Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Batangas

For one person, living is cheaper in Batangas: $620 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $26,400 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Batangas
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Batangas Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Batangas

🇵🇭 Philippines

$620

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Batangas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $620 in Batangas.

Melbourne $2,821
Batangas $620

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $901 in Batangas.

Melbourne $4,235
Batangas $901

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,183 in Batangas.

Melbourne $5,650
Batangas $1,183

Living in Melbourne is roughly 355% more expensive than in Batangas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Batangas is 54% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$2.13 ₱134

718.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$19.25 ₱1,213

339.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$2.67 ₱168

366.67%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.10 ₱132

95.71%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.39 ₱24.35

684.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.27 ₱16.87

833.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$1.08 ₱67.8

807.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$1.42 ₱89.6

503.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.72 ₱108

-13.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.13 ₱71.4

160.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.76 ₱48.11

250.00%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.64 ₱103

237.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$5.53 ₱348

90.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$4.22 ₱266

128.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$6.90 ₱434

120.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.41 ₱152

65.56%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.42 ₱89.3

112.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.34 ₱147

32.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.13 ₱71.2

326.55%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.33 ₱146

30.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$3.38 ₱213

-27.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.30 ₱81.9

89.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.97 ₱61.2

68.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$2.49 ₱157

1669.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$7.46 ₱470

70.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.32 ₱83.4

319.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.78 ₱112

193.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.66 ₱41.46

466.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$0.84 ₱52.9

436.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.21 ₱13.21

547.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$2.60 ₱164

1071.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.03 ₱64.8

42.72%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$21.5K ₱1.4M

34.75%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$18.8K ₱1.2M

40.85%

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

$234 A$336

$165 ₱10.4K

41.72%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$14.40 ₱907

93.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$23.88 ₱1,504

133.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$18.88 ₱1,189

161.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$12.62 ₱795

70.21%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$5.66 ₱356

166.61%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$73.0 ₱4,601

3146.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$1,264 ₱79.6K

2288.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$15.87 ₱1,000

403.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$22.72 ₱1,431

123.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$55.8 ₱3,512

116.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$39.47 ₱2,486

230.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$72.7 ₱4,579

1811.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$158 ₱9,984

2104.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$95.2 ₱5,994

2520.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$2,511 ₱158.2K

175.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,631 ₱102.7K

295.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$186 ₱11.7K

2255.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

-15.71%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Batangas: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Batangas

$73 11.7% 94.8% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Batangas

$188 30.3% 51.1% $196

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Batangas

$203 32.8% 36% $114

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Batangas

$61 9.9% 80.6% $253

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Batangas

$60 9.7% 64.9% $112

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Batangas

$4.5 * 0.7% 97.2% $159

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Batangas

$30 4.9% 62.1% $49

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

Cost Breakdown

Melbourne pays 2256% 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 $19.00 in Batangas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $188 per month, with Batangas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇭 Batangas

🕒 Local time

07:43 7:43 AM

04:43 4:43 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

329,874

💱 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 = 62.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.82 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Batangas 6,250 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Batangas

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 Batangas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Batangas differ by about 355% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $620 including rent). Batangas is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 2256% higher in Melbourne, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 104% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,821 per month in Melbourne versus $620 in Batangas – a 355% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $620 in Batangas versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Batangas but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Batangas 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 Batangas 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 Batangas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 355% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.