Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Dagupan

For one person, living is cheaper in Dagupan: $743 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $24,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Dagupan
Learn more

Dagupan Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Dagupan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$743

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Dagupan

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $743 in Dagupan, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Dagupan $743

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $1,105 in Dagupan, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Dagupan $1,105

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $1,467 in Dagupan, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Dagupan $1,467

Melbourne costs about 280% more than Dagupan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Melbourne sits 109% above the global median, while Dagupan is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$2.90 ₱183

501.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$11.98 ₱754

605.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$4.50 ₱284

176.89%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.47 ₱156

66.40%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.50 ₱31.42

512.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.23 ₱14.46

995.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$1.17 ₱73.6

737.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$2.73 ₱172

213.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.77 ₱112

-16.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.27 ₱80.3

131.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.89 ₱55.8

198.88%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.84 ₱116

201.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$5.69 ₱358

84.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$4.83 ₱304

99.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$6.85 ₱431

122.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$3.97 ₱250

0.50%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$2.00 ₱126

51.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.67 ₱168

16.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.13 ₱71.2

326.55%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.88 ₱181

5.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$3.48 ₱219

-29.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.07 ₱67.3

129.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.57 ₱35.95

185.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$2.45 ₱155

1698.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$5.53 ₱348

129.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$0.89 ₱56.2

522.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.87 ₱118

179.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.20 ₱12.60

1770.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$0.66 ₱41.69

583.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.23 ₱14.55

491.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$1.88 ₱118

1519.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.14 ₱71.6

28.95%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

36.92%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$19.7K ₱1.2M

34.61%

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

$234 A$336

$104 ₱6,563

124.28%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$15.84 ₱998

76.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$25.82 ₱1,627

115.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$33.96 ₱2,139

45.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$5.13 ₱323

194.15%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$786 ₱49.5K

201.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$7,469 ₱470.5K

304.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$60.6 ₱3,816

32.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$7.86 ₱495

545.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$80.6 ₱5,078

49.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$102 ₱6,414

28.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$194 ₱12.2K

805.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$159 ₱10.0K

773.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$364 ₱22.9K

859.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$271 ₱17.0K

821.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$479 ₱30.2K

1244.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$239 ₱15.0K

1737.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

7.5

-21.33%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Dagupan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Dagupan

$159 21.4% 88.6% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Dagupan

$197 26.6% 48.6% $187

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Dagupan

$146 19.6% 54% $171

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Dagupan

$81 10.9% 74.4% $234

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Dagupan

$113 15.2% 34.3% $59

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Dagupan

$2.6 * 0.4% 98.4% $161

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Dagupan

$44 6% 44.4% $35

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 $194 in Dagupan. 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 1737% 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 $12.00 in Dagupan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $197 – making Dagupan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇭 Dagupan

🕒 Local time

23:45 11:45 PM

20:45 8:45 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

174,302

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Dagupan 6,520 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Dagupan

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 Dagupan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Melbourne is pricier by about 280%, 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 $1,114 in Dagupan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Melbourne and $12.00 in Dagupan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 95% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Dagupan, where all-in costs run around $743, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Dagupan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Dagupan – 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 Dagupan. 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.