Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Zamboanga

For one person, living is cheaper in Zamboanga: $748 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,300 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 Zamboanga
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Zamboanga Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Zamboanga

🇵🇭 Philippines

$748

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Zamboanga

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,853 in Melbourne versus $748 in Zamboanga.

Melbourne $2,853
Zamboanga $748

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,275 in Melbourne versus $1,123 in Zamboanga.

Melbourne $4,275
Zamboanga $1,123

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,697 in Melbourne versus $1,497 in Zamboanga.

Melbourne $5,697
Zamboanga $1,497

Living in Melbourne is roughly 281% more expensive than in Zamboanga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 111% above, Zamboanga is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.20 A$24.75

$1.33 ₱83.5

1193.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 A$120

$16.41 ₱1,033

406.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 A$17.88

$3.50 ₱220

255.14%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.82

$2.09 ₱132

93.78%

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

$3.12 A$4.50

$0.86 ₱54.0

262.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.40 ₱24.88

515.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.52 A$13.71

$1.44 ₱90.8

561.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.74

$2.05 ₱129

298.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.25

$1.75 ₱110

-10.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.18

$1.41 ₱89.0

105.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.16 ₱73.0

129.31%

Eggs

$5.37 A$7.72

$1.46 ₱91.7

267.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 A$15.36

$10.01 ₱630

6.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 A$14.17

$4.05 ₱255

143.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 A$22.11

$3.33 ₱209

361.26%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$6.00

$3.17 ₱200

31.55%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$1.18 ₱74.1

166.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 A$4.69

$3.82 ₱241

-14.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.85

$1.16 ₱73.1

310.34%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.41

$1.26 ₱79.6

142.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.55

$2.56 ₱161

-3.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.52

$0.86 ₱54.4

184.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.51 ₱32.39

219.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.17 A$65.0

$2.74 ₱172

1548.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.25

$4.23 ₱266

199.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.69 A$8.18

$1.30 ₱82.1

337.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.53

$1.97 ₱124

165.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 A$5.57

$0.22 ₱13.88

1659.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$204

$11.19 ₱704

1168.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 A$6.53

$0.82 ₱51.9

453.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.04

$0.23 ₱14.50

517.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.59 A$44.01

$1.88 ₱118

1527.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.02 ₱64.4

44.12%

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

$28.9K A$41.5K

$21.7K ₱1.4M

32.77%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

33.36%

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

$235 A$338

$124 ₱7,826

89.15%

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

$27.45 A$39.51

$15.48 ₱975

77.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$80.8

$47.25 ₱2,975

18.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 A$72.1

$35.74 ₱2,250

40.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.49 A$30.93

$4.67 ₱294

360.17%

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 A$25.56

$5.07 ₱319

250.30%

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

$2,385 A$3,432

$133 ₱8,372

1693.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.7K

$8,082 ₱508.9K

266.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 A$114

$32.93 ₱2,073

140.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.49 A$71.2

$19.29 ₱1,215

156.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$170

$70.8 ₱4,457

67.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$55.7 ₱3,505

137.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 A$2,537

$266 ₱16.8K

561.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 A$2,031

$175 ₱11.0K

707.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,522 A$5,069

$332 ₱20.9K

960.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 A$3,634

$360 ₱22.6K

602.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,136 A$10.3K

$2,366 ₱149.0K

201.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,355 A$9,144

$998 ₱62.9K

536.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,258 A$6,128

$193 ₱12.2K

2102.69%

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 17, 2026

Last update for Zamboanga: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5%

Zamboanga

$175 23.3% 87.6% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$388 13.6%

Zamboanga

$184 24.6% 52.7% $205

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$319 11.2%

Zamboanga

$187 25% 41.3% $132

Eating Out

Melbourne

$310 10.9%

Zamboanga

$62 8.4% 79.8% $247

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Zamboanga

$80 10.7% 52.9% $90

Getting Around

Melbourne

$169 5.9%

Zamboanga

$14 1.9% 91.7% $155

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$86 3%

Zamboanga

$46 6.1% 46.4% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,763 in Melbourne and $266 in Zamboanga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 2103% 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: $83.0 in Melbourne vs $16.00 in Zamboanga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $388 vs $184 per month, with Zamboanga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇭 Zamboanga

🕒 Local time

07:24 7:24 AM

04:24 4:24 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Zamboanga 5,510 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Zamboanga

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 Zamboanga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Zamboanga differ by about 281% in total monthly costs ($2,853 vs $748 including rent). Zamboanga is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 2103% 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: $1,763 in Melbourne versus $266 in Zamboanga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,385 in Melbourne versus $133 in Zamboanga. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 111% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $748 in Zamboanga versus $2,853 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Zamboanga but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Zamboanga 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 Zamboanga 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 Zamboanga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 281% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.