Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Ozamiz

For one person, living is cheaper in Ozamiz: $691 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Melbourne
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,821
/mo nomad
Ozamiz
🇵🇭 Philippines
$691
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Ozamiz

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $691 in Ozamiz.

  • Melbourne $2,821
  • Ozamiz $691

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,083 in Ozamiz.

  • Melbourne $4,235
  • Ozamiz $1,083

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,475 in Ozamiz.

  • Melbourne $5,650
  • Ozamiz $1,475

Living in Melbourne is roughly 308% more expensive than in Ozamiz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Ozamiz is 49% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Melbourne
Ozamiz
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.43 A$25.08
$3.85 ₱243
352.73%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$84.6 A$122
$17.04 ₱1,073
396.19%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.46 A$17.92
$2.80 ₱176
345.00%
Cappuccino
$4.11 A$5.91
$2.54 ₱160
61.81%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.06 A$4.40
$0.64 ₱40.51
378.13%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.52 A$3.62
$0.28 ₱17.33
800.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.80 A$14.10
$1.27 ₱79.8
671.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.57 A$12.33
$1.83 ₱115
368.31%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Melbourne
Ozamiz
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.48 A$2.14
$1.61 ₱102
-8.07%
White Bread (500g)
$2.94 A$4.23
$0.73 ₱46.15
302.74%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.66 A$3.82
$0.79 ₱49.61
236.71%
Eggs
$5.54 A$7.97
$2.10 ₱132
163.81%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.51 A$15.13
$6.02 ₱379
74.58%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.65 A$13.89
$3.46 ₱218
178.90%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.22 A$21.91
$7.50 ₱472
102.93%
Apples (1kg)
$3.99 A$5.75
$2.37 ₱149
68.35%
Banana (1kg)
$3.02 A$4.34
$0.75 ₱46.99
302.67%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.10 A$4.46
$2.59 ₱163
19.69%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.82 A$6.93
$1.21 ₱75.9
298.35%
Potato (1kg)
$3.03 A$4.36
$2.21 ₱139
37.10%
Onion (1kg)
$2.44 A$3.52
$2.76 ₱174
-11.59%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.46 A$3.54
$1.10 ₱69.2
123.64%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.63 A$2.34
$0.53 ₱33.53
207.55%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$44.07 A$63.4
$2.83 ₱178
1457.24%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.70 A$18.28
$8.68 ₱546
46.31%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$5.54 A$7.97
$1.04 ₱65.2
432.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.23 A$7.52
$1.93 ₱121
170.98%
🚌 Getting Around
Melbourne
Ozamiz
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.74 A$5.38
$0.27 ₱16.94
1285.19%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$138 A$198
$11.47 ₱722
1098.95%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.51 A$6.50
$0.75 ₱47.24
501.33%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.36 A$1.96
$0.19 ₱11.91
615.79%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$30.45 A$43.81
$1.75 ₱110
1640.00%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 A$2.12
$1.02 ₱64.4
44.12%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.0K A$41.7K
$18.4K ₱1.2M
57.60%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.5K A$38.1K
$19.5K ₱1.2M
35.99%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Melbourne
Ozamiz
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$234 A$336
$112 ₱7,081
107.77%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.93 A$40.19
$16.02 ₱1,009
74.34%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$55.7 A$80.2
$24.02 ₱1,513
132.06%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Melbourne
Ozamiz
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.40 A$71.1
$29.50 ₱1,857
67.46%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.48 A$30.91
$4.13 ₱260
420.10%
Cinema Ticket
$15.09 A$21.72
$5.44 ₱342
177.39%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Melbourne
Ozamiz
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,371 A$3,412
$128 ₱8,038
1757.33%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$30.2K A$43.5K
$9,160 ₱576.7K
229.67%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Melbourne
Ozamiz
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$80.0 A$115
$36.38 ₱2,290
119.82%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$50.7 A$73.0
$21.65 ₱1,363
134.18%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$121 A$174
$65.9 ₱4,152
82.91%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$130 A$188
$50.7 ₱3,192
157.19%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Melbourne
Ozamiz
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,759 A$2,531
$264 ₱16.6K
565.82%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,390 A$2,000
$147 ₱9,284
842.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,494 A$5,027
$520 ₱32.8K
571.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,493 A$3,588
$358 ₱22.5K
597.16%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,926 A$9,967
$2,576 ₱162.2K
168.87%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,445 A$9,274
$947 ₱59.6K
580.48%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Melbourne
Ozamiz
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,383 A$6,307
$189 ₱11.9K
2220.14%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.9
6.79
-13.11%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ozamiz: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Melbourne
$1.4K
Ozamiz
$147 89.4% $1.2K
Groceries & Markets
Melbourne
$384
Ozamiz
$175 54.5% $209
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Melbourne
$317
Ozamiz
$153 51.9% $165
Eating Out
Melbourne
$315
Ozamiz
$83 73.5% $231
Clothing & Footwear
Melbourne
$172
Ozamiz
$79 54.2% $93
Getting Around
Melbourne
$164
Ozamiz
$14 91.3% $150
Sport & Entertainment
Melbourne
$80
Ozamiz
$40 49.3% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $264 in Ozamiz. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 2220% 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 Ozamiz for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $175 per month, with Ozamiz cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇦🇺 Melbourne
🇵🇭 Ozamiz
🕒 Local time
09:25 9:25 AM
06:25 6:25 AM
3 h behind Melbourne
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
5,031,195
141,828
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

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 = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Melbourne Ozamiz 5,560 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Melbourne
  • Ozamiz

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 Ozamiz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Melbourne and in Ozamiz?
Melbourne and Ozamiz differ by about 308% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $691 including rent). Ozamiz is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Melbourne or Ozamiz?
Average pay runs 2220% higher in Melbourne, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Melbourne and in Ozamiz?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,759 in Melbourne versus $264 in Ozamiz. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Melbourne and Ozamiz?
Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $128 in Ozamiz. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 120% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $691 in Ozamiz versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ozamiz but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Ozamiz the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Melbourne and Ozamiz?
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.
Is Melbourne or Ozamiz safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Melbourne and Ozamiz are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Melbourne or Ozamiz?
Expats usually find Ozamiz gentler on the wallet – expenses run 308% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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