Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Iligan City

For one person, living is cheaper in Iligan City: $739 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,000 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 Iligan City
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Iligan City Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Iligan City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$739

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Iligan City

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $739 in Iligan City, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Iligan City $739

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $1,126 in Iligan City, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Iligan City $1,126

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $1,514 in Iligan City, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Iligan City $1,514

Melbourne costs about 282% more than Iligan City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$3.99 ₱251

336.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$17.85 ₱1,124

373.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$2.74 ₱172

354.74%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.26 ₱142

81.86%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.67 ₱42.01

356.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.34 ₱21.15

641.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$1.13 ₱71.1

767.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$1.90 ₱120

351.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$2.05 ₱129

-27.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.16 ₱72.8

153.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.90 ₱56.7

195.56%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.93 ₱121

187.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$5.66 ₱357

85.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$4.21 ₱265

129.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$7.26 ₱457

109.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.42 ₱153

64.88%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.54 ₱97.2

96.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.34 ₱147

32.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.17 ₱73.7

311.97%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.01 ₱126

50.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.92 ₱121

27.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.92 ₱57.8

167.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.57 ₱35.82

185.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$2.97 ₱187

1383.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$7.55 ₱476

68.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$0.96 ₱60.5

477.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$2.01 ₱126

160.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.26 ₱16.49

1338.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$12.63 ₱795

988.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$0.85 ₱53.5

430.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.21 ₱13.33

547.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$2.01 ₱127

1414.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.17 ₱73.6

25.64%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

37.03%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$16.8K ₱1.1M

57.56%

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

$234 A$336

$129 ₱8,095

81.74%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$15.31 ₱964

82.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$24.12 ₱1,519

131.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$31.95 ₱2,011

54.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$4.61 ₱290

365.94%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$5.14 ₱324

193.58%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$131 ₱8,241

1711.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$8,881 ₱559.2K

240.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$33.30 ₱2,097

140.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$18.10 ₱1,139

180.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$70.2 ₱4,422

71.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$48.70 ₱3,066

167.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$111 ₱6,985

1485.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$172 ₱10.8K

709.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$515 ₱32.4K

577.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$357 ₱22.5K

597.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$2,600 ₱163.7K

166.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$875 ₱55.1K

636.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$198 ₱12.5K

2115.07%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Iligan City: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Iligan City

$172 23.2% 87.6% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Iligan City

$184 24.9% 52.1% $200

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Iligan City

$168 22.7% 47.1% $149

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Iligan City

$81 10.9% 74.3% $234

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Iligan City

$77 10.4% 55.4% $95

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Iligan City

$16 2.1% 90.5% $148

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Iligan City

$42 5.7% 47% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in Melbourne versus $111 in Iligan City. 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 2115% 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 $18.00 in Iligan City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $184 – making Iligan City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇭 Iligan City

🕒 Local time

14:45 2:45 PM

11:45 11:45 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

342,618

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Iligan City 5,550 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Iligan City

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 Iligan City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne, $739 in Iligan City – roughly 282% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,231 per month in Melbourne and $1,108 in Iligan City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 989% less in Iligan City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,371 per month in Melbourne and $131 in Iligan City. 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 Iligan City, where all-in costs run around $739, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Iligan City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Iligan City – 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 Iligan City. 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.