Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Taytay

For one person, living is cheaper in Taytay: $748 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $24,900 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Taytay
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Taytay Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Taytay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$748

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Taytay

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $748 in Taytay.

Melbourne $2,821
Taytay $748

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,131 in Taytay.

Melbourne $4,235
Taytay $1,131

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,513 in Taytay.

Melbourne $5,650
Taytay $1,513

Living in Melbourne is roughly 277% more expensive than in Taytay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$4.84 ₱305

260.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$19.29 ₱1,214

338.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$3.16 ₱199

294.30%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.62 ₱165

56.87%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.79 ₱49.44

287.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.49 ₱30.93

414.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$1.18 ₱74.3

730.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$1.56 ₱98.4

449.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.68 ₱106

-11.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.11 ₱69.8

164.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.01 ₱63.5

163.37%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.04 ₱128

171.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$4.96 ₱313

111.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$3.45 ₱218

179.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$6.89 ₱434

120.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.22 ₱140

79.73%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.60 ₱101

88.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.40 ₱151

29.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.06 ₱67.0

354.72%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.73 ₱109

75.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.78 ₱112

37.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.65 ₱41.12

278.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.49 ₱30.67

232.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.03 ₱191

1354.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$8.73 ₱549

45.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$0.91 ₱57.6

508.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$2.10 ₱132

149.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.28 ₱17.57

1235.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$12.46 ₱784

1003.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$0.78 ₱48.86

478.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.23 ₱14.53

491.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$1.93 ₱122

1477.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.22 ₱76.5

20.49%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$21.3K ₱1.3M

36.45%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$19.6K ₱1.2M

34.92%

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

$234 A$336

$123 ₱7,751

89.80%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$15.73 ₱990

77.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$23.52 ₱1,481

136.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$29.67 ₱1,868

66.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$4.05 ₱255

430.37%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$5.13 ₱323

194.15%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$131 ₱8,275

1704.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$9,053 ₱570.0K

233.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$28.64 ₱1,803

179.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$19.71 ₱1,241

157.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$71.1 ₱4,478

69.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$56.0 ₱3,527

132.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$230 ₱14.5K

664.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$186 ₱11.7K

648.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$532 ₱33.5K

556.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$358 ₱22.5K

596.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$2,490 ₱156.8K

178.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,015 ₱63.9K

534.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

6.75

-12.59%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Taytay: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Taytay

$186 24.8% 86.6% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Taytay

$172 23% 55.2% $212

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Taytay

$162 21.7% 48.8% $155

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Taytay

$94 12.5% 70.2% $221

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Taytay

$79 10.6% 54% $93

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Taytay

$16 2.1% 90.5% $148

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Taytay

$40 5.3% 49.8% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $230 in Taytay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $19.00 in Taytay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $172 per month, with Taytay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇭 Taytay

🕒 Local time

07:31 7:31 AM

04:31 4:31 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

386,451

💱 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 = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Taytay 6,330 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Taytay

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 Taytay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Taytay differ by about 277% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $748 including rent). Taytay 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 $1,122 in Taytay 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 $230 in Taytay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $131 in Taytay. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 123% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $748 in Taytay versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Taytay but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Taytay 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 Taytay 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 Taytay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 277% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.