Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Maasin City

For one person, living is cheaper in Maasin City: $755 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $24,800 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Maasin City
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Maasin City Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Maasin City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$755

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $755 in Maasin City.

Melbourne $2,821
Maasin City $755

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,132 in Maasin City.

Melbourne $4,235
Maasin City $1,132

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,508 in Maasin City.

Melbourne $5,650
Maasin City $1,508

Living in Melbourne is roughly 274% more expensive than in Maasin City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Maasin City is 44% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$3.11 ₱196

460.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$23.45 ₱1,476

260.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$3.86 ₱243

222.80%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.57 ₱162

59.92%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$1.58 ₱99.6

93.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.49 ₱30.61

414.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$1.72 ₱108

469.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$2.21 ₱139

287.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.96 ₱123

-24.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.18 ₱74.3

149.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.91 ₱57.3

192.31%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.86 ₱117

197.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$9.92 ₱625

5.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$4.41 ₱277

118.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$7.35 ₱463

107.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$1.62 ₱102

146.30%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$0.67 ₱41.93

350.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$1.58 ₱99.2

96.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.54 ₱97.2

212.99%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.34 ₱148

29.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.91 ₱120

27.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.20 ₱75.9

105.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.67 ₱42.21

143.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.02 ₱190

1359.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$6.33 ₱398

100.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.23 ₱77.5

350.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.72 ₱108

204.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.24 ₱15.18

1458.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$12.06 ₱760

1040.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$0.74 ₱46.38

509.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.23 ₱14.49

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

$1.37 ₱86.0

7.30%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$20.9K ₱1.3M

38.45%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$19.3K ₱1.2M

36.90%

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

$234 A$336

$122 ₱7,695

91.20%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$14.04 ₱884

98.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$27.70 ₱1,744

101.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$30.38 ₱1,913

62.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$4.24 ₱267

406.60%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$5.53 ₱348

172.88%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$135 ₱8,488

1658.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$7,885 ₱496.4K

282.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$32.99 ₱2,077

142.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$19.59 ₱1,233

158.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$76.0 ₱4,786

58.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$56.9 ₱3,581

129.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$269 ₱17.0K

553.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$174 ₱11.0K

698.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$474 ₱29.8K

637.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$301 ₱19.0K

727.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$2,140 ₱134.7K

223.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$977 ₱61.5K

559.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$125 ₱7,886

3398.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

7.2

-18.06%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Maasin City: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Maasin City

$174 23.1% 87.5% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Maasin City

$188 25% 50.9% $196

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Maasin City

$164 21.7% 48.3% $153

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Maasin City

$89 11.7% 71.8% $226

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Maasin City

$83 11.1% 51.4% $88

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Maasin City

$15 2% 90.9% $149

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Maasin City

$41 5.5% 47.9% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $269 in Maasin City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 3399% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $23.00 in Maasin City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $188 per month, with Maasin City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇭 Maasin City

🕒 Local time

05:39 5:39 AM

02:39 2:39 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

85,560

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Maasin City 5,730 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
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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 Maasin City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Maasin City is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 274% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 3399% higher in Melbourne, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,759 in Melbourne versus $269 in Maasin City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 104% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Maasin City – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $85.0 in Melbourne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $755 in Maasin City versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Maasin City but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Maasin City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Melbourne and Maasin City are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Maasin City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 274% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.