Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and San Jose del Monte

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose del Monte: $713 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,300 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
35

Cost of Living Index in San Jose del Monte
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San Jose del Monte Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

San Jose del Monte

🇵🇭 Philippines

$713

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in San Jose del Monte

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 Jose del Monte actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $713 in San Jose del Monte.

Melbourne $2,821
San Jose del Monte $713

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,072 in San Jose del Monte.

Melbourne $4,235
San Jose del Monte $1,072

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,432 in San Jose del Monte.

Melbourne $5,650
San Jose del Monte $1,432

Living in Melbourne is roughly 296% more expensive than in San Jose del Monte, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, San Jose del Monte is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$4.09 ₱257

326.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$16.69 ₱1,051

406.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$2.87 ₱181

334.15%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$1.78 ₱112

130.90%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.57 ₱35.83

436.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.33 ₱20.79

663.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$0.98 ₱61.6

900.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$1.55 ₱97.8

452.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.66 ₱105

-10.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.11 ₱69.8

164.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.03 ₱64.9

158.25%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.02 ₱127

174.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$5.18 ₱326

102.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$3.35 ₱211

188.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$7.07 ₱445

115.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.27 ₱143

75.77%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.53 ₱96.6

97.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.35 ₱148

31.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.03 ₱64.9

367.96%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.68 ₱106

80.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.73 ₱109

41.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.61 ₱38.45

303.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.52 ₱32.85

213.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$2.89 ₱182

1424.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$8.89 ₱560

42.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$0.97 ₱61.2

471.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$2.08 ₱131

151.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.24 ₱15.09

1458.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$11.59 ₱730

1086.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$0.80 ₱50.2

463.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.23 ₱14.51

491.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$1.95 ₱123

1461.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.19 ₱75.1

23.53%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$21.1K ₱1.3M

37.70%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$19.2K ₱1.2M

38.08%

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

$234 A$336

$124 ₱7,822

88.09%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$15.79 ₱994

76.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$23.17 ₱1,459

140.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$35.10 ₱2,210

40.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$4.42 ₱278

385.97%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$5.25 ₱331

187.43%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$134 ₱8,428

1671.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$8,925 ₱561.9K

238.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$29.38 ₱1,850

172.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$19.87 ₱1,251

155.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$71.0 ₱4,472

69.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$55.0 ₱3,463

137.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$257 ₱16.2K

584.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$164 ₱10.3K

749.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$506 ₱31.9K

589.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$318 ₱20.0K

683.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$2,707 ₱170.4K

155.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$942 ₱59.3K

584.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

6.75

-12.59%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for San Jose del Monte: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

San Jose del Monte

$164 23% 88.2% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

San Jose del Monte

$173 24.2% 55.1% $211

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

San Jose del Monte

$163 22.9% 48.6% $154

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

San Jose del Monte

$74 10.4% 76.4% $240

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

San Jose del Monte

$79 11.1% 54.1% $93

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

San Jose del Monte

$15 2% 91.1% $149

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

San Jose del Monte

$46 6.4% 42.7% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $257 in San Jose del Monte. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $17.00 in San Jose del Monte for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $173 per month, with San Jose del Monte cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇭 San Jose del Monte

🕒 Local time

01:47 1:47 AM

22:47 10:47 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

651,813

💱 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 Jose del Monte 6,360 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
San Jose del Monte

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 Jose del Monte: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and San Jose del Monte differ by about 296% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $713 including rent). San Jose del Monte 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 $1,069 in San Jose del Monte 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 $257 in San Jose del Monte. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $134 in San Jose del Monte. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 123% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $713 in San Jose del Monte versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in San Jose del Monte but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose del Monte 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 Jose del Monte 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 Jose del Monte gentler on the wallet – expenses run 296% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.