Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Dasmarinas

For one person, living is cheaper in Dasmarinas: $496 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $28,300 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Dasmarinas
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Dasmarinas Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Dasmarinas

🇵🇭 Philippines

$496

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Dasmarinas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,853 in Melbourne versus $496 in Dasmarinas.

Melbourne $2,853
Dasmarinas $496

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,275 in Melbourne versus $738 in Dasmarinas.

Melbourne $4,275
Dasmarinas $738

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,697 in Melbourne versus $980 in Dasmarinas.

Melbourne $5,697
Dasmarinas $980

Living in Melbourne is roughly 476% more expensive than in Dasmarinas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 111% above, Dasmarinas is 63% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.20 A$24.75

$4.08 ₱257

321.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 A$120

$16.95 ₱1,067

390.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 A$17.88

$2.71 ₱171

358.67%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.82

$1.75 ₱110

131.43%

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

$3.12 A$4.50

$0.57 ₱35.76

447.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.31 ₱19.30

693.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.52 A$13.71

$0.96 ₱60.1

891.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.74

$1.58 ₱99.4

416.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.25

$1.39 ₱87.5

12.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.18

$1.10 ₱69.5

163.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.66 ₱41.36

303.03%

Eggs

$5.37 A$7.72

$1.79 ₱113

200.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 A$15.36

$4.94 ₱311

115.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 A$14.17

$3.49 ₱219

182.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 A$22.11

$4.72 ₱297

225.42%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$6.00

$2.26 ₱143

84.51%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$1.61 ₱102

95.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 A$4.69

$2.38 ₱150

36.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.85

$1.07 ₱67.3

344.86%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.41

$1.75 ₱110

74.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.55

$1.72 ₱108

43.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.52

$0.61 ₱38.39

301.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.52 ₱32.54

213.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.17 A$65.0

$2.88 ₱181

1468.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.25

$8.59 ₱541

47.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.69 A$8.18

$0.93 ₱58.5

511.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.53

$1.99 ₱125

162.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 A$5.57

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$204

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 A$6.53

$0.78 ₱48.96

482.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.04

$0.25 ₱15.76

468.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.59 A$44.01

$1.85 ₱117

1553.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.11 ₱70.1

32.43%

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

$28.9K A$41.5K

$21.4K ₱1.3M

34.94%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$18.9K ₱1.2M

37.08%

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

$235 A$338

$48.45 ₱3,050

385.26%

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

$27.45 A$39.51

$17.55 ₱1,105

56.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$80.8

$23.72 ₱1,494

136.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 A$72.1

$33.43 ₱2,105

49.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.49 A$30.93

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 A$25.56

$5.30 ₱334

235.09%

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

$2,385 A$3,432

$134 ₱8,415

1684.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.7K

$10.7K ₱674.0K

177.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 A$114

$28.53 ₱1,796

177.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.49 A$71.2

$19.55 ₱1,231

153.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$170

$72.5 ₱4,561

63.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$56.4 ₱3,552

134.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 A$2,537

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 A$2,031

$46.95 ₱2,956

2905.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,522 A$5,069

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 A$3,634

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,136 A$10.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,355 A$9,144

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,258 A$6,128

$353 ₱22.2K

1107.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

6.4

-7.81%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 17, 2026

Last update for Dasmarinas: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5%

Dasmarinas

$47 9.5% 96.7% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$388 13.6%

Dasmarinas

$160 32.3% 58.8% $228

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$319 11.2%

Dasmarinas

$90 18.1% 71.8% $229

Eating Out

Melbourne

$310 10.9%

Dasmarinas

$73 14.8% 76.4% $236

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Dasmarinas

$80 16.1% 53.3% $91

Getting Around

Melbourne

$169 5.9%

Dasmarinas

$2 * 0.4% 98.8% $167

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$86 3%

Dasmarinas

$44 8.9% 48.6% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

Melbourne pays 1107% 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: $83.0 in Melbourne vs $17.00 in Dasmarinas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $388 vs $160 per month, with Dasmarinas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇭 Dasmarinas

🕒 Local time

11:07 11:07 AM

08:07 8:07 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

659,019

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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 Dasmarinas 6,320 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Dasmarinas

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 Dasmarinas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Dasmarinas differ by about 476% in total monthly costs ($2,853 vs $496 including rent). Dasmarinas is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1107% higher in Melbourne, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $2,385 in Melbourne versus $134 in Dasmarinas. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Dasmarinas – a meal for two runs $17.00 versus $83.0 in Melbourne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $496 in Dasmarinas versus $2,853 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Dasmarinas but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Dasmarinas 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 Dasmarinas 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 Dasmarinas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 476% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.