Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Palawan

For one person, living is cheaper in Palawan: $792 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $24,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Palawan
Learn more

Palawan Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Palawan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$792

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Palawan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $792 in Palawan.

Melbourne $2,821
Palawan $792

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,230 in Palawan.

Melbourne $4,235
Palawan $1,230

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,668 in Palawan.

Melbourne $5,650
Palawan $1,668

Living in Melbourne is roughly 256% more expensive than in Palawan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Palawan is 41% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$3.62 ₱228

381.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$19.14 ₱1,205

341.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$3.37 ₱212

269.73%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.63 ₱165

56.27%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.83 ₱52.5

268.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.39 ₱24.65

546.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$1.29 ₱81.4

659.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$2.16 ₱136

296.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.90 ₱120

-22.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.26 ₱79.4

133.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.01 ₱63.5

163.37%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.98 ₱125

179.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$7.83 ₱493

34.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$4.21 ₱265

129.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$7.78 ₱490

95.63%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$3.00 ₱189

33.00%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.56 ₱98.2

93.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.72 ₱171

13.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.62 ₱102

197.53%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.31 ₱146

31.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$2.59 ₱163

-5.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.06 ₱66.9

132.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.71 ₱44.86

129.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$2.78 ₱175

1485.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$6.85 ₱431

85.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.20 ₱75.4

361.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$2.03 ₱128

157.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.28 ₱17.81

1235.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$11.29 ₱711

1118.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$0.83 ₱52.4

443.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.24 ₱15.20

466.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$2.15 ₱136

1316.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.10 ₱69.2

33.64%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$26.5K ₱1.7M

9.44%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$20.1K ₱1.3M

31.97%

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

$234 A$336

$114 ₱7,183

104.82%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$32.54 ₱2,049

-14.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$27.55 ₱1,734

102.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$34.48 ₱2,171

43.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$4.36 ₱275

392.66%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$5.80 ₱365

160.17%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$150 ₱9,463

1477.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$4,228 ₱266.2K

614.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$45.09 ₱2,839

77.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$26.54 ₱1,671

91.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$74.9 ₱4,713

61.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$53.6 ₱3,377

143.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$264 ₱16.6K

565.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$177 ₱11.1K

685.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$589 ₱37.1K

492.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$390 ₱24.5K

539.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$2,359 ₱148.5K

193.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$994 ₱62.6K

548.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

6.67

-11.54%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Palawan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Palawan

$177 22.4% 87.3% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Palawan

$204 25.7% 47% $180

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Palawan

$174 22% 45.1% $143

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Palawan

$86 10.9% 72.6% $228

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Palawan

$90 11.4% 47.6% $82

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Palawan

$14 1.8% 91.2% $149

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Palawan

$46 5.8% 42.1% $34

Cost Breakdown

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

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $19.00 in Palawan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $204 per month, with Palawan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇭 Palawan

🕒 Local time

10:57 10:57 AM

07:57 7:57 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

939,594

💱 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 = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Palawan 5,960 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Palawan

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 Palawan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Palawan differ by about 256% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $792 including rent). Palawan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $4,231 in Melbourne and $1,187 in Palawan to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,759 in Melbourne versus $264 in Palawan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $150 in Palawan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 89% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $792 in Palawan versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Palawan but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Palawan 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 Palawan 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 Palawan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 256% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.