Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Cavite

For one person, living is cheaper in Cavite: $572 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $27,000 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Cavite
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Cavite Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Cavite

🇵🇭 Philippines

$572

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Cavite

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $572 in Cavite, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Cavite $572

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $890 in Cavite, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Cavite $890

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $1,209 in Cavite, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Cavite $1,209

Melbourne costs about 393% more than Cavite, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Melbourne sits 109% above the global median, while Cavite is 58% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$2.35 ₱148

641.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$16.09 ₱1,014

425.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$2.27 ₱143

448.90%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$1.83 ₱115

124.59%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.55 ₱34.89

456.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.34 ₱21.11

641.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$0.99 ₱62.3

889.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$1.57 ₱98.8

445.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.40 ₱88.2

5.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.13 ₱71.0

160.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.92 ₱58.0

189.13%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.93 ₱122

187.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$4.95 ₱312

112.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$3.47 ₱219

178.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$6.19 ₱390

145.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.16 ₱136

84.72%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.08 ₱67.9

179.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.33 ₱147

33.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.08 ₱68.1

346.30%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.75 ₱110

73.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.53 ₱96.4

59.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.54 ₱34.32

355.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.53 ₱33.39

207.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$2.10 ₱132

1998.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$4.77 ₱300

166.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$0.93 ₱58.7

495.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.30 ₱82.1

302.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$13.18 ₱830

943.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$0.66 ₱41.56

583.33%

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

$1.96 ₱124

1453.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.23 ₱77.4

19.51%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$21.3K ₱1.3M

36.46%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$19.0K ₱1.2M

39.36%

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

$234 A$336

$89.5 ₱5,640

161.01%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$13.31 ₱838

109.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$23.15 ₱1,458

140.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$48.23 ₱3,038

2.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$5.23 ₱330

188.53%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$132 ₱8,322

1694.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$10.7K ₱675.8K

181.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$28.73 ₱1,809

178.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$19.49 ₱1,228

160.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$72.2 ₱4,546

67.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$54.8 ₱3,452

137.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$133 ₱8,377

1222.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$80.9 ₱5,094

1618.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$239 ₱15.1K

1360.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$190 ₱11.9K

1215.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$227 ₱14.3K

1830.55%

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 Cavite: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Cavite

$81 14.2% 94.2% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Cavite

$153 26.8% 60.1% $231

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Cavite

$126 22% 60.3% $191

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Cavite

$59 10.4% 81.2% $255

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Cavite

$79 13.8% 54.1% $93

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Cavite

$15 * 2.6% 90.9% $149

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Cavite

$59 10.3% 26.3% $21

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in Melbourne versus $133 in Cavite. 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 1831% 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 Cavite. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $153 – making Cavite the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇭 Cavite

🕒 Local time

04:18 4:18 AM

01:18 1:18 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

100,674

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Cavite 6,330 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Cavite

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 Cavite: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Melbourne is pricier by about 393%, 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 $857 in Cavite. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,821 in Melbourne and $572 in Cavite. That's a gap of about 393%.

Public transport costs about 943% less in Cavite. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cavite, where all-in costs run around $572, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Cavite it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cavite – 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 Cavite. 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.