Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Subic Bay Freeport Zone

For one person, living is cheaper in Subic Bay Freeport Zone: $663 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,900 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Subic Bay Freeport Zone
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Subic Bay Freeport Zone Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Subic Bay Freeport Zone

🇵🇭 Philippines

$663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Subic Bay Freeport Zone

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 Subic Bay Freeport Zone actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $663 in Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

Melbourne $2,821
Subic Bay Freeport Zone $663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,008 in Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

Melbourne $4,235
Subic Bay Freeport Zone $1,008

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,354 in Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

Melbourne $5,650
Subic Bay Freeport Zone $1,354

Living in Melbourne is roughly 326% more expensive than in Subic Bay Freeport Zone, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Subic Bay Freeport Zone is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$4.65 ₱293

274.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$14.46 ₱911

484.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$5.06 ₱318

146.25%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.29 ₱144

79.48%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$1.57 ₱98.9

94.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.33 ₱21.09

663.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$1.47 ₱92.7

566.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$2.02 ₱127

324.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.60 ₱101

-7.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.21 ₱75.9

142.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.84 ₱52.7

216.67%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.88 ₱118

194.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$4.75 ₱299

121.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$4.79 ₱302

101.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$8.13 ₱512

87.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.31 ₱146

72.73%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.77 ₱112

70.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.30 ₱145

34.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.22 ₱76.8

295.08%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.05 ₱129

47.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.95 ₱123

25.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.85 ₱53.8

189.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.51 ₱32.17

219.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$2.97 ₱187

1383.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$7.42 ₱467

71.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$0.92 ₱58.1

502.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.92 ₱121

172.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.20 ₱12.57

1770.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$10.61 ₱668

1196.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$0.79 ₱49.93

470.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.23 ₱14.52

491.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$1.90 ₱120

1502.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.03 ₱64.9

42.72%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$18.2K ₱1.1M

58.94%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$19.3K ₱1.2M

36.94%

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

$234 A$336

$138 ₱8,657

69.95%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$14.33 ₱902

94.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$16.88 ₱1,062

230.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$29.59 ₱1,863

66.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$4.67 ₱294

359.96%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$5.16 ₱325

192.44%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$116 ₱7,296

1946.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$7,216 ₱454.3K

318.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$35.47 ₱2,233

125.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$20.88 ₱1,315

142.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$64.0 ₱4,029

88.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$55.6 ₱3,501

134.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$129 ₱8,141

1260.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$80.7 ₱5,082

1621.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$330 ₱20.8K

958.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$188 ₱11.9K

1224.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$2,555 ₱160.9K

171.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$916 ₱57.6K

603.84%

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 Subic Bay Freeport Zone: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Subic Bay Freeport Zone

$81 12.2% 94.2% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Subic Bay Freeport Zone

$182 27.5% 52.6% $202

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Subic Bay Freeport Zone

$169 25.5% 46.8% $149

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Subic Bay Freeport Zone

$99 14.9% 68.5% $216

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Subic Bay Freeport Zone

$79 12% 53.9% $93

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Subic Bay Freeport Zone

$13 2% 91.8% $150

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Subic Bay Freeport Zone

$40 6% 49.9% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $129 in Subic Bay Freeport Zone. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $14.00 in Subic Bay Freeport Zone for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $182 per month, with Subic Bay Freeport Zone cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇭 Subic Bay Freeport Zone

🕒 Local time

01:01 1:01 AM

22:01 10:01 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

221,178

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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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Melbourne Subic Bay Freeport Zone 6,400 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
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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 Subic Bay Freeport Zone: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Subic Bay Freeport Zone differ by about 326% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $663 including rent). Subic Bay Freeport Zone 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 $994 in Subic Bay Freeport Zone 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 $129 in Subic Bay Freeport Zone. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $116 in Subic Bay Freeport Zone. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 111% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $663 in Subic Bay Freeport Zone versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Subic Bay Freeport Zone but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Subic Bay Freeport Zone 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 Subic Bay Freeport Zone 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 Subic Bay Freeport Zone gentler on the wallet – expenses run 326% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.