Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose del Monte and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose del Monte: $713 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in San Jose del Monte
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San Jose del Monte Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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San Jose del Monte

🇵🇭 Philippines

$713

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $713 in San Jose del Monte versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

San Jose del Monte $713
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,072 in San Jose del Monte versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

San Jose del Monte $1,072
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,432 in San Jose del Monte versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

San Jose del Monte $1,432
Melbourne $5,650

Living in San Jose del Monte costs roughly 75% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: San Jose del Monte is 47% below, Melbourne is 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.09 ₱257

$17.43 A$25.08

-76.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.69 ₱1,051

$84.6 A$122

-80.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.87 ₱181

$12.46 A$17.92

-76.97%

Cappuccino

$1.78 ₱112

$4.11 A$5.91

-56.69%

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

$0.57 ₱35.83

$3.06 A$4.40

-81.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱20.79

$2.52 A$3.62

-86.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.98 ₱61.6

$9.80 A$14.10

-90.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ₱97.8

$8.57 A$12.33

-81.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₱105

$1.48 A$2.14

12.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₱69.8

$2.94 A$4.23

-62.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₱64.9

$2.66 A$3.82

-61.28%

Eggs

$2.02 ₱127

$5.54 A$7.97

-63.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.18 ₱326

$10.51 A$15.13

-50.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ₱211

$9.65 A$13.89

-65.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.07 ₱445

$15.22 A$21.91

-53.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 ₱143

$3.99 A$5.75

-43.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 ₱96.6

$3.02 A$4.34

-49.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.35 ₱148

$3.10 A$4.46

-24.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.03 ₱64.9

$4.82 A$6.93

-78.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 ₱106

$3.03 A$4.36

-44.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 ₱109

$2.44 A$3.52

-29.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ₱38.45

$2.46 A$3.54

-75.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ₱32.85

$1.63 A$2.34

-68.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.89 ₱182

$44.07 A$63.4

-93.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.89 ₱560

$12.70 A$18.28

-30.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 ₱61.2

$5.54 A$7.97

-82.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 ₱131

$5.23 A$7.52

-60.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 ₱15.09

$3.74 A$5.38

-93.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.59 ₱730

$138 A$198

-91.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 ₱50.2

$4.51 A$6.50

-82.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.51

$1.36 A$1.96

-83.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.95 ₱123

$30.45 A$43.81

-93.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 ₱75.1

$1.47 A$2.12

-19.05%

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

$21.1K ₱1.3M

$29.0K A$41.7K

-27.38%

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

$19.2K ₱1.2M

$26.5K A$38.1K

-27.58%

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

$124 ₱7,822

$234 A$336

-46.83%

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

$15.79 ₱994

$27.93 A$40.19

-43.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.17 ₱1,459

$55.7 A$80.2

-58.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.10 ₱2,210

$49.40 A$71.1

-28.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.42 ₱278

$21.48 A$30.91

-79.42%

Cinema Ticket

$5.25 ₱331

$15.09 A$21.72

-65.21%

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

$134 ₱8,428

$2,371 A$3,412

-94.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,925 ₱561.9K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-70.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.38 ₱1,850

$80.0 A$115

-63.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.87 ₱1,251

$50.7 A$73.0

-60.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.0 ₱4,472

$121 A$174

-41.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.0 ₱3,463

$130 A$188

-57.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$257 ₱16.2K

$1,759 A$2,531

-85.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$164 ₱10.3K

$1,390 A$2,000

-88.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 ₱31.9K

$3,494 A$5,027

-85.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$318 ₱20.0K

$2,493 A$3,588

-87.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,707 ₱170.4K

$6,926 A$9,967

-60.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$942 ₱59.3K

$6,445 A$9,274

-85.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

5.9

14.41%

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

Last update for San Jose del Monte: October 10, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

San Jose del Monte

$173 24.2%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 123% $211

Accommodation & Living

San Jose del Monte

$164 23%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 749% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose del Monte

$163 22.9%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 94.5% $154

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose del Monte

$79 11.1%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 118% $93

Eating Out

San Jose del Monte

$74 10.4%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 324% $240

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose del Monte

$46 6.4%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 74.5% $34

Getting Around

San Jose del Monte

$15 2%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 1030% $149

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $257 in San Jose del Monte and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $17.00 in San Jose del Monte vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $173 vs $384 per month, with San Jose del Monte cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 San Jose del Monte

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

02:39 2:39 AM

05:39 5:39 AM

3 h ahead of San Jose del Monte

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

651,813

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 18, 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 18, 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

San Jose del Monte Melbourne 6,360 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose del Monte
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

San Jose del Monte vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose del Monte and Melbourne differ by about 296% in total monthly costs ($713 vs $2,821 including rent). San Jose del Monte is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,069 in San Jose del Monte 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: $257 in San Jose del Monte versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $134 in San Jose del Monte 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 123% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $713 in San Jose del Monte versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in San Jose del Monte but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose del Monte 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, San Jose del Monte 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 San Jose del Monte gentler on the wallet – expenses run 296% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.