Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Naga and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Naga: $558 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $27,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Naga
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Naga Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Naga

🇵🇭 Philippines

$558

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Naga and in Melbourne

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Naga and in Melbourne actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $558 in Naga versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Naga $558
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $852 in Naga versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Naga $852
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,147 in Naga versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Naga $1,147
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Naga costs roughly 80% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Naga is 59% below, Melbourne is 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.26 ₱331

$17.43 A$25.08

-69.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.42 ₱845

$84.6 A$122

-84.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.70 ₱170

$12.46 A$17.92

-78.33%

Cappuccino

$2.67 ₱168

$4.11 A$5.91

-35.04%

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

$0.71 ₱44.50

$3.06 A$4.40

-76.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 ₱15.80

$2.52 A$3.62

-90.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.32 ₱83.3

$9.80 A$14.10

-86.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 ₱197

$8.57 A$12.33

-63.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ₱123

$1.48 A$2.14

31.76%

White Bread (500g)

$0.85 ₱53.3

$2.94 A$4.23

-71.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.82 ₱51.7

$2.66 A$3.82

-69.17%

Eggs

$1.70 ₱107

$5.54 A$7.97

-69.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 ₱642

$10.51 A$15.13

-3.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 ₱256

$9.65 A$13.89

-57.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.99 ₱440

$15.22 A$21.91

-54.07%

Apples (1kg)

$1.98 ₱125

$3.99 A$5.75

-50.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 ₱102

$3.02 A$4.34

-46.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.44 ₱154

$3.10 A$4.46

-21.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.43 ₱153

$4.82 A$6.93

-49.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 ₱162

$3.03 A$4.36

-15.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 ₱140

$2.44 A$3.52

-9.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.76 ₱300

$2.46 A$3.54

93.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₱39.28

$1.63 A$2.34

-61.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.89 ₱182

$44.07 A$63.4

-93.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.77 ₱237

$12.70 A$18.28

-70.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ₱101

$5.54 A$7.97

-70.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.57 ₱36.08

$4.51 A$6.50

-87.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ₱79.4

$1.47 A$2.12

-14.29%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

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

$99.1 ₱6,242

$234 A$336

-57.57%

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

$23.41 ₱1,474

$27.93 A$40.19

-16.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.23 ₱1,651

$55.7 A$80.2

-52.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$8.07 ₱508

$49.40 A$71.1

-83.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$4.80 ₱302

$15.09 A$21.72

-68.19%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,052 ₱507.0K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-73.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$158 ₱9,919

$1,759 A$2,531

-91.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$85.9 ₱5,411

$1,390 A$2,000

-93.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$251 ₱15.8K

$3,494 A$5,027

-92.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 ₱12.2K

$2,493 A$3,588

-92.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$145 ₱9,126

$4,383 A$6,307

-96.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

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

Last update for Naga: October 12, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Naga

$206 * 36.9%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 86.5% $178

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Naga

$149 26.7%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 113% $169

Eating Out

Naga

$99 17.7%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 218% $216

Accommodation & Living

Naga

$86 15.4%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 1517% $1.3K

Sport & Entertainment

Naga

$18 3.2%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 350% $62

Getting Around

Naga

$0.6 * 0.1%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 28633% $163

Clothing & Footwear

Naga

- * 0%

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

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 $158 in Naga and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 2924% 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: $13.00 in Naga vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $384 per month, with Naga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Naga

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

21:56 9:56 PM

00:56 12:56 AM

3 h ahead of Naga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

115,750

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

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).

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).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Naga Melbourne 6,150 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Naga
Melbourne

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

Naga vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Naga and Melbourne differ by about 406% in total monthly costs ($558 vs $2,821 including rent). Naga is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 2924% lower in Melbourne. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $158 in Naga versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Naga – a meal for two runs $13.00 versus $85.0 in Melbourne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $558 per month in Naga versus $2,821 in Melbourne – a 406% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $558 in Naga versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Naga but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Naga 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, Naga and Melbourne 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 Naga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 406% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.