Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Polomolok

For one person, living is cheaper in Polomolok: $620 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $26,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Polomolok
Learn more

Polomolok Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Polomolok

🇵🇭 Philippines

$620

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Polomolok

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $620 in Polomolok.

Melbourne $2,821
Polomolok $620

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $985 in Polomolok.

Melbourne $4,235
Polomolok $985

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,350 in Polomolok.

Melbourne $5,650
Polomolok $1,350

Living in Melbourne is roughly 355% more expensive than in Polomolok, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Polomolok is 54% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$1.58 ₱99.2

1003.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$16.91 ₱1,065

400.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$2.12 ₱133

487.74%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.23 ₱140

84.30%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.41 ₱26.06

646.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.67 ₱42.48

276.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$1.12 ₱70.4

775.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$1.90 ₱120

351.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.67 ₱105

-11.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$0.87 ₱54.7

237.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.67 ₱42.21

297.01%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.92 ₱121

188.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$6.47 ₱407

62.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$2.69 ₱170

258.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$5.63 ₱355

170.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.59 ₱163

54.05%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$0.54 ₱34.16

459.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.42 ₱153

28.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$0.77 ₱48.17

525.97%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.22 ₱76.6

148.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$2.80 ₱176

-12.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.78 ₱49.30

215.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.71 ₱44.43

129.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$2.40 ₱151

1736.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$7.19 ₱453

76.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.01 ₱63.7

448.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.47 ₱92.2

255.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.22 ₱13.74

1600.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$11.28 ₱710

1119.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$0.77 ₱48.76

485.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.25 ₱15.81

444.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$1.89 ₱119

1511.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$0.93 ₱58.3

58.06%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$16.2K ₱1.0M

79.09%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$17.3K ₱1.1M

52.89%

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

$234 A$336

$52.3 ₱3,290

347.23%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$19.17 ₱1,207

45.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$26.21 ₱1,650

112.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$31.95 ₱2,011

54.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$4.68 ₱295

358.97%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$3.87 ₱244

289.92%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$109 ₱6,848

2080.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$1,344 ₱84.6K

2146.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$33.49 ₱2,109

138.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$19.40 ₱1,222

161.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$62.8 ₱3,952

92.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$60.6 ₱3,818

115.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$269 ₱17.0K

552.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$171 ₱10.8K

713.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$580 ₱36.5K

502.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$374 ₱23.6K

566.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$2,452 ₱154.4K

182.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,010 ₱63.6K

538.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$243 ₱15.3K

1704.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

-1.67%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Polomolok: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Polomolok

$171 27.6% 87.7% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Polomolok

$158 25.6% 58.7% $226

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Polomolok

$98 15.8% 69.2% $220

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Polomolok

$59 9.6% 81.1% $255

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Polomolok

$79 12.8% 53.8% $92

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Polomolok

$14 2.3% 91.3% $150

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Polomolok

$40 6.4% 50.1% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $269 in Polomolok. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 1705% 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 Polomolok for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $158 per month, with Polomolok cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇭 Polomolok

🕒 Local time

08:25 8:25 AM

05:25 5:25 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

172,605

💱 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 Polomolok 5,310 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Polomolok

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 Polomolok: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Polomolok differ by about 355% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $620 including rent). Polomolok is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1705% 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 $269 in Polomolok. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $109 in Polomolok. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 142% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $620 in Polomolok versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Polomolok but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Polomolok 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 Polomolok 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 Polomolok gentler on the wallet – expenses run 355% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.