Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Mandaluyong

For one person, living is cheaper in Mandaluyong: $841 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $23,800 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Mandaluyong
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Mandaluyong Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Mandaluyong

🇵🇭 Philippines

$841

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Mandaluyong

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $841 in Mandaluyong.

Melbourne $2,821
Mandaluyong $841

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,389 in Mandaluyong.

Melbourne $4,235
Mandaluyong $1,389

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,936 in Mandaluyong.

Melbourne $5,650
Mandaluyong $1,936

Living in Melbourne is roughly 235% more expensive than in Mandaluyong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Mandaluyong is 38% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$4.72 ₱297

269.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$16.62 ₱1,046

408.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$3.53 ₱223

252.97%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.18 ₱137

88.53%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.99 ₱62.1

209.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.49 ₱30.84

414.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$1.22 ₱76.7

703.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$2.41 ₱152

255.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.68 ₱105

-11.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.30 ₱81.6

126.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.03 ₱64.8

158.25%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.21 ₱139

150.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$5.18 ₱326

102.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$4.84 ₱305

99.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$6.82 ₱429

123.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$3.38 ₱213

18.05%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.89 ₱119

59.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$3.09 ₱194

0.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.85 ₱116

160.54%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.21 ₱139

37.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$2.63 ₱166

-7.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.62 ₱39.08

296.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.49 ₱30.84

232.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$2.94 ₱185

1398.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$8.95 ₱564

41.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$0.95 ₱60.0

483.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$2.07 ₱130

152.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.38 ₱23.73

884.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$0.72 ₱45.59

526.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.23 ₱14.47

491.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$1.95 ₱122

1461.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.22 ₱76.5

20.49%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$21.1K ₱1.3M

37.76%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$19.3K ₱1.2M

37.08%

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

$17.70 ₱1,114

57.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$24.54 ₱1,545

127.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$31.59 ₱1,989

56.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$6.11 ₱385

146.97%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$131 ₱8,261

1707.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$8,790 ₱553.4K

243.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$29.06 ₱1,830

175.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$27.11 ₱1,707

87.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$71.2 ₱4,481

69.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$54.9 ₱3,454

137.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$622 ₱39.1K

182.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$241 ₱15.1K

477.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,177 ₱74.1K

196.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$724 ₱45.6K

244.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$2,810 ₱176.9K

146.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$533 ₱33.6K

721.89%

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 Mandaluyong: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Mandaluyong

$241 28.6% 82.7% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Mandaluyong

$200 23.7% 48% $184

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Mandaluyong

$181 21.5% 43.1% $137

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Mandaluyong

$91 10.9% 71% $223

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Mandaluyong

$82 9.7% 52.3% $90

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Mandaluyong

$3.4 * 0.4% 97.9% $160

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Mandaluyong

$44 5.2% 45% $36

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $622 in Mandaluyong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 722% 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 $17.00 in Mandaluyong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $200 per month, with Mandaluyong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇭 Mandaluyong

🕒 Local time

06:58 6:58 AM

03:58 3:58 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

425,758

💱 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 = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Mandaluyong 6,340 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Mandaluyong

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 Mandaluyong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Mandaluyong differ by about 235% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $841 including rent). Mandaluyong is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 722% 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 $622 in Mandaluyong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $131 in Mandaluyong. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mandaluyong – a meal for two runs $17.00 versus $85.0 in Melbourne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $841 in Mandaluyong versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mandaluyong but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Mandaluyong 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 Mandaluyong 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 Mandaluyong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 235% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.