Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Sorsogon City

For one person, living is cheaper in Sorsogon City: $735 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,000 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 Sorsogon City
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Sorsogon City Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Sorsogon City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$735

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $735 in Sorsogon City.

Melbourne $2,821
Sorsogon City $735

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,140 in Sorsogon City.

Melbourne $4,235
Sorsogon City $1,140

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,545 in Sorsogon City.

Melbourne $5,650
Sorsogon City $1,545

Living in Melbourne is roughly 284% more expensive than in Sorsogon City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Sorsogon City is 46% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$3.93 ₱247

343.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$16.79 ₱1,057

403.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$2.72 ₱171

358.09%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.28 ₱143

80.26%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.66 ₱41.37

363.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.33 ₱21.07

663.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$1.21 ₱75.9

709.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$1.99 ₱125

330.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.67 ₱105

-11.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.09 ₱68.8

169.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.95 ₱60.0

180.00%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.87 ₱118

196.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$5.12 ₱323

105.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$4.07 ₱257

137.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$7.24 ₱456

110.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.54 ₱160

57.09%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.79 ₱113

68.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.48 ₱156

25.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.13 ₱71.4

326.55%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.26 ₱143

34.07%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$2.15 ₱135

13.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.91 ₱57.5

170.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.54 ₱34.05

201.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.24 ₱204

1260.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$7.42 ₱467

71.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$0.99 ₱62.1

459.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.95 ₱123

168.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.25 ₱15.48

1396.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$9.63 ₱606

1328.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$0.84 ₱52.8

436.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.19 ₱11.96

615.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$2.17 ₱137

1303.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.04 ₱65.6

41.35%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$20.0K ₱1.3M

44.67%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$19.8K ₱1.2M

33.90%

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

$234 A$336

$138 ₱8,683

69.44%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$14.19 ₱894

96.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$24.78 ₱1,560

124.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$32.25 ₱2,031

53.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$5.13 ₱323

318.71%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$5.86 ₱369

157.51%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$128 ₱8,088

1745.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$7,096 ₱446.8K

325.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$30.34 ₱1,910

163.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$20.27 ₱1,277

150.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$72.7 ₱4,576

65.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$60.9 ₱3,837

114.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$228 ₱14.4K

671.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$157 ₱9,913

782.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$526 ₱33.1K

564.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$382 ₱24.0K

552.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$2,397 ₱150.9K

188.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,110 ₱69.9K

480.41%

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 Sorsogon City: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Sorsogon City

$157 21.4% 88.7% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Sorsogon City

$180 24.5% 53% $204

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Sorsogon City

$177 24.1% 44.3% $140

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Sorsogon City

$81 11% 74.3% $234

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Sorsogon City

$83 11.3% 51.7% $89

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Sorsogon City

$12 1.7% 92.4% $151

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Sorsogon City

$44 6% 44.8% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $228 in Sorsogon City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $17.00 in Sorsogon City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $180 per month, with Sorsogon City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇭 Sorsogon City

🕒 Local time

03:43 3:43 AM

00:43 12:43 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

168,110

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Sorsogon City 6,060 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Melbourne and Sorsogon City differ by about 284% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $735 including rent). Sorsogon City 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 $1,102 in Sorsogon City 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 $228 in Sorsogon City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $128 in Sorsogon City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 113% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $735 in Sorsogon City versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sorsogon City but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Sorsogon 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 Sorsogon 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 Sorsogon City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 284% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.