Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Boracay

For one person, living is cheaper in Boracay: $772 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $24,600 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 Boracay
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Boracay Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Boracay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$772

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Boracay

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $772 in Boracay.

Melbourne $2,821
Boracay $772

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,313 in Boracay.

Melbourne $4,235
Boracay $1,313

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,854 in Boracay.

Melbourne $5,650
Boracay $1,854

Living in Melbourne is roughly 266% more expensive than in Boracay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Boracay is 43% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$5.73 ₱361

204.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$19.15 ₱1,206

341.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$5.94 ₱374

109.76%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.37 ₱149

73.42%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.70 ₱43.78

337.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.23 ₱14.44

995.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$1.16 ₱73.0

744.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$1.92 ₱121

346.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$2.95 ₱186

-49.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$0.98 ₱61.9

200.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.89 ₱56.3

198.88%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.93 ₱122

187.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$5.13 ₱323

104.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$4.78 ₱301

101.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$7.28 ₱459

109.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.51 ₱158

58.96%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.59 ₱100

89.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.21 ₱139

40.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.08 ₱67.9

346.30%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.11 ₱133

43.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$2.02 ₱127

20.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.99 ₱62.5

148.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.57 ₱35.84

185.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$2.28 ₱144

1832.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$7.76 ₱489

63.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$0.96 ₱60.5

477.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.75 ₱110

198.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.24 ₱15.09

1458.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$11.23 ₱707

1124.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$0.66 ₱41.52

583.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.23 ₱14.18

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

$1.11 ₱69.7

32.43%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$23.7K ₱1.5M

22.57%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$22.0K ₱1.4M

20.17%

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

$234 A$336

$111 ₱6,979

110.83%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$14.23 ₱896

96.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$33.84 ₱2,131

64.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$29.95 ₱1,886

64.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$5.12 ₱323

319.53%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$5.26 ₱331

186.88%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$136 ₱8,591

1637.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$8,041 ₱506.2K

275.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$36.09 ₱2,272

121.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$19.21 ₱1,209

163.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$75.8 ₱4,773

59.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$59.1 ₱3,723

120.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$268 ₱16.9K

556.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$174 ₱10.9K

699.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$523 ₱32.9K

568.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$614 ₱38.6K

306.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$2,441 ₱153.7K

183.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$979 ₱61.7K

558.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$229 ₱14.4K

1813.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

6.79

-13.11%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Boracay: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Boracay

$174 22.5% 87.5% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Boracay

$193 25% 49.7% $191

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Boracay

$159 20.6% 49.9% $158

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Boracay

$105 13.7% 66.5% $209

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Boracay

$86 11.1% 50.2% $86

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Boracay

$14 1.8% 91.5% $150

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Boracay

$40 5.3% 49.2% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $268 in Boracay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 1813% 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 Boracay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $193 per month, with Boracay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇭 Boracay

🕒 Local time

06:48 6:48 AM

03:48 3:48 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

12,296

💱 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 →

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Melbourne Boracay 6,030 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Boracay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Boracay differ by about 266% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $772 including rent). Boracay is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1813% 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 $268 in Boracay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 99% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Boracay – a meal for two runs $19.00 versus $85.0 in Melbourne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $772 in Boracay versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Boracay but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Boracay 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 Boracay 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 Boracay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 266% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.