Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Dipolog

For one person, living is cheaper in Dipolog: $602 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $27,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Dipolog
Learn more

Dipolog Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Dipolog

🇵🇭 Philippines

$602

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Dipolog

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

A single person spends $2,849 per month in Melbourne vs $602 in Dipolog, rent included.

Melbourne $2,849
Dipolog $602

A couple spends around $4,274 per month in Melbourne vs $839 in Dipolog, rent included.

Melbourne $4,274
Dipolog $839

A family of three spends $5,699 per month in Melbourne vs $1,076 in Dipolog, rent included.

Melbourne $5,699
Dipolog $1,076

Melbourne costs about 373% more than Dipolog, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Melbourne sits 109% above the global median, while Dipolog is 56% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.86

$1.36 ₱86.9

1186.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$19.30 ₱1,233

336.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.29

$2.72 ₱174

347.43%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.79

$2.02 ₱129

101.49%

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

$3.18 A$4.52

$0.64 ₱40.78

396.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.55

$0.29 ₱18.75

762.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.60

$1.04 ₱66.6

820.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.72

$1.72 ₱110

379.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.14

$1.60 ₱102

-6.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.22

$0.77 ₱48.93

285.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.81

$0.82 ₱52.5

226.83%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.75

$1.87 ₱119

191.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.22

$5.77 ₱369

85.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.28

$4.12 ₱263

143.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.31

$5.71 ₱365

162.70%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.78

$1.60 ₱102

154.38%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.46

$1.07 ₱68.7

193.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.43

$2.91 ₱186

7.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.72

$1.43 ₱91.5

230.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.23

$1.84 ₱118

61.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.55

$2.68 ₱171

-7.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.53

$1.47 ₱93.6

68.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.27

$0.61 ₱39.25

162.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.4

$3.04 ₱194

1368.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.02

$3.93 ₱251

222.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.88

$1.13 ₱71.9

391.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.37

$1.26 ₱80.4

311.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.45

$0.26 ₱16.72

1376.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$197

$10.99 ₱702

1162.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.19

$0.81 ₱51.5

438.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$0.32 ₱20.72

328.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.23

$2.32 ₱148

1181.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.11

$0.89 ₱57.0

67.42%

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

$29.1K A$41.3K

$21.2K ₱1.4M

37.26%

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

$25.7K A$36.5K

$19.0K ₱1.2M

35.17%

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

$236 A$335

$64.3 ₱4,106

266.73%

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

$28.01 A$39.80

$7.73 ₱494

262.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.3

$23.98 ₱1,532

138.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.8

$32.70 ₱2,090

47.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.50

$4.65 ₱297

361.51%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.10

$4.70 ₱300

275.96%

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

$2,461 A$3,497

$32.00 ₱2,045

7591.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.2K

$8,107 ₱518.0K

266.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$115

$33.03 ₱2,111

145.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.0

$19.08 ₱1,219

158.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$170

$55.9 ₱3,574

113.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$23.76 ₱1,518

451.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,419

$156 ₱9,955

992.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,002

$172 ₱11.0K

719.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,967

$513 ₱32.7K

582.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,590

$134 ₱8,589

1779.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

$2,401 ₱153.4K

232.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,805

$1,119 ₱71.5K

516.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,049

$234 ₱15.0K

1718.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

7.33

-19.51%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Last update for Dipolog: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Dipolog

$172 28.6% 87.8% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Dipolog

$163 27% 57.9% $224

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Dipolog

$96 15.9% 70.1% $225

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Dipolog

$56 9.2% 82.2% $257

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Dipolog

$59 9.9% 65.4% $112

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Dipolog

$14 2.4% 91.2% $151

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Dipolog

$42 7% 49.7% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,703 in Melbourne versus $156 in Dipolog. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Melbourne are about 18 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84 in Melbourne versus $19 in Dipolog. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $386 vs $163 – making Dipolog the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇭 Dipolog

🕒 Local time

02:24 2:24 AM

23:24 11:24 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

130,759

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.11 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Dipolog 5,630 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Dipolog

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 Dipolog: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne costs about 373% more than Dipolog, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,273 per month in Melbourne and $904 in Dipolog. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dipolog, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $156 there versus $1,703 in Melbourne.

Kindergarten costs $2,461 per month in Melbourne and $32 in Dipolog. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 137% 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 $800 monthly budget goes further in Dipolog, where all-in costs run around $602, than in Melbourne at $2,849. In Dipolog it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Dipolog. 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.