Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Paranaque City

For one person, living is cheaper in Paranaque City: $794 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
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Melbourne Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Paranaque City
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Paranaque City Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Paranaque City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Paranaque City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $794 in Paranaque City.

Melbourne $2,821
Paranaque City $794

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,197 in Paranaque City.

Melbourne $4,235
Paranaque City $1,197

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,600 in Paranaque City.

Melbourne $5,650
Paranaque City $1,600

Living in Melbourne is roughly 255% more expensive than in Paranaque City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$4.42 ₱278

294.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$16.41 ₱1,033

415.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$2.82 ₱177

341.84%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.11 ₱133

94.79%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.74 ₱46.43

313.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.33 ₱20.99

663.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$1.14 ₱71.6

759.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$2.83 ₱178

202.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.61 ₱101

-8.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.12 ₱70.3

162.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.98 ₱61.6

171.43%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.11 ₱133

162.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$5.20 ₱327

102.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$4.16 ₱262

131.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$7.93 ₱499

91.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$3.85 ₱242

3.64%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.59 ₱100

89.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$3.51 ₱221

-11.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.12 ₱70.4

330.36%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.73 ₱109

75.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.81 ₱114

34.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.98 ₱62.0

151.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.50 ₱31.43

226.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$2.86 ₱180

1440.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$7.74 ₱487

64.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$0.93 ₱58.3

495.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.99 ₱125

162.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.22 ₱13.58

1600.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$11.09 ₱698

1140.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$0.84 ₱52.7

436.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.23 ₱14.49

491.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$1.89 ₱119

1511.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.23 ₱77.2

19.51%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$21.6K ₱1.4M

33.96%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$19.2K ₱1.2M

38.15%

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

$234 A$336

$141 ₱8,864

65.98%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$14.27 ₱899

95.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$24.19 ₱1,523

130.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$37.66 ₱2,371

31.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$5.43 ₱342

295.58%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$6.71 ₱423

124.89%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$74.3 ₱4,680

3090.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$6,379 ₱401.6K

373.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$35.92 ₱2,262

122.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$19.13 ₱1,204

165.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$70.5 ₱4,437

71.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$75.8 ₱4,770

72.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$219 ₱13.8K

703.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$183 ₱11.5K

657.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$570 ₱35.9K

513.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$366 ₱23.1K

580.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$1,128 ₱71.0K

513.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$409 ₱25.7K

1475.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$493 ₱31.0K

788.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

-15.71%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Paranaque City: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Paranaque City

$183 23.1% 86.8% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Paranaque City

$191 24.1% 50.2% $193

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Paranaque City

$179 22.6% 43.5% $138

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Paranaque City

$85 10.7% 73.1% $230

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Paranaque City

$91 11.4% 47.3% $81

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Paranaque City

$14 1.8% 91.5% $150

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Paranaque City

$51 6.4% 35.8% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $219 in Paranaque City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 789% 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 $16.00 in Paranaque City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $191 per month, with Paranaque City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇭 Paranaque City

🕒 Local time

08:51 8:51 AM

05:51 5:51 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

703,245

💱 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

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Between locations

Melbourne Paranaque City 6,330 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Paranaque City

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 Paranaque City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Paranaque City differ by about 255% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $794 including rent). Paranaque City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 789% 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 $219 in Paranaque City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $74.3 in Paranaque City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 101% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $794 in Paranaque City versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Paranaque City but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Paranaque City 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 Paranaque City 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 Paranaque City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 255% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.