Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Puerto Princesa

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Princesa: $705 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
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Melbourne Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Princesa
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Puerto Princesa Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Puerto Princesa

🇵🇭 Philippines

$705

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Puerto Princesa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $705 in Puerto Princesa.

Melbourne $2,821
Puerto Princesa $705

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,050 in Puerto Princesa.

Melbourne $4,235
Puerto Princesa $1,050

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,396 in Puerto Princesa.

Melbourne $5,650
Puerto Princesa $1,396

Living in Melbourne is roughly 300% more expensive than in Puerto Princesa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Puerto Princesa is 48% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$4.28 ₱269

307.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$16.84 ₱1,061

402.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$4.59 ₱289

171.46%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.34 ₱147

75.64%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.88 ₱55.2

247.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.52 ₱32.91

384.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$1.26 ₱79.5

677.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$2.37 ₱149

261.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.75 ₱110

-15.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.02 ₱64.4

188.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.82 ₱51.9

224.39%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.75 ₱110

216.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$5.52 ₱347

90.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$5.43 ₱342

77.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$6.59 ₱415

130.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.37 ₱149

68.35%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$0.85 ₱53.3

255.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.40 ₱151

29.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.14 ₱71.6

322.81%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.53 ₱96.4

98.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.35 ₱84.8

80.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.94 ₱59.4

161.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.70 ₱43.92

132.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$2.86 ₱180

1440.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$7.28 ₱458

74.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.06 ₱66.6

422.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.35 ₱84.8

287.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.25 ₱15.71

1396.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$11.06 ₱697

1143.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$0.74 ₱46.36

509.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.21 ₱13.17

547.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$1.95 ₱123

1461.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.01 ₱63.7

45.54%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$17.1K ₱1.1M

69.68%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

38.65%

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

$234 A$336

$62.2 ₱3,915

275.75%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$10.94 ₱689

155.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$24.60 ₱1,549

126.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$32.60 ₱2,052

51.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$4.75 ₱299

352.21%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$5.05 ₱318

198.81%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$133 ₱8,357

1686.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$8,060 ₱507.5K

274.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$33.45 ₱2,106

139.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$19.50 ₱1,228

160.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$71.1 ₱4,478

69.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$56.2 ₱3,541

131.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$283 ₱17.8K

521.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$201 ₱12.7K

590.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$519 ₱32.7K

573.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$313 ₱19.7K

696.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$2,404 ₱151.4K

188.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,008 ₱63.4K

539.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$223 ₱14.1K

1863.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

8.12

-27.34%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Puerto Princesa: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Puerto Princesa

$201 28.5% 85.5% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Puerto Princesa

$176 24.9% 54.2% $208

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Puerto Princesa

$98 13.9% 69.2% $220

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Puerto Princesa

$93 13.2% 70.5% $222

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Puerto Princesa

$81 11.5% 52.8% $91

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Puerto Princesa

$14 2% 91.5% $150

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Puerto Princesa

$43 6.1% 46.4% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $283 in Puerto Princesa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 1863% 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 Puerto Princesa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $176 per month, with Puerto Princesa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇭 Puerto Princesa

🕒 Local time

10:22 10:22 AM

07:22 7:22 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

307,079

💱 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 Puerto Princesa 5,950 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Puerto Princesa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Puerto Princesa differ by about 300% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $705 including rent). Puerto Princesa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1863% 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 $283 in Puerto Princesa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $133 in Puerto Princesa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 119% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $705 in Puerto Princesa versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Puerto Princesa but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Puerto Princesa 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 Puerto Princesa 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 Puerto Princesa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 300% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.