Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Tacloban

For one person, living is cheaper in Tacloban: $773 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $24,600 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 Tacloban
Learn more

Tacloban Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Tacloban

🇵🇭 Philippines

$773

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Tacloban

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $773 in Tacloban.

Melbourne $2,821
Tacloban $773

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,160 in Tacloban.

Melbourne $4,235
Tacloban $1,160

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,548 in Tacloban.

Melbourne $5,650
Tacloban $1,548

Living in Melbourne is roughly 265% more expensive than in Tacloban, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Tacloban is 43% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$3.06 ₱193

469.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$15.80 ₱995

435.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$2.36 ₱149

427.97%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.41 ₱152

70.54%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.66 ₱41.55

363.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.37 ₱23.54

581.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$1.56 ₱98.2

528.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$2.21 ₱139

287.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$2.03 ₱128

-27.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.17 ₱73.9

151.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.90 ₱56.7

195.56%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.95 ₱123

184.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$10.00 ₱629

5.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$4.34 ₱273

122.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$7.20 ₱453

111.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$3.47 ₱218

14.99%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.10 ₱69.0

174.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.32 ₱146

33.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.48 ₱93.5

225.68%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.36 ₱149

28.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.92 ₱121

27.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.14 ₱71.9

115.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.64 ₱40.22

154.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$1.95 ₱123

2160.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$6.23 ₱392

103.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.13 ₱71.0

390.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.66 ₱104

215.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.27 ₱17.05

1285.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$11.05 ₱696

1144.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$0.78 ₱49.11

478.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.23 ₱14.54

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

$0.99 ₱62.1

48.48%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

36.85%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$19.6K ₱1.2M

34.93%

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

$234 A$336

$120 ₱7,542

95.07%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$14.07 ₱886

98.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$27.83 ₱1,752

100.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$32.70 ₱2,059

51.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$4.69 ₱295

358.00%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$5.73 ₱361

163.35%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$134 ₱8,419

1673.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$8,021 ₱505.0K

276.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$32.68 ₱2,057

144.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$19.29 ₱1,214

162.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$76.2 ₱4,797

58.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$57.1 ₱3,597

128.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$263 ₱16.5K

569.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$191 ₱12.0K

627.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$523 ₱32.9K

568.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$360 ₱22.7K

592.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$2,393 ₱150.6K

189.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$976 ₱61.5K

560.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$347 ₱21.9K

1161.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

7.2

-18.06%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Tacloban: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Tacloban

$191 24.7% 86.2% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Tacloban

$202 26.1% 47.4% $182

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Tacloban

$162 20.9% 49.1% $156

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Tacloban

$77 9.9% 75.6% $238

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Tacloban

$83 10.8% 51.5% $88

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Tacloban

$14 1.8% 91.4% $150

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Tacloban

$44 5.7% 44.5% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $263 in Tacloban. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 1161% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $16.00 in Tacloban for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $202 per month, with Tacloban cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇭 Tacloban

🕒 Local time

08:46 8:46 AM

05:46 5:46 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

242,089

💱 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 Tacloban 5,840 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 Tacloban: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Tacloban differ by about 265% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $773 including rent). Tacloban is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1161% higher in Melbourne, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,759 in Melbourne versus $263 in Tacloban. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

Supermarket bills run roughly 90% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $773 in Tacloban versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tacloban but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Tacloban 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 Tacloban 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 Tacloban gentler on the wallet – expenses run 265% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.