1.2M

37.28%

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

$234 A$336

$47.67 ₱3,002

390.20%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$17.68 ₱1,113

57.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$23.57 ₱1,484

136.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$32.18 ₱2,026

53.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$4.71 ₱297

356.05%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$5.03 ₱316

200.00%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$67.7 ₱4,259

3405.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$10.9K ₱687.3K

176.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$28.69 ₱1,807

178.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$19.47 ₱1,226

160.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$71.9 ₱4,528

67.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$56.7 ₱3,572

129.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$167 ₱10.5K

955.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$52.8 ₱3,324

2532.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$274 ₱17.2K

1176.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$186 ₱11.7K

1240.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$2,394 ₱150.7K

189.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$977 ₱61.5K

559.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$400 ₱25.2K

996.07%

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 Bataan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Bataan

$53 10.6% 96.2% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Bataan

$172 34.6% 55.1% $212

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Bataan

$89 17.9% 72% $228

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Bataan

$47 9.5% 85% $267

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Bataan

$80 16% 53.7% $92

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Bataan

$15 3% 90.9% $149

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Bataan

$42 8.5% 46.9% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $167 in Bataan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 996% 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 Bataan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $172 per month, with Bataan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇭 Bataan

🕒 Local time

03:01 3:01 AM

00:01 12:01 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

6,743

💱 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 = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Bataan 6,370 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Bataan

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 Bataan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bataan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 466% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 996% 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 $167 in Bataan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 123% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Bataan – 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 $498 in Bataan versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bataan but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Bataan 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 Bataan 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 Bataan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 466% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.