Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Surigao

For one person, living is cheaper in Surigao: $736 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 Surigao
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Surigao Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Surigao

🇵🇭 Philippines

$736

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Surigao

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $736 in Surigao.

Melbourne $2,821
Surigao $736

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,124 in Surigao.

Melbourne $4,235
Surigao $1,124

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,512 in Surigao.

Melbourne $5,650
Surigao $1,512

Living in Melbourne is roughly 283% more expensive than in Surigao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Surigao is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$3.98 ₱251

337.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$17.81 ₱1,122

374.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$2.87 ₱181

334.15%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$1.99 ₱125

106.53%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.73 ₱45.85

319.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.32 ₱19.84

687.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$1.26 ₱79.4

677.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$2.13 ₱134

302.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.62 ₱102

-8.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$0.98 ₱61.6

200.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.99 ₱62.0

168.69%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.94 ₱122

185.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$5.75 ₱362

82.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$4.14 ₱261

133.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$6.88 ₱433

121.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.07 ₱131

92.75%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.58 ₱99.2

91.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.56 ₱161

21.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.17 ₱73.6

311.97%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.95 ₱123

55.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.76 ₱111

38.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.82 ₱51.5

200.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.60 ₱37.75

171.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$2.97 ₱187

1383.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$6.78 ₱427

87.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.05 ₱66.3

427.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.72 ₱108

204.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.26 ₱16.48

1338.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$11.30 ₱712

1116.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$0.66 ₱41.51

583.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.23 ₱14.66

491.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$1.87 ₱118

1528.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.32 ₱83.0

11.36%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$18.7K ₱1.2M

55.06%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$18.0K ₱1.1M

47.25%

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

$234 A$336

$124 ₱7,799

88.65%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$15.97 ₱1,006

74.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$34.80 ₱2,191

60.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$35.92 ₱2,262

37.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$5.18 ₱326

314.67%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$4.96 ₱313

204.23%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$144 ₱9,095

1541.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$6,892 ₱433.9K

338.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$36.99 ₱2,329

116.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$20.93 ₱1,318

142.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$69.6 ₱4,384

73.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$49.50 ₱3,116

163.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$243 ₱15.3K

624.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$168 ₱10.6K

726.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$461 ₱29.0K

657.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$363 ₱22.9K

586.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$2,434 ₱153.3K

184.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,108 ₱69.8K

481.64%

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 Surigao: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Surigao

$168 22.9% 87.9% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Surigao

$174 23.7% 54.6% $210

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Surigao

$175 23.7% 45% $143

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Surigao

$79 10.7% 74.9% $235

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Surigao

$80 10.8% 53.6% $92

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Surigao

$14 1.9% 91.3% $150

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Surigao

$46 6.2% 42.4% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $243 in Surigao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $18.00 in Surigao for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $174 per month, with Surigao cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇭 Surigao

🕒 Local time

05:38 5:38 AM

02:38 2:38 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

171,107

💱 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 Surigao 5,670 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Surigao

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 Surigao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Surigao differ by about 283% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $736 including rent). Surigao 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 $1,104 in Surigao 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 $243 in Surigao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $144 in Surigao. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 120% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $736 in Surigao versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Surigao but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Surigao 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 Surigao 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 Surigao gentler on the wallet – expenses run 283% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.