Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Las Pinas

For one person, living is cheaper in Las Pinas: $733 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,100 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Las Pinas
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Las Pinas Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Las Pinas

🇵🇭 Philippines

$733

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Las Pinas

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $733 in Las Pinas, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Las Pinas $733

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $1,142 in Las Pinas, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Las Pinas $1,142

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $1,551 in Las Pinas, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Las Pinas $1,551

Melbourne costs about 285% more than Las Pinas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Melbourne sits 109% above the global median, while Las Pinas is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$4.04 ₱254

331.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$23.49 ₱1,479

259.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$2.74 ₱173

354.74%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$1.84 ₱116

123.37%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$1.12 ₱70.7

173.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.43 ₱27.38

486.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$1.17 ₱73.7

737.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$2.42 ₱153

254.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.68 ₱106

-11.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.13 ₱70.8

160.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.97 ₱61.3

174.23%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.02 ₱127

174.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$4.98 ₱314

111.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$3.45 ₱217

179.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$6.91 ₱435

120.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.20 ₱138

81.36%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.59 ₱100

89.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.44 ₱153

27.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.06 ₱67.0

354.72%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.76 ₱111

72.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.71 ₱107

42.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.65 ₱41.02

278.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.49 ₱30.83

232.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.00 ₱189

1369.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$9.39 ₱591

35.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$0.93 ₱58.3

495.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$2.06 ₱130

153.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.20 ₱12.59

1770.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$12.31 ₱775

1017.14%

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 ₱14.51

491.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$1.87 ₱118

1528.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.22 ₱76.6

20.49%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$21.1K ₱1.3M

37.46%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

36.47%

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

$234 A$336

$124 ₱7,809

88.41%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$14.80 ₱932

88.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$24.00 ₱1,511

132.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$32.08 ₱2,020

53.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$3.99 ₱251

438.35%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$5.10 ₱321

195.88%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$132 ₱8,336

1691.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$8,801 ₱554.1K

243.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$33.07 ₱2,082

141.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$19.83 ₱1,249

155.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$71.7 ₱4,516

68.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$56.7 ₱3,570

130.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$279 ₱17.6K

530.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$178 ₱11.2K

678.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$516 ₱32.5K

576.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$395 ₱24.9K

531.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$2,392 ₱150.6K

189.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$987 ₱62.1K

553.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$605 ₱38.1K

624.94%

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 Las Pinas: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Las Pinas

$178 24.4% 87.2% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Las Pinas

$173 23.6% 54.9% $211

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Las Pinas

$163 22.2% 48.7% $155

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Las Pinas

$80 10.9% 74.7% $235

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Las Pinas

$82 11.1% 52.5% $90

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Las Pinas

$15 2.1% 90.8% $149

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Las Pinas

$42 5.8% 46.9% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in Melbourne versus $279 in Las Pinas. 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 625% 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 $23.00 in Las Pinas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $173 – making Las Pinas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇭 Las Pinas

🕒 Local time

09:21 9:21 AM

06:21 6:21 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

606,293

💱 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 = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Las Pinas 6,330 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Las Pinas

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 Las Pinas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne, $733 in Las Pinas – roughly 285% 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 $1,099 in Las Pinas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Melbourne and $23.00 in Las Pinas. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,821 in Melbourne and $733 in Las Pinas. That's a gap of about 285%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Las Pinas, where all-in costs run around $733, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Las Pinas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Las Pinas – 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 Las Pinas. 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.