Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and General Trias

For one person, living is cheaper in General Trias: $626 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $26,300 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
30

Cost of Living Index in General Trias
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General Trias Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

General Trias

🇵🇭 Philippines

$626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in General Trias

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $626 in General Trias, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
General Trias $626

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $979 in General Trias, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
General Trias $979

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $1,332 in General Trias, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
General Trias $1,332

Melbourne costs about 351% more than General Trias, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Melbourne sits 109% above the global median, while General Trias is 54% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$3.89 ₱245

348.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$16.52 ₱1,040

411.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$2.53 ₱160

392.49%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$1.86 ₱117

120.97%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.41 ₱26.11

646.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.31 ₱19.33

712.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$1.03 ₱64.6

851.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$1.49 ₱93.6

475.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.68 ₱106

-11.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.16 ₱73.0

153.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.94 ₱59.1

182.98%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.07 ₱130

167.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$5.21 ₱328

101.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$3.45 ₱218

179.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$7.65 ₱481

98.95%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.20 ₱139

81.36%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.55 ₱97.7

94.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.40 ₱151

29.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.02 ₱64.5

372.55%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.68 ₱106

80.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.78 ₱112

37.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.67 ₱42.05

267.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.53 ₱33.24

207.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.03 ₱191

1354.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$8.80 ₱554

44.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$0.92 ₱57.8

502.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$2.09 ₱131

150.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.22 ₱14.09

1600.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$11.75 ₱740

1070.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$0.78 ₱48.93

478.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.23 ₱14.46

491.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$1.93 ₱121

1477.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.19 ₱75.2

23.53%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$11.6K ₱731.6K

149.57%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$19.5K ₱1.2M

35.55%

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

$234 A$336

$31.82 ₱2,003

634.38%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$17.20 ₱1,083

62.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$21.84 ₱1,375

155.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$36.64 ₱2,307

34.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$5.04 ₱318

326.19%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$5.31 ₱334

184.18%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$134 ₱8,451

1666.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$10.6K ₱667.3K

184.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$28.34 ₱1,784

182.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$19.59 ₱1,234

158.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$71.4 ₱4,494

68.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$56.1 ₱3,532

132.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$97.4 ₱6,132

1706.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$167 ₱10.5K

733.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$514 ₱32.4K

579.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$302 ₱19.0K

724.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$2,136 ₱134.5K

224.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,112 ₱70.0K

479.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

6.75

-12.59%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for General Trias: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

General Trias

$167 26.6% 88% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

General Trias

$175 28% 54.3% $209

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

General Trias

$71 11.3% 77.7% $246

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

General Trias

$72 11.5% 77.1% $243

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

General Trias

$79 12.6% 54% $93

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

General Trias

$15 2.3% 91.1% $149

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

General Trias

$47 7.6% 40.6% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in Melbourne versus $97.4 in General Trias. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Melbourne versus $17.00 in General Trias. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $175 – making General Trias the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇭 General Trias

🕒 Local time

04:59 4:59 AM

01:59 1:59 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

450,583

💱 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 = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne General Trias 6,330 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
General Trias

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 General Trias: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne costs about 351% more than General Trias, 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 $4,231 per month in Melbourne and $938 in General Trias. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 1070% less in General Trias. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,371 per month in Melbourne and $134 in General Trias. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in General Trias, where all-in costs run around $626, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In General Trias it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward General Trias – 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 General Trias. 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.