Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Imus

For one person, living is cheaper in Imus: $647 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $26,100 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Imus
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Imus Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Imus

🇵🇭 Philippines

$647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Imus

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $647 in Imus, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Imus $647

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $965 in Imus, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Imus $965

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $1,283 in Imus, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Imus $1,283

Melbourne costs about 336% more than Imus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Melbourne sits 109% above the global median, while Imus is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$3.96 ₱250

340.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$17.00 ₱1,071

397.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$2.85 ₱179

337.19%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$1.86 ₱117

120.97%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.56 ₱35.20

446.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.33 ₱20.79

663.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$1.02 ₱64.2

860.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$1.70 ₱107

404.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.68 ₱106

-11.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.13 ₱71.0

160.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.03 ₱64.7

158.25%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.08 ₱131

166.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$5.18 ₱326

102.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$3.33 ₱210

189.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$7.85 ₱495

93.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.27 ₱143

75.77%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.60 ₱101

88.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.35 ₱148

31.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.78 ₱112

170.79%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.72 ₱108

76.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.73 ₱109

41.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.66 ₱41.75

272.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.49 ₱31.12

232.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.14 ₱198

1303.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$8.99 ₱566

41.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.13 ₱71.4

390.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.98 ₱125

164.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.26 ₱16.16

1338.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$10.94 ₱689

1157.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$0.80 ₱50.2

463.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.23 ₱14.50

491.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$1.92 ₱121

1485.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.22 ₱76.7

20.49%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$21.7K ₱1.4M

33.85%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$19.5K ₱1.2M

35.90%

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

$234 A$336

$123 ₱7,718

90.71%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$15.62 ₱984

78.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$23.34 ₱1,470

138.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$27.55 ₱1,736

79.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$5.07 ₱319

323.67%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$5.29 ₱333

185.26%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$134 ₱8,432

1671.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$8,820 ₱555.6K

242.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$29.14 ₱1,835

174.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$19.72 ₱1,242

157.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$72.7 ₱4,576

66.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$54.8 ₱3,454

137.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$122 ₱7,664

1345.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$99.7 ₱6,277

1294.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$202 ₱12.7K

1630.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$166 ₱10.4K

1405.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$2,138 ₱134.7K

223.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,101 ₱69.4K

485.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$172 ₱10.8K

2455.38%

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 Imus: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Imus

$100 15.4% 92.8% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Imus

$180 27.9% 53% $204

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Imus

$161 24.9% 49.1% $156

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Imus

$75 11.5% 76.3% $240

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Imus

$79 12.3% 53.8% $92

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Imus

$14 2.2% 91.5% $150

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Imus

$38 5.9% 52.1% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in Melbourne versus $122 in Imus. 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 2455% 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 $17.00 in Imus. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $180 – making Imus the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇭 Imus

🕒 Local time

00:34 12:34 AM

21:34 9:34 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

496,794

💱 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 = 62.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.82 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Imus 6,330 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Imus

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 Imus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne, $647 in Imus – roughly 336% 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 $971 in Imus. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 113% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Melbourne and $17.00 in Imus. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Imus, where all-in costs run around $647, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Imus it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Imus – 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 Imus. 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.