Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Laoag City

For one person, living is cheaper in Laoag City: $743 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $24,900 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 Laoag City
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Laoag City Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Laoag City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$743

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Laoag 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 Laoag City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $743 in Laoag City, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Laoag City $743

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $1,112 in Laoag City, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Laoag City $1,112

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $1,480 in Laoag City, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Laoag City $1,480

Melbourne costs about 279% more than Laoag City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$3.41 ₱215

411.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$16.52 ₱1,041

411.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$2.94 ₱185

323.81%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.54 ₱160

61.81%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.67 ₱42.13

356.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.33 ₱20.53

663.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$1.00 ₱63.3

880.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$1.85 ₱117

363.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.63 ₱103

-9.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.17 ₱73.8

151.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.92 ₱58.1

189.13%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.95 ₱123

184.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$5.25 ₱331

100.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$4.30 ₱271

124.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$7.24 ₱456

110.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.42 ₱152

64.88%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.63 ₱103

85.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.44 ₱154

27.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.19 ₱74.7

305.04%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.94 ₱122

56.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.88 ₱119

29.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.01 ₱63.4

143.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.54 ₱33.75

201.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$2.89 ₱182

1424.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$7.37 ₱464

72.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$0.94 ₱59.5

489.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.94 ₱122

169.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.26 ₱16.39

1338.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$11.99 ₱756

1046.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$0.73 ₱45.78

517.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.24 ₱15.15

466.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$2.19 ₱138

1290.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.03 ₱64.6

42.72%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$21.6K ₱1.4M

34.00%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$19.0K ₱1.2M

39.13%

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

$234 A$336

$136 ₱8,546

72.24%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$14.48 ₱912

92.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$24.79 ₱1,562

124.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$32.51 ₱2,048

51.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$5.10 ₱321

321.18%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$5.03 ₱317

200.00%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$133 ₱8,389

1680.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$8,190 ₱515.9K

268.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$33.49 ₱2,109

138.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$19.72 ₱1,242

157.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$71.2 ₱4,484

69.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$55.3 ₱3,485

135.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$270 ₱17.0K

552.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$171 ₱10.8K

711.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$513 ₱32.3K

581.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$330 ₱20.8K

656.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$2,434 ₱153.3K

184.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,087 ₱68.4K

493.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$162 ₱10.2K

2608.07%

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 Laoag City: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Laoag City

$171 23% 87.7% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Laoag City

$179 24.2% 53.3% $205

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Laoag City

$175 23.5% 44.9% $142

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Laoag City

$79 10.7% 74.8% $235

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Laoag City

$81 10.9% 52.9% $91

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Laoag City

$15 2% 90.9% $149

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Laoag City

$43 5.7% 46.5% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in Melbourne versus $270 in Laoag 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 2608% 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 Laoag City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $179 – making Laoag City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇭 Laoag City

🕒 Local time

07:51 7:51 AM

04:51 4:51 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

112,117

💱 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 Laoag City 6,730 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Laoag 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 Laoag City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne costs about 279% more than Laoag City, 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 $1,115 in Laoag City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,821 in Melbourne and $743 in Laoag City. That's a gap of about 279%.

Public transport costs about 1047% less in Laoag City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Laoag City, where all-in costs run around $743, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Laoag City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Laoag 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 Laoag 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.