Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Siargao

For one person, living is cheaper in Siargao: $787 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $24,400 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Siargao
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Siargao Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Siargao

🇵🇭 Philippines

$787

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Siargao

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $787 in Siargao.

Melbourne $2,821
Siargao $787

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,226 in Siargao.

Melbourne $4,235
Siargao $1,226

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,664 in Siargao.

Melbourne $5,650
Siargao $1,664

Living in Melbourne is roughly 258% more expensive than in Siargao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Siargao is 42% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.18

$3.60 ₱227

384.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$19.21 ₱1,210

340.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$18.00

$3.36 ₱212

270.83%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.94

$2.62 ₱165

56.87%

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

$3.06 A$4.42

$0.78 ₱49.46

292.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.64

$0.40 ₱24.97

530.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.16

$1.25 ₱79.0

684.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.38

$2.18 ₱138

293.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.15

$1.88 ₱119

-21.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.25

$1.23 ₱77.4

139.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.84

$0.96 ₱60.3

177.08%

Eggs

$5.54 A$8.01

$2.00 ₱126

177.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.19

$8.23 ₱519

27.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.94

$4.32 ₱273

123.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$22.00

$7.50 ₱473

102.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.77

$2.97 ₱187

34.34%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.36

$1.58 ₱99.9

91.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.48

$2.58 ₱162

20.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.96

$1.62 ₱102

197.53%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.38

$2.25 ₱142

34.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.53

$2.53 ₱160

-3.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.56

$1.10 ₱69.4

123.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.35

$0.71 ₱44.50

129.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.7

$2.83 ₱178

1457.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.36

$6.79 ₱428

87.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$8.00

$1.19 ₱75.3

365.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.55

$2.03 ₱128

157.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.40

$0.26 ₱16.34

1338.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$199

$11.65 ₱734

1080.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.52

$0.78 ₱48.93

478.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.22 ₱13.82

518.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$44.00

$2.08 ₱131

1363.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.13

$1.15 ₱72.5

27.83%

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

$29.0K A$41.9K

$26.3K ₱1.7M

10.44%

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

$26.5K A$38.3K

$20.2K ₱1.3M

31.31%

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

$234 A$338

$112 ₱7,067

108.38%

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

$27.93 A$40.35

$33.18 ₱2,091

-15.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.6

$27.75 ₱1,749

100.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.4

$34.05 ₱2,146

45.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$31.04

$4.45 ₱280

382.70%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.81

$5.85 ₱368

157.95%

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

$2,371 A$3,426

$154 ₱9,706

1439.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.6K

$4,271 ₱269.1K

607.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$116

$46.34 ₱2,920

72.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.3

$26.69 ₱1,682

89.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$76.7 ₱4,831

57.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$54.2 ₱3,413

140.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,542

$266 ₱16.8K

560.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,008

$174 ₱10.9K

700.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,048

$582 ₱36.7K

500.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,603

$387 ₱24.4K

545.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$10.0K

$2,349 ₱148.0K

194.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,313

$978 ₱61.6K

559.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,333

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

6.67

-11.54%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Siargao: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Siargao

$174 22.1% 87.5% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Siargao

$203 25.8% 47.2% $181

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Siargao

$173 22% 45.5% $144

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Siargao

$86 10.9% 72.7% $229

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Siargao

$92 11.7% 46.6% $80

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Siargao

$15 1.9% 91.1% $149

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Siargao

$46 5.8% 42.5% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $266 in Siargao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $19.00 in Siargao for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $203 per month, with Siargao cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇭 Siargao

🕒 Local time

18:25 6:25 PM

15:25 3:25 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

150,000

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.692 USD

1 AUD = 0.617 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 16, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.692 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.617 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 63.02 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.65 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Siargao 5,650 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Siargao

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 Siargao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Siargao differ by about 258% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $787 including rent). Siargao 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 $1,181 in Siargao 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 $266 in Siargao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $154 in Siargao. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 89% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $787 in Siargao versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Siargao but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Siargao 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 Siargao 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 Siargao gentler on the wallet – expenses run 258% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.