Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Manila

For one person, living is cheaper in Manila: $931 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $23,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Manila
Learn more

Manila Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Manila

🇵🇭 Philippines

$931

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Manila

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

A single person spends $2,852 per month in Melbourne vs $931 in Manila, rent included.

Melbourne $2,852
Manila $931

A couple spends around $4,297 per month in Melbourne vs $1,519 in Manila, rent included.

Melbourne $4,297
Manila $1,519

A family of three spends $5,742 per month in Melbourne vs $2,106 in Manila, rent included.

Melbourne $5,742
Manila $2,106

Melbourne costs about 206% more than Manila, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Melbourne sits 113% above the global median, while Manila is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.75 A$25.40

$5.61 ₱352

216.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.8 A$121

$27.39 ₱1,718

209.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 A$17.40

$3.95 ₱248

207.85%

Cappuccino

$3.93 A$5.62

$2.56 ₱161

53.52%

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

$3.14 A$4.49

$1.42 ₱89.1

121.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.47

$0.81 ₱50.9

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.90 A$14.17

$1.17 ₱73.2

746.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.29 A$11.86

$2.36 ₱148

251.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.21

$1.94 ₱122

-20.10%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 A$4.31

$1.40 ₱88.0

115.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.12

$1.02 ₱64.2

182.35%

Eggs

$5.44 A$7.79

$2.29 ₱144

137.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.59 A$15.16

$7.86 ₱493

34.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 A$13.76

$4.89 ₱307

96.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.99 A$21.46

$6.77 ₱425

121.42%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 A$5.94

$3.38 ₱212

22.78%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.37

$1.85 ₱116

64.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 A$4.72

$2.96 ₱186

11.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.81

$1.79 ₱112

165.92%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.34

$2.24 ₱140

35.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.65

$2.69 ₱168

-5.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.55

$2.20 ₱138

12.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.33

$0.59 ₱37.25

176.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.1

$3.13 ₱196

1307.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.43 A$17.79

$9.42 ₱591

31.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.33 A$7.63

$1.33 ₱83.3

300.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.38

$2.00 ₱125

158.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.50

$0.47 ₱29.46

717.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$203

$12.58 ₱789

1024.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 A$6.29

$0.78 ₱48.77

464.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.23 ₱14.43

508.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.83 A$42.69

$1.94 ₱122

1437.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 A$2.09

$1.33 ₱83.5

9.77%

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

$28.1K A$40.3K

$21.3K ₱1.3M

31.91%

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

$25.9K A$37.1K

$19.7K ₱1.2M

31.80%

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

$233 A$333

$121 ₱7,614

91.64%

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

$27.28 A$39.04

$16.04 ₱1,006

70.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$81.6

$24.25 ₱1,521

135.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 A$75.4

$43.44 ₱2,724

21.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.62 A$32.37

$5.90 ₱370

283.39%

Cinema Ticket

$17.10 A$24.48

$6.63 ₱416

157.92%

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

$2,373 A$3,397

$613 ₱38.4K

287.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K A$43.6K

$8,953 ₱561.6K

240.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.2 A$112

$58.2 ₱3,647

34.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 A$72.2

$27.18 ₱1,704

85.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$172

$77.5 ₱4,862

55.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$191

$57.0 ₱3,574

133.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 A$2,451

$534 ₱33.5K

220.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 A$2,006

$287 ₱18.0K

388.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,339 A$4,778

$1,916 ₱120.2K

74.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 A$3,619

$677 ₱42.5K

273.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,018 A$10.0K

$4,439 ₱278.4K

58.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,767 A$9,685

$2,556 ₱160.3K

164.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,228 A$6,051

$485 ₱30.4K

771.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

7.43

-20.59%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Last update for Manila: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Manila

$287 30.2% 79.5% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$385 13.5%

Manila

$221 23.3% 42.5% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.1%

Manila

$162 17% 49% $155

Eating Out

Melbourne

$314 11%

Manila

$107 11.3% 65.9% $207

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Manila

$99 10.4% 42.5% $73

Getting Around

Melbourne

$168 5.9%

Manila

$16 1.7% 90.3% $152

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$87 3.1%

Manila

$57 6% 34.7% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,713 in Melbourne versus $534 in Manila. 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 771% 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 $27.00 in Manila. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $385 vs $221 – making Manila the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇭 Manila

🕒 Local time

12:53 12:53 PM

09:53 9:53 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

1,780,148 Capital

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Manila 6,340 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Manila

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 Manila: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,852 in Melbourne, $931 in Manila – roughly 206% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,277 per month in Melbourne and $1,396 in Manila. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,852 in Melbourne and $931 in Manila. That's a gap of about 206%.

Public transport costs about 1025% less in Manila. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Manila, where all-in costs run around $931, than in Melbourne at $2,852. In Manila it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Manila has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $931 in Manila to $2,852 in Melbourne. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Manila. 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.