Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Makati

For one person, living is cheaper in Makati: $1,257 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $19,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Makati
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Makati Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Makati

🇵🇭 Philippines

$1,257

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Makati

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,852 in Melbourne versus $1,257 in Makati.

Melbourne $2,852
Makati $1,257

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,297 in Melbourne versus $2,052 in Makati.

Melbourne $4,297
Makati $2,052

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,742 in Melbourne versus $2,847 in Makati.

Melbourne $5,742
Makati $2,847

Living in Melbourne is roughly 127% more expensive than in Makati, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 113% above, Makati is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.75 A$25.40

$6.56 ₱411

170.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.8 A$121

$40.13 ₱2,517

111.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 A$17.40

$4.75 ₱298

156.00%

Cappuccino

$3.93 A$5.62

$2.65 ₱166

48.30%

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

$3.14 A$4.49

$1.08 ₱67.6

190.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.47

$0.50 ₱31.47

386.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.90 A$14.17

$2.44 ₱153

305.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.29 A$11.86

$3.10 ₱195

167.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.21

$1.83 ₱115

-15.30%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 A$4.31

$1.24 ₱77.7

142.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.12

$1.01 ₱63.5

185.15%

Eggs

$5.44 A$7.79

$2.37 ₱148

129.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.59 A$15.16

$7.35 ₱461

44.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 A$13.76

$4.91 ₱308

95.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.99 A$21.46

$6.81 ₱427

120.12%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 A$5.94

$4.09 ₱257

1.47%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.37

$2.00 ₱125

52.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 A$4.72

$3.27 ₱205

0.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.81

$2.29 ₱144

107.86%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.34

$3.59 ₱225

-15.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.65

$3.45 ₱216

-26.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.55

$1.07 ₱67.0

131.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.33

$1.11 ₱69.7

46.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.1

$2.66 ₱167

1556.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.43 A$17.79

$8.01 ₱502

55.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.33 A$7.63

$1.35 ₱84.5

294.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.38

$1.98 ₱124

160.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.50

$0.99 ₱61.9

287.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$203

$57.4 ₱3,599

146.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 A$6.29

$0.66 ₱41.39

566.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.23 ₱14.46

508.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.83 A$42.69

$1.88 ₱118

1486.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 A$2.09

$1.26 ₱79.0

15.87%

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

$28.1K A$40.3K

$21.5K ₱1.3M

31.09%

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

$25.9K A$37.1K

$19.8K ₱1.2M

31.00%

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

$233 A$333

$155 ₱9,726

50.03%

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

$27.28 A$39.04

$15.90 ₱997

71.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$81.6

$32.67 ₱2,049

74.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 A$75.4

$55.4 ₱3,473

-4.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.62 A$32.37

$14.51 ₱910

55.89%

Cinema Ticket

$17.10 A$24.48

$6.98 ₱438

144.99%

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

$2,373 A$3,397

$783 ₱49.1K

203.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K A$43.6K

$7,340 ₱460.4K

315.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.2 A$112

$59.6 ₱3,738

31.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 A$72.2

$37.48 ₱2,351

34.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$172

$82.5 ₱5,171

46.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$191

$102 ₱6,383

30.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 A$2,451

$828 ₱51.9K

106.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 A$2,006

$416 ₱26.1K

236.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,339 A$4,778

$2,318 ₱145.4K

44.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 A$3,619

$1,067 ₱66.9K

137.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,018 A$10.0K

$6,082 ₱381.5K

15.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,767 A$9,685

$3,765 ₱236.1K

79.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,228 A$6,051

$616 ₱38.6K

586.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

7.5

-21.33%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Last update for Makati: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Makati

$416 33.8% 70.3% $986

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$385 13.5%

Makati

$230 18.7% 40.2% $155

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.1%

Makati

$204 16.5% 35.8% $113

Eating Out

Melbourne

$314 11%

Makati

$123 10% 60.8% $191

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Makati

$127 10.3% 26.4% $46

Getting Around

Melbourne

$168 5.9%

Makati

$63 5.1% 62.5% $105

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$87 3.1%

Makati

$69 5.6% 20.2% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,713 in Melbourne and $828 in Makati. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 587% 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 $40.00 in Makati for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $230 per month, with Makati cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇭 Makati

🕒 Local time

13:48 1:48 PM

10:48 10:48 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

582,602

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Makati 6,340 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Makati

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 Makati: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Makati wins on cost – living expenses run 127% lower than in Melbourne. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Makati the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 587% 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: $1,713 in Melbourne versus $828 in Makati. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,852 per month in Melbourne versus $1,257 in Makati – a 127% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Makati runs roughly 147% less than in Melbourne. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,257 in Makati versus $2,852 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Makati but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Makati the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Makati delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,257 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Makati hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Melbourne and Makati 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 Makati gentler on the wallet – expenses run 127% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.