Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Quezon City

For one person, living is cheaper in Quezon City: $855 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $24,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Quezon City
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Quezon City Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Quezon City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$855

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Quezon 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 Quezon City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,852 in Melbourne versus $855 in Quezon City.

Melbourne $2,852
Quezon City $855

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,297 in Melbourne versus $1,385 in Quezon City.

Melbourne $4,297
Quezon City $1,385

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,742 in Melbourne versus $1,916 in Quezon City.

Melbourne $5,742
Quezon City $1,916

Living in Melbourne is roughly 234% more expensive than in Quezon City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 113% above, Quezon City is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.75 A$25.40

$4.45 ₱279

298.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.8 A$121

$18.78 ₱1,178

351.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 A$17.40

$2.86 ₱179

325.17%

Cappuccino

$3.93 A$5.62

$2.77 ₱174

41.88%

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

$3.14 A$4.49

$0.69 ₱43.17

355.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.47

$0.29 ₱18.35

737.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.90 A$14.17

$1.47 ₱92.5

573.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.29 A$11.86

$2.72 ₱171

204.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.21

$1.71 ₱107

-9.36%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 A$4.31

$1.15 ₱72.1

161.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.12

$0.85 ₱53.0

238.82%

Eggs

$5.44 A$7.79

$1.76 ₱110

209.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.59 A$15.16

$6.83 ₱428

55.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 A$13.76

$4.29 ₱269

124.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.99 A$21.46

$7.29 ₱457

105.62%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 A$5.94

$3.84 ₱241

8.07%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.37

$1.42 ₱88.9

114.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 A$4.72

$3.57 ₱224

-7.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.81

$1.14 ₱71.3

317.54%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.34

$2.40 ₱150

26.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.65

$3.45 ₱217

-26.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.55

$1.38 ₱86.3

79.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.33

$0.97 ₱61.0

68.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.1

$2.84 ₱178

1451.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.43 A$17.79

$7.62 ₱478

63.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.33 A$7.63

$1.30 ₱81.4

310.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.38

$1.76 ₱110

193.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.50

$0.40 ₱24.91

860.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$203

$18.79 ₱1,179

653.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 A$6.29

$0.76 ₱47.86

478.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.21 ₱13.15

566.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.83 A$42.69

$2.47 ₱155

1107.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 A$2.09

$1.19 ₱74.4

22.69%

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

$28.1K A$40.3K

$21.0K ₱1.3M

33.83%

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

$25.9K A$37.1K

$18.9K ₱1.2M

37.26%

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

$233 A$333

$165 ₱10.3K

41.41%

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

$27.28 A$39.04

$14.28 ₱896

91.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$81.6

$24.21 ₱1,518

135.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 A$75.4

$37.71 ₱2,365

39.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.62 A$32.37

$3.41 ₱214

563.34%

Cinema Ticket

$17.10 A$24.48

$7.22 ₱453

136.84%

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

$2,373 A$3,397

$73.1 ₱4,583

3148.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K A$43.6K

$2,472 ₱155.1K

1132.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.2 A$112

$35.88 ₱2,250

117.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 A$72.2

$22.30 ₱1,398

126.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$172

$79.5 ₱4,989

51.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$191

$75.4 ₱4,729

76.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 A$2,451

$314 ₱19.7K

444.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 A$2,006

$190 ₱11.9K

636.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,339 A$4,778

$746 ₱46.8K

347.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 A$3,619

$520 ₱32.6K

386.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,018 A$10.0K

$2,326 ₱145.9K

201.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,767 A$9,685

$1,421 ₱89.1K

376.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,228 A$6,051

$440 ₱27.6K

859.94%

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 6, 2026

Last update for Quezon City: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Quezon City

$190 22% 86.4% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$385 13.5%

Quezon City

$207 23.9% 46.3% $178

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.1%

Quezon City

$203 23.5% 36% $114

Eating Out

Melbourne

$314 11%

Quezon City

$94 10.9% 70% $220

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Quezon City

$96 11.1% 44.3% $76

Getting Around

Melbourne

$168 5.9%

Quezon City

$22 2.6% 86.8% $146

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$87 3.1%

Quezon City

$52 6% 40% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,713 in Melbourne and $314 in Quezon City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 860% 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 $19.00 in Quezon City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $207 per month, with Quezon City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇭 Quezon City

🕒 Local time

22:56 10:56 PM

19:56 7:56 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

2,936,116

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.28 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Quezon City 6,350 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Quezon 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 Quezon City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Quezon City differ by about 234% in total monthly costs ($2,852 vs $855 including rent). Quezon City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 860% 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: $1,713 in Melbourne versus $314 in Quezon City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,373 in Melbourne versus $73.1 in Quezon City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 86% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $855 in Quezon City versus $2,852 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Quezon City but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Quezon 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 Quezon 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 Quezon City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 234% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.