Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Cotabato City

For one person, living is cheaper in Cotabato City: $764 a month against $2,853 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Cotabato City
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Cotabato City Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Cotabato City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$764

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Cotabato 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 Cotabato City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,853 in Melbourne versus $764 in Cotabato City.

Melbourne $2,853
Cotabato City $764

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,275 in Melbourne versus $1,169 in Cotabato City.

Melbourne $4,275
Cotabato City $1,169

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,697 in Melbourne versus $1,574 in Cotabato City.

Melbourne $5,697
Cotabato City $1,574

Living in Melbourne is roughly 274% more expensive than in Cotabato City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 111% above, Cotabato City is 44% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.20 A$24.75

$4.65 ₱293

269.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 A$120

$16.57 ₱1,044

401.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 A$17.88

$4.00 ₱252

210.75%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.82

$2.23 ₱141

81.61%

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

$3.12 A$4.50

$1.04 ₱65.4

200.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.64 ₱40.49

284.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.52 A$13.71

$1.17 ₱73.4

713.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.74

$1.91 ₱120

327.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.25

$2.02 ₱127

-22.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.18

$1.08 ₱68.0

168.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.78 ₱49.16

241.03%

Eggs

$5.37 A$7.72

$1.89 ₱119

184.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 A$15.36

$6.41 ₱404

66.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 A$14.17

$4.67 ₱294

110.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 A$22.11

$9.06 ₱570

69.54%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$6.00

$2.73 ₱172

52.75%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$1.11 ₱69.9

183.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 A$4.69

$2.44 ₱154

33.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.85

$1.20 ₱75.3

296.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.41

$1.94 ₱122

57.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.55

$3.55 ₱224

-30.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.52

$1.20 ₱75.4

104.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.71 ₱44.58

129.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.17 A$65.0

$2.47 ₱156

1728.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.25

$8.06 ₱507

57.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.69 A$8.18

$1.22 ₱77.1

366.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.53

$1.68 ₱106

211.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 A$5.57

$0.26 ₱16.40

1388.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$204

$11.02 ₱694

1188.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 A$6.53

$0.84 ₱52.8

440.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.04

$0.23 ₱14.37

517.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.59 A$44.01

$1.94 ₱122

1476.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.18 ₱74.4

24.58%

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

$28.9K A$41.5K

$21.5K ₱1.4M

34.39%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$18.7K ₱1.2M

38.73%

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

$235 A$338

$108 ₱6,788

118.08%

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

$27.45 A$39.51

$19.38 ₱1,220

41.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$80.8

$31.55 ₱1,986

77.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 A$72.1

$32.71 ₱2,060

53.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.49 A$30.93

$4.78 ₱301

349.58%

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 A$25.56

$4.64 ₱292

282.76%

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

$2,385 A$3,432

$107 ₱6,709

2138.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.7K

$7,519 ₱473.4K

294.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 A$114

$33.49 ₱2,109

136.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.49 A$71.2

$19.69 ₱1,240

151.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$170

$71.2 ₱4,483

66.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$60.8 ₱3,825

117.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 A$2,537

$270 ₱17.0K

552.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 A$2,031

$174 ₱11.0K

711.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,522 A$5,069

$524 ₱33.0K

572.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 A$3,634

$357 ₱22.5K

607.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,136 A$10.3K

$2,445 ₱154.0K

191.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,355 A$9,144

$999 ₱62.9K

536.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,258 A$6,128

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

8.31

-29.00%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 17, 2026

Last update for Cotabato City: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5%

Cotabato City

$174 22.8% 87.7% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$388 13.6%

Cotabato City

$199 26.1% 48.7% $189

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$319 11.2%

Cotabato City

$159 20.8% 50.2% $160

Eating Out

Melbourne

$310 10.9%

Cotabato City

$92 12.1% 70.2% $217

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Cotabato City

$83 10.9% 51.2% $87

Getting Around

Melbourne

$169 5.9%

Cotabato City

$14 1.8% 91.7% $155

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$86 3%

Cotabato City

$42 5.5% 51% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,763 in Melbourne and $270 in Cotabato City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $83.0 in Melbourne vs $17.00 in Cotabato City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $388 vs $199 per month, with Cotabato City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇭 Cotabato City

🕒 Local time

21:04 9:04 PM

18:04 6:04 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

325,079

💱 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 23, 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 23, 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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Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Cotabato City 5,450 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Cotabato 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 Cotabato City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cotabato City wins on cost – living expenses run 274% lower than in Melbourne. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cotabato City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $4,280 in Melbourne and $1,146 in Cotabato City to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,763 in Melbourne versus $270 in Cotabato City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,853 per month in Melbourne versus $764 in Cotabato City – a 274% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cotabato City runs roughly 1188% less than in Melbourne. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $764 in Cotabato City versus $2,853 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cotabato City but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Cotabato 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 Cotabato 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 Cotabato City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 274% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.