Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and El Nido

For one person, living is cheaper in El Nido: $739 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,400 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
36

Cost of Living Index in El Nido
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El Nido Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

El Nido

🇵🇭 Philippines

$739

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in El Nido

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

A single person spends $2,853 per month in Melbourne vs $739 in El Nido, rent included.

Melbourne $2,853
El Nido $739

A couple spends around $4,275 per month in Melbourne vs $1,148 in El Nido, rent included.

Melbourne $4,275
El Nido $1,148

A family of three spends $5,697 per month in Melbourne vs $1,557 in El Nido, rent included.

Melbourne $5,697
El Nido $1,557

Melbourne costs about 286% more than El Nido, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Melbourne sits 111% above the global median, while El Nido is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.20 A$24.75

$4.84 ₱305

255.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 A$120

$28.13 ₱1,771

195.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 A$17.88

$3.70 ₱233

235.95%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.82

$2.25 ₱142

80.00%

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

$3.12 A$4.50

$1.17 ₱73.8

166.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.32 ₱20.45

668.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.52 A$13.71

$1.30 ₱81.8

632.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.74

$1.99 ₱125

310.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.25

$1.59 ₱100

-1.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.18

$1.00 ₱63.1

190.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.29 ₱81.4

106.20%

Eggs

$5.37 A$7.72

$1.95 ₱123

175.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 A$15.36

$5.33 ₱336

100.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 A$14.17

$3.98 ₱250

147.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 A$22.11

$6.98 ₱439

120.06%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$6.00

$2.25 ₱142

85.33%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$1.54 ₱97.1

104.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 A$4.69

$2.26 ₱142

44.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.85

$1.16 ₱72.8

310.34%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.41

$1.95 ₱123

56.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.55

$2.01 ₱127

22.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.52

$0.92 ₱58.0

166.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.53 ₱33.65

207.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.17 A$65.0

$3.35 ₱211

1248.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.25

$7.24 ₱456

75.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.69 A$8.18

$1.00 ₱62.9

469.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.53

$1.87 ₱118

179.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 A$5.57

$0.24 ₱15.07

1512.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$204

$10.28 ₱648

1280.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 A$6.53

$0.85 ₱53.8

434.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.04

$0.20 ₱12.47

610.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.59 A$44.01

$1.72 ₱108

1678.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.31 ₱82.3

12.21%

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

$28.9K A$41.5K

$19.2K ₱1.2M

50.47%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$21.6K ₱1.4M

20.01%

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

$235 A$338

$121 ₱7,638

93.81%

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

$27.45 A$39.51

$14.38 ₱906

90.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$80.8

$24.44 ₱1,539

129.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 A$72.1

$34.90 ₱2,197

43.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.49 A$30.93

$3.99 ₱251

438.60%

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 A$25.56

$5.23 ₱329

239.58%

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

$2,385 A$3,432

$124 ₱7,818

1820.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.7K

$6,869 ₱432.4K

331.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 A$114

$33.86 ₱2,132

133.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.49 A$71.2

$18.81 ₱1,185

163.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$170

$66.9 ₱4,211

77.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$49.95 ₱3,145

164.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 A$2,537

$269 ₱17.0K

554.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 A$2,031

$177 ₱11.2K

696.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,522 A$5,069

$535 ₱33.7K

557.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 A$3,634

$358 ₱22.5K

606.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,136 A$10.3K

$2,607 ₱164.1K

173.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,355 A$9,144

$900 ₱56.7K

606.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,258 A$6,128

$257 ₱16.2K

1558.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

6.79

-13.11%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 17, 2026

Last update for El Nido: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5%

El Nido

$177 24% 87.4% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$388 13.6%

El Nido

$174 23.6% 55.2% $214

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$319 11.2%

El Nido

$160 21.7% 49.8% $159

Eating Out

Melbourne

$310 10.9%

El Nido

$93 12.6% 69.9% $216

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

El Nido

$76 10.3% 55.3% $94

Getting Around

Melbourne

$169 5.9%

El Nido

$13 1.8% 92.3% $156

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$86 3%

El Nido

$45 6.1% 47% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,763 in Melbourne versus $269 in El Nido. 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 1559% 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 $83.0 in Melbourne versus $28.00 in El Nido. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $388 vs $174 – making El Nido the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇭 El Nido

🕒 Local time

06:32 6:32 AM

03:32 3:32 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

50,494

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 El Nido 6,060 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
El Nido

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 El Nido: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,853 in Melbourne, $739 in El Nido – roughly 286% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,280 per month in Melbourne and $1,109 in El Nido. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 1281% less in El Nido. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,385 per month in Melbourne and $124 in El Nido. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in El Nido, where all-in costs run around $739, than in Melbourne at $2,853. In El Nido it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward El Nido – 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 El Nido. 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.