Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Cagayan de Oro City

For one person, living is cheaper in Cagayan de Oro City: $771 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 Cagayan de Oro City
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Cagayan de Oro City Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Cagayan de Oro City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Cagayan de Oro City

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 Cagayan de Oro City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $771 in Cagayan de Oro City.

Melbourne $2,821
Cagayan de Oro City $771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,141 in Cagayan de Oro City.

Melbourne $4,235
Cagayan de Oro City $1,141

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,511 in Cagayan de Oro City.

Melbourne $5,650
Cagayan de Oro City $1,511

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Cagayan de Oro City is 43% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$3.68 ₱231

373.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$12.80 ₱806

560.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$3.05 ₱192

308.52%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.33 ₱147

76.39%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.76 ₱47.91

302.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.64 ₱39.98

293.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$1.38 ₱86.9

610.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$1.98 ₱124

332.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.48 ₱93.4

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$0.89 ₱56.2

230.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.92 ₱58.0

189.13%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.17 ₱137

155.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$8.67 ₱546

21.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$3.29 ₱207

193.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$5.76 ₱363

164.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.05 ₱129

94.63%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.08 ₱68.3

179.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.38 ₱150

30.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.14 ₱71.9

322.81%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.92 ₱121

57.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$2.53 ₱159

-3.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.76 ₱47.87

223.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.48 ₱30.30

239.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.02 ₱190

1359.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$3.97 ₱250

219.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.22 ₱77.0

354.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.93 ₱122

170.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.41 ₱25.99

812.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$9.84 ₱620

1297.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$0.63 ₱39.57

615.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.21 ₱13.18

547.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$1.94 ₱122

1469.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.08 ₱67.8

36.11%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$21.1K ₱1.3M

37.15%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$18.9K ₱1.2M

40.12%

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

$234 A$336

$137 ₱8,600

71.07%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$22.77 ₱1,433

22.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$30.51 ₱1,921

82.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$20.70 ₱1,303

138.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$2.87 ₱181

648.43%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$4.55 ₱286

231.65%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$66.4 ₱4,181

3470.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$2,257 ₱142.1K

1237.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$31.71 ₱1,997

152.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$13.08 ₱824

287.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$52.4 ₱3,300

130.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$39.65 ₱2,496

228.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$377 ₱23.8K

366.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$229 ₱14.4K

508.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$693 ₱43.7K

403.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$452 ₱28.5K

451.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$1,604 ₱101.0K

331.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$951 ₱59.9K

577.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$302 ₱19.0K

1349.65%

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 Cagayan de Oro City: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Cagayan de Oro City

$229 29.6% 83.6% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Cagayan de Oro City

$165 21.4% 56.9% $219

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Cagayan de Oro City

$190 24.6% 40.2% $127

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Cagayan de Oro City

$83 10.8% 73.6% $232

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Cagayan de Oro City

$62 8% 64.1% $110

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Cagayan de Oro City

$13 1.7% 92% $151

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Cagayan de Oro City

$30 3.9% 62.6% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $377 in Cagayan de Oro City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 1350% 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 $13.00 in Cagayan de Oro City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $165 per month, with Cagayan de Oro City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇭 Cagayan de Oro City

🕒 Local time

13:04 1:04 PM

10:04 10:04 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

728,402

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Cagayan de Oro City 5,560 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Cagayan de Oro City

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 Cagayan de Oro City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Cagayan de Oro City differ by about 266% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $771 including rent). Cagayan de Oro City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1350% 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 $377 in Cagayan de Oro City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 132% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cagayan de Oro City – a meal for two runs $13.00 versus $85.0 in Melbourne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $771 in Cagayan de Oro City versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Cagayan de Oro City but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Cagayan de Oro City 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 Cagayan de Oro City 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 Cagayan de Oro City 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.