Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Tagbilaran City

For one person, living is cheaper in Tagbilaran City: $624 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $26,400 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Tagbilaran City
Learn more

Tagbilaran City Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Tagbilaran City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$624

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $624 in Tagbilaran City.

Melbourne $2,821
Tagbilaran City $624

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,001 in Tagbilaran City.

Melbourne $4,235
Tagbilaran City $1,001

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,378 in Tagbilaran City.

Melbourne $5,650
Tagbilaran City $1,378

Living in Melbourne is roughly 352% more expensive than in Tagbilaran City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Tagbilaran City is 54% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$2.98 ₱187

484.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$17.24 ₱1,085

390.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$2.89 ₱182

331.14%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.47 ₱156

66.40%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.94 ₱58.9

225.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.46 ₱29.04

447.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$0.83 ₱52.1

1080.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$2.18 ₱137

293.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.55 ₱97.4

-4.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.06 ₱66.9

177.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.90 ₱56.7

195.56%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.75 ₱110

216.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$9.33 ₱587

12.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$4.37 ₱275

120.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$7.55 ₱475

101.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.86 ₱180

39.51%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.35 ₱85.2

123.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.41 ₱152

28.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.52 ₱95.7

217.11%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.42 ₱152

25.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.97 ₱124

23.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.65 ₱40.89

278.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.46 ₱29.15

254.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$2.38 ₱150

1751.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$6.11 ₱385

107.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$0.90 ₱56.8

515.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.07 ₱67.3

388.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.47 ₱29.39

695.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$0.77 ₱48.52

485.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.23 ₱14.50

491.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$4.38 ₱276

595.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.04 ₱65.5

41.35%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$21.0K ₱1.3M

38.08%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$19.6K ₱1.2M

35.11%

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

$234 A$336

$80.8 ₱5,085

189.32%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$14.28 ₱899

95.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$25.27 ₱1,591

120.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$11.21 ₱706

340.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$3.35 ₱211

541.19%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$3.62 ₱228

316.85%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$281 ₱17.7K

744.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$8,018 ₱504.8K

276.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$37.11 ₱2,336

115.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$17.96 ₱1,131

182.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$64.0 ₱4,031

88.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$57.0 ₱3,591

128.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$194 ₱12.2K

808.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$139 ₱8,774

897.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$477 ₱30.0K

632.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$339 ₱21.3K

636.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$785 ₱49.4K

782.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$470 ₱29.6K

1271.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$178 ₱11.2K

2360.83%

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 Tagbilaran City: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Tagbilaran City

$139 22.3% 90% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Tagbilaran City

$187 30% 51.3% $197

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Tagbilaran City

$120 19.3% 62.1% $197

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Tagbilaran City

$76 12.2% 75.8% $238

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Tagbilaran City

$79 12.7% 53.9% $92

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Tagbilaran City

$3.8 * 0.6% 97.7% $160

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Tagbilaran City

$18 3% 76.8% $61

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $194 in Tagbilaran City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 2361% 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 $17.00 in Tagbilaran City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $187 per month, with Tagbilaran City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇭 Tagbilaran City

🕒 Local time

10:44 10:44 AM

07:44 7:44 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

86,411

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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 Tagbilaran City 5,710 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Melbourne and Tagbilaran City differ by about 352% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $624 including rent). Tagbilaran City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 2361% 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 $194 in Tagbilaran City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 105% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,821 per month in Melbourne versus $624 in Tagbilaran City – a 352% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $624 in Tagbilaran City versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tagbilaran City but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Tagbilaran 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 Tagbilaran 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 Tagbilaran City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 352% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.