Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and San Fernando, La Union

For one person, living is cheaper in San Fernando, La Union: $719 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,200 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
36

Cost of Living Index in San Fernando, La Union
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San Fernando, La Union Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

San Fernando, La Union

🇵🇭 Philippines

$719

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in San Fernando, La Union

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 San Fernando, La Union actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $719 in San Fernando, La Union.

Melbourne $2,821
San Fernando, La Union $719

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,102 in San Fernando, La Union.

Melbourne $4,235
San Fernando, La Union $1,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,485 in San Fernando, La Union.

Melbourne $5,650
San Fernando, La Union $1,485

Living in Melbourne is roughly 292% more expensive than in San Fernando, La Union, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, San Fernando, La Union is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$3.93 ₱248

343.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$14.86 ₱936

468.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$2.45 ₱154

408.57%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$1.92 ₱121

114.06%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.63 ₱39.53

385.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.30 ₱18.67

740.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$1.15 ₱72.3

752.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$1.78 ₱112

381.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.68 ₱106

-11.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.08 ₱67.7

172.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.03 ₱65.0

158.25%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.93 ₱122

187.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$6.38 ₱402

64.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$3.77 ₱238

155.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$7.48 ₱471

103.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.38 ₱150

67.65%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.60 ₱101

88.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.71 ₱170

14.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.21 ₱76.1

298.35%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.26 ₱142

34.07%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$2.07 ₱131

17.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.00 ₱62.8

146.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.58 ₱36.41

181.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$2.97 ₱187

1383.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$7.16 ₱451

77.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.11 ₱70.0

399.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.63 ₱103

220.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.25 ₱15.89

1396.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$10.92 ₱687

1159.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$0.81 ₱51.2

456.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.21 ₱13.52

547.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$1.77 ₱111

1620.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.02 ₱64.5

44.12%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$21.0K ₱1.3M

38.10%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$18.3K ₱1.1M

44.94%

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

$234 A$336

$109 ₱6,863

114.39%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$16.96 ₱1,068

64.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$27.32 ₱1,720

104.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$32.83 ₱2,067

50.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$4.60 ₱290

366.96%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$5.76 ₱363

161.98%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$114 ₱7,179

1979.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$9,119 ₱574.1K

231.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$33.24 ₱2,093

140.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$17.66 ₱1,112

187.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$71.9 ₱4,524

67.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$55.6 ₱3,503

134.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$262 ₱16.5K

571.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$169 ₱10.7K

720.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$521 ₱32.8K

570.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$361 ₱22.7K

590.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$2,558 ₱161.1K

170.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,037 ₱65.3K

521.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

6.79

-13.11%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for San Fernando, La Union: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

San Fernando, La Union

$169 23.6% 87.8% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

San Fernando, La Union

$183 25.5% 52.3% $201

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

San Fernando, La Union

$153 21.3% 51.7% $164

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

San Fernando, La Union

$75 10.4% 76.2% $240

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

San Fernando, La Union

$80 11.2% 53.3% $91

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

San Fernando, La Union

$14 1.9% 91.6% $150

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

San Fernando, La Union

$44 6.2% 44.3% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $262 in San Fernando, La Union. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $15.00 in San Fernando, La Union for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $183 per month, with San Fernando, La Union cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇭 San Fernando, La Union

🕒 Local time

15:09 3:09 PM

12:09 12:09 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

83,003

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 San Fernando, La Union 6,580 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
San Fernando, La Union

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 San Fernando, La Union: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and San Fernando, La Union differ by about 292% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $719 including rent). San Fernando, La Union is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $4,231 in Melbourne and $1,079 in San Fernando, La Union to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,759 in Melbourne versus $262 in San Fernando, La Union. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $114 in San Fernando, La Union. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 110% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $719 in San Fernando, La Union versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in San Fernando, La Union but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes San Fernando, La Union 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 San Fernando, La Union 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 San Fernando, La Union gentler on the wallet – expenses run 292% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.