Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Marikina

For one person, living is cheaper in Marikina: $704 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Marikina
Learn more

Marikina Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Marikina

🇵🇭 Philippines

$704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Marikina

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $704 in Marikina, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Marikina $704

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $1,094 in Marikina, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Marikina $1,094

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $1,484 in Marikina, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Marikina $1,484

Melbourne costs about 301% more than Marikina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Melbourne sits 109% above the global median, while Marikina is 48% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$4.07 ₱257

328.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$32.37 ₱2,038

161.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$3.17 ₱199

293.06%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.29 ₱144

79.48%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.55 ₱34.81

456.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.33 ₱20.92

663.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$1.01 ₱63.7

870.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$2.36 ₱149

263.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.85 ₱117

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.23 ₱77.7

139.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.06 ₱66.5

150.94%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.08 ₱131

166.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$7.39 ₱466

42.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$4.20 ₱264

129.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$6.78 ₱427

124.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.46 ₱155

62.20%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$2.03 ₱128

48.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.33 ₱146

33.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$2.30 ₱145

109.57%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.38 ₱150

27.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$3.48 ₱219

-29.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.10 ₱69.5

123.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.70 ₱44.21

132.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$2.93 ₱184

1404.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$8.73 ₱550

45.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$0.98 ₱62.0

465.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$2.05 ₱129

155.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.50 ₱31.34

648.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$0.73 ₱46.04

517.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.23 ₱14.53

491.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$1.94 ₱122

1469.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.24 ₱78.3

18.55%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$21.7K ₱1.4M

33.78%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

36.24%

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

$234 A$336

$139 ₱8,744

68.26%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$16.19 ₱1,019

72.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$28.10 ₱1,769

98.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$36.73 ₱2,312

34.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$7.11 ₱448

112.24%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$131 ₱8,250

1709.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$7,456 ₱469.4K

304.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$59.9 ₱3,774

33.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$28.37 ₱1,786

78.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$75.4 ₱4,745

60.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$54.7 ₱3,442

138.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$180 ₱11.3K

877.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$79.2 ₱4,986

1654.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$322 ₱20.3K

984.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$145 ₱9,110

1623.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$1,134 ₱71.4K

510.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$481 ₱30.3K

1240.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$387 ₱24.3K

1033.60%

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 Marikina: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Marikina

$79 11.3% 94.3% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Marikina

$206 29.2% 46.5% $178

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Marikina

$183 26% 42.3% $134

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Marikina

$83 11.8% 73.6% $232

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Marikina

$98 14% 42.8% $73

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Marikina

$3.9 * 0.6% 97.6% $160

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Marikina

$51 7.2% 36% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in Melbourne versus $180 in Marikina. 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 1034% 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 $32.00 in Marikina. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $206 – making Marikina the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇭 Marikina

🕒 Local time

05:48 5:48 AM

02:48 2:48 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

456,059

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Marikina 6,340 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Marikina

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 Marikina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne, $704 in Marikina – roughly 301% 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 $1,056 in Marikina. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Marikina, 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 $2,821 in Melbourne and $704 in Marikina. That's a gap of about 301%.

Kindergarten costs $2,371 per month in Melbourne and $131 in Marikina. 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 Marikina, where all-in costs run around $704, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Marikina it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Marikina – 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 Marikina. 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.