Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Calbayog

For one person, living is cheaper in Calbayog: $729 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,100 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Calbayog
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Calbayog Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Calbayog

🇵🇭 Philippines

$729

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Calbayog

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $729 in Calbayog, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Calbayog $729

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $1,084 in Calbayog, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Calbayog $1,084

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $1,439 in Calbayog, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Calbayog $1,439

Melbourne costs about 287% more than Calbayog, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Melbourne sits 109% above the global median, while Calbayog is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$4.00 ₱252

335.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$16.40 ₱1,032

415.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$2.44 ₱154

410.66%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.01 ₱126

104.48%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.57 ₱36.04

436.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.29 ₱18.12

768.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$1.17 ₱73.8

737.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$1.66 ₱105

416.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.75 ₱110

-15.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.24 ₱78.0

137.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.97 ₱61.1

174.23%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.17 ₱136

155.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$6.28 ₱395

67.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$4.09 ₱258

135.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$7.00 ₱441

117.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.39 ₱151

66.95%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.43 ₱89.9

111.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.57 ₱162

20.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.09 ₱68.4

342.20%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.92 ₱121

57.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.84 ₱116

32.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.86 ₱53.9

186.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.61 ₱38.63

167.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.22 ₱203

1268.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$6.48 ₱408

95.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$0.84 ₱53.2

559.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.63 ₱102

220.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.27 ₱16.98

1285.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$10.16 ₱640

1253.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$0.76 ₱47.73

493.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.21 ₱13.29

547.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$1.68 ₱106

1712.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.29 ₱81.2

13.95%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$20.6K ₱1.3M

40.91%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

36.72%

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

$234 A$336

$126 ₱7,923

85.70%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$14.93 ₱940

87.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$24.78 ₱1,560

124.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$32.41 ₱2,041

52.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$5.21 ₱328

312.28%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$4.92 ₱310

206.71%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$128 ₱8,067

1750.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$8,017 ₱504.8K

276.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$34.27 ₱2,157

133.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$17.45 ₱1,098

190.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$68.3 ₱4,302

76.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$55.4 ₱3,487

135.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$237 ₱14.9K

641.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$174 ₱11.0K

698.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$489 ₱30.8K

614.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$309 ₱19.5K

705.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$2,765 ₱174.1K

150.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,141 ₱71.8K

465.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$152 ₱9,542

2791.75%

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 Calbayog: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Calbayog

$174 23.9% 87.5% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Calbayog

$180 24.6% 53.2% $204

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Calbayog

$166 22.7% 47.8% $152

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Calbayog

$76 10.4% 75.8% $239

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Calbayog

$79 10.8% 54% $93

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Calbayog

$13 1.8% 92% $151

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Calbayog

$42 5.8% 46.9% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in Melbourne versus $237 in Calbayog. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 2792% higher in Melbourne, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Melbourne versus $16.00 in Calbayog. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $180 – making Calbayog the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇭 Calbayog

🕒 Local time

16:03 4:03 PM

13:03 1:03 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

183,851

💱 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 Calbayog 5,940 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Calbayog

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 Calbayog: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Melbourne is pricier by about 287%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,231 per month in Melbourne and $1,094 in Calbayog. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Calbayog, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 114% more in Melbourne, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Melbourne and $16.00 in Calbayog. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Calbayog, where all-in costs run around $729, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Calbayog it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Calbayog – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Calbayog. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Melbourne makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.