Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palawan and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Palawan: $792 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $24,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Palawan
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Palawan Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Palawan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$792

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $792 in Palawan versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Palawan $792
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,230 in Palawan versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Palawan $1,230
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,668 in Palawan versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Palawan $1,668
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Palawan costs roughly 72% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Palawan is 41% below, Melbourne is 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.62 ₱228

$17.43 A$25.08

-79.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.14 ₱1,205

$84.6 A$122

-77.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.37 ₱212

$12.46 A$17.92

-72.95%

Cappuccino

$2.63 ₱165

$4.11 A$5.91

-36.01%

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

$0.83 ₱52.5

$3.06 A$4.40

-72.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ₱24.65

$2.52 A$3.62

-84.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.29 ₱81.4

$9.80 A$14.10

-86.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 ₱136

$8.57 A$12.33

-74.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ₱120

$1.48 A$2.14

28.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 ₱79.4

$2.94 A$4.23

-57.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$2.66 A$3.82

-62.03%

Eggs

$1.98 ₱125

$5.54 A$7.97

-64.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.83 ₱493

$10.51 A$15.13

-25.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.21 ₱265

$9.65 A$13.89

-56.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.78 ₱490

$15.22 A$21.91

-48.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.00 ₱189

$3.99 A$5.75

-24.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 ₱98.2

$3.02 A$4.34

-48.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 ₱171

$3.10 A$4.46

-12.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.62 ₱102

$4.82 A$6.93

-66.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 ₱146

$3.03 A$4.36

-23.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.59 ₱163

$2.44 A$3.52

6.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ₱66.9

$2.46 A$3.54

-56.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ₱44.86

$1.63 A$2.34

-56.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.78 ₱175

$44.07 A$63.4

-93.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.85 ₱431

$12.70 A$18.28

-46.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 ₱75.4

$5.54 A$7.97

-78.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ₱128

$5.23 A$7.52

-61.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₱17.81

$3.74 A$5.38

-92.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.29 ₱711

$138 A$198

-91.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.83 ₱52.4

$4.51 A$6.50

-81.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.20

$1.36 A$1.96

-82.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 ₱136

$30.45 A$43.81

-92.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ₱69.2

$1.47 A$2.12

-25.17%

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

$26.5K ₱1.7M

$29.0K A$41.7K

-8.63%

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

$20.1K ₱1.3M

$26.5K A$38.1K

-24.23%

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

$114 ₱7,183

$234 A$336

-51.18%

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

$32.54 ₱2,049

$27.93 A$40.19

16.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.55 ₱1,734

$55.7 A$80.2

-50.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.48 ₱2,171

$49.40 A$71.1

-30.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.36 ₱275

$21.48 A$30.91

-79.70%

Cinema Ticket

$5.80 ₱365

$15.09 A$21.72

-61.56%

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

$150 ₱9,463

$2,371 A$3,412

-93.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,228 ₱266.2K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-86.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.09 ₱2,839

$80.0 A$115

-43.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.54 ₱1,671

$50.7 A$73.0

-47.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.9 ₱4,713

$121 A$174

-37.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.6 ₱3,377

$130 A$188

-58.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$264 ₱16.6K

$1,759 A$2,531

-84.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$177 ₱11.1K

$1,390 A$2,000

-87.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₱37.1K

$3,494 A$5,027

-83.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$390 ₱24.5K

$2,493 A$3,588

-84.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,359 ₱148.5K

$6,926 A$9,967

-65.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$994 ₱62.6K

$6,445 A$9,274

-84.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

5.9

13.05%

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

Last update for Palawan: October 11, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Palawan

$204 25.7%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 88.6% $180

Accommodation & Living

Palawan

$177 22.4%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 686% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palawan

$174 22%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 82.2% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Palawan

$90 11.4%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 90.7% $82

Eating Out

Palawan

$86 10.9%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 264% $228

Sport & Entertainment

Palawan

$46 5.8%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 72.8% $34

Getting Around

Palawan

$14 1.8%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 1033% $149

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $264 in Palawan and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $19.00 in Palawan vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $204 vs $384 per month, with Palawan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Palawan

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

21:52 9:52 PM

00:52 12:52 AM

3 h ahead of Palawan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

939,594

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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

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).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Palawan Melbourne 5,960 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Palawan
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

Palawan vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Palawan and Melbourne differ by about 256% in total monthly costs ($792 vs $2,821 including rent). Palawan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,187 in Palawan and $4,231 in Melbourne 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: $264 in Palawan versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $150 in Palawan versus $2,371 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 89% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $792 in Palawan versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Palawan but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Palawan 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, Palawan 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 Palawan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 256% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.