Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Lipa

For one person, living is cheaper in Lipa: $607 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $26,600 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 Lipa
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Lipa Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Lipa

🇵🇭 Philippines

$607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Lipa

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $607 in Lipa, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Lipa $607

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $937 in Lipa, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Lipa $937

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $1,268 in Lipa, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Lipa $1,268

Melbourne costs about 365% more than Lipa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Melbourne sits 109% above the global median, while Lipa is 55% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$3.14 ₱198

455.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$16.01 ₱1,008

428.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$2.75 ₱173

353.09%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$1.80 ₱113

128.33%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.45 ₱28.54

580.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.30 ₱19.15

740.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$1.02 ₱64.5

860.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$1.60 ₱101

435.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.47 ₱92.7

0.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.15 ₱72.5

155.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.87 ₱54.8

205.75%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.68 ₱106

229.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$4.98 ₱314

111.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$3.39 ₱213

184.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$7.99 ₱503

90.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.29 ₱144

74.24%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.60 ₱101

88.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.34 ₱147

32.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.07 ₱67.6

350.47%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.66 ₱105

82.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.70 ₱107

43.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.65 ₱41.18

278.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.49 ₱30.96

232.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$2.88 ₱181

1430.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$8.96 ₱564

41.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$0.99 ₱62.1

459.60%

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

$0.25 ₱15.65

1396.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$4.81 ₱303

2759.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$0.70 ₱43.83

544.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.23 ₱14.48

491.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$1.90 ₱119

1502.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.11 ₱69.9

32.43%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$21.3K ₱1.3M

35.92%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$15.9K ₱1.0M

66.19%

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

$234 A$336

$138 ₱8,711

68.89%

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

$23.11 ₱1,455

141.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$32.15 ₱2,024

53.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$3.93 ₱247

446.56%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$4.94 ₱311

205.47%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$133 ₱8,392

1678.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$10.6K ₱670.2K

183.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$28.59 ₱1,800

179.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$19.30 ₱1,215

162.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$71.5 ₱4,504

68.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$55.5 ₱3,496

134.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$80.4 ₱5,061

2088.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$61.6 ₱3,881

2154.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$251 ₱15.8K

1292.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$181 ₱11.4K

1278.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$225 ₱14.2K

1844.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

-1.67%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lipa: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Lipa

$62 10.2% 95.6% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Lipa

$172 28.3% 55.2% $212

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Lipa

$179 29.4% 43.7% $139

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Lipa

$66 10.9% 78.9% $248

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Lipa

$79 13% 54.2% $93

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Lipa

$7.7 1.3% 95.3% $156

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Lipa

$42 6.9% 47.2% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in Melbourne versus $80.4 in Lipa. 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 1844% 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 $16.00 in Lipa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $172 – making Lipa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇭 Lipa

🕒 Local time

10:37 10:37 AM

07:37 7:37 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

332,386

💱 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

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Between locations

Melbourne Lipa 6,270 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Lipa

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 Lipa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne, $607 in Lipa – roughly 365% 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 $910 in Lipa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 2759% less in Lipa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,371 per month in Melbourne and $133 in Lipa. 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 Lipa, where all-in costs run around $607, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Lipa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Lipa – 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 Lipa. 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.