Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Vigan

For one person, living is cheaper in Vigan: $718 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,200 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 Vigan
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Vigan Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Vigan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$718

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Vigan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $718 in Vigan.

Melbourne $2,821
Vigan $718

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,125 in Vigan.

Melbourne $4,235
Vigan $1,125

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,533 in Vigan.

Melbourne $5,650
Vigan $1,533

Living in Melbourne is roughly 293% more expensive than in Vigan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Vigan is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$3.89 ₱245

348.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$16.49 ₱1,038

412.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$1.77 ₱112

603.95%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$1.84 ₱116

123.37%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.55 ₱34.93

456.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.33 ₱20.81

663.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$0.98 ₱62.0

900.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$1.55 ₱97.8

452.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.67 ₱105

-11.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.13 ₱71.0

160.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.95 ₱60.0

180.00%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.01 ₱126

175.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$5.13 ₱323

104.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$3.44 ₱216

180.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$7.91 ₱498

92.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.30 ₱145

73.48%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.54 ₱96.9

96.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.35 ₱148

31.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.03 ₱64.8

367.96%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.74 ₱109

74.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.72 ₱108

41.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.61 ₱38.63

303.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.53 ₱33.07

207.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$2.93 ₱184

1404.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$8.74 ₱550

45.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$0.98 ₱61.5

465.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$2.06 ₱129

153.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.24 ₱15.21

1458.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$10.80 ₱680

1173.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$0.82 ₱51.5

450.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.23 ₱14.46

491.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$1.92 ₱121

1485.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.27 ₱79.7

15.75%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$21.5K ₱1.4M

34.86%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$19.6K ₱1.2M

34.91%

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

$234 A$336

$139 ₱8,723

68.65%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$17.81 ₱1,121

56.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$23.55 ₱1,483

136.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$33.22 ₱2,091

48.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$5.06 ₱319

324.51%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$5.10 ₱321

195.88%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$131 ₱8,268

1705.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$10.6K ₱668.5K

184.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$28.39 ₱1,787

181.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$19.84 ₱1,249

155.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$72.3 ₱4,555

66.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$56.0 ₱3,526

132.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$228 ₱14.4K

669.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$156 ₱9,812

791.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$525 ₱33.0K

565.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$405 ₱25.5K

515.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$2,466 ₱155.2K

180.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,003 ₱63.1K

542.65%

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 Vigan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Vigan

$156 21.7% 88.8% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Vigan

$175 24.4% 54.3% $209

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Vigan

$180 25.1% 43.3% $137

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Vigan

$70 9.8% 77.7% $244

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Vigan

$79 11.1% 53.7% $92

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Vigan

$14 1.9% 91.6% $150

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Vigan

$43 6.1% 45.5% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $228 in Vigan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $16.00 in Vigan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $175 per month, with Vigan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇭 Vigan

🕒 Local time

16:20 4:20 PM

13:20 1:20 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

53,879

💱 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 Vigan 6,670 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Vigan

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 Vigan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Vigan differ by about 293% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $718 including rent). Vigan 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 $1,077 in Vigan 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 $228 in Vigan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

Supermarket bills run roughly 119% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $718 in Vigan versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Vigan but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Vigan 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 Vigan 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 Vigan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 293% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.