Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Roxas

For one person, living is cheaper in Roxas: $379 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $29,300 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
19

Cost of Living Index in Roxas
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Roxas Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Roxas

🇵🇭 Philippines

$379

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Roxas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $379 in Roxas.

Melbourne $2,821
Roxas $379

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $602 in Roxas.

Melbourne $4,235
Roxas $602

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $826 in Roxas.

Melbourne $5,650
Roxas $826

Living in Melbourne is roughly 645% more expensive than in Roxas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Roxas is 72% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$2.86 ₱180

509.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$19.03 ₱1,198

344.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$2.41 ₱152

417.01%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$1.86 ₱117

120.97%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.46 ₱28.68

565.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.14 ₱8.66

1700.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$1.10 ₱69.4

790.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$1.79 ₱113

378.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.60 ₱101

-7.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$0.88 ₱55.2

234.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.89 ₱56.1

198.88%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.88 ₱118

194.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$5.99 ₱377

75.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$3.96 ₱249

143.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$6.34 ₱399

140.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$1.63 ₱103

144.79%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$0.94 ₱59.1

221.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$1.25 ₱78.9

148.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$0.77 ₱48.19

525.97%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.00 ₱63.1

203.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$0.99 ₱62.3

146.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.39 ₱87.3

76.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.77 ₱48.29

111.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$2.19 ₱138

1912.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$6.50 ₱409

95.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.14 ₱71.6

385.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.29 ₱81.4

305.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$0.83 ₱52.1

443.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.33 ₱20.97

312.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$2.36 ₱149

1190.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.02 ₱63.9

44.12%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$21.7K ₱1.4M

33.89%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$19.6K ₱1.2M

35.03%

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

$234 A$336

$62.3 ₱3,919

275.39%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$7.83 ₱493

256.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$21.89 ₱1,378

154.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$4.88 ₱307

209.22%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$31.94 ₱2,011

7324.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$23.93 ₱1,507

234.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$17.18 ₱1,082

195.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$55.7 ₱3,504

116.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$24.03 ₱1,513

442.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$318 ₱20.0K

453.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$575 ₱36.2K

662.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

7.33

-19.51%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Roxas: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Roxas

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Roxas

$156 41.3% 59.3% $228

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Roxas

$92 24.3% 71% $225

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Roxas

$64 16.9% 79.7% $251

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Roxas

$54 14.4% 68.4% $117

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Roxas

$2.5 * 0.7% 98.5% $161

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Roxas

$9.8 * 2.6% 87.7% $70

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $318 in Roxas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 662% 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 Roxas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $156 per month, with Roxas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇭 Roxas

🕒 Local time

10:04 10:04 AM

07:04 7:04 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

167,003

💱 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 Roxas 5,960 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Roxas

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 Roxas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Roxas differ by about 645% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $379 including rent). Roxas is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 662% 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 $318 in Roxas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 146% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,821 per month in Melbourne versus $379 in Roxas – a 645% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $379 in Roxas versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Roxas but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Roxas 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 Roxas 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 Roxas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 645% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.