Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz, Laguna and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz, Laguna: $626 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $26,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz, Laguna
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Santa Cruz, Laguna Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Santa Cruz, Laguna

🇵🇭 Philippines

$626

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $626 in Santa Cruz, Laguna versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Santa Cruz, Laguna $626
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $931 in Santa Cruz, Laguna versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Santa Cruz, Laguna $931
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,236 in Santa Cruz, Laguna versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Santa Cruz, Laguna $1,236
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Santa Cruz, Laguna costs roughly 78% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santa Cruz, Laguna is 54% below, Melbourne is 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.57 ₱99.0

$17.43 A$25.08

-90.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.09 ₱509

$84.6 A$122

-90.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.76 ₱174

$12.46 A$17.92

-77.85%

Cappuccino

$1.78 ₱112

$4.11 A$5.91

-56.69%

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

$0.38 ₱23.98

$3.06 A$4.40

-87.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 ₱14.42

$2.52 A$3.62

-90.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.99 ₱62.2

$9.80 A$14.10

-89.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₱62.1

$8.57 A$12.33

-88.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 ₱103

$1.48 A$2.14

10.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 ₱72.9

$2.94 A$4.23

-60.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₱63.3

$2.66 A$3.82

-62.41%

Eggs

$1.55 ₱97.5

$5.54 A$7.97

-72.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.65 ₱293

$10.51 A$15.13

-55.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.50 ₱220

$9.65 A$13.89

-63.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.07 ₱445

$15.22 A$21.91

-53.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.46 ₱92.1

$3.99 A$5.75

-63.41%

Banana (1kg)

$0.46 ₱28.85

$3.02 A$4.34

-84.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 ₱91.0

$3.10 A$4.46

-53.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.02 ₱64.2

$4.82 A$6.93

-78.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 ₱111

$3.03 A$4.36

-41.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 ₱109

$2.44 A$3.52

-28.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ₱41.99

$2.46 A$3.54

-72.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.46

$1.63 A$2.34

-67.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.89 ₱182

$44.07 A$63.4

-93.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.60 ₱541

$12.70 A$18.28

-32.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 ₱61.0

$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)

$0.21 ₱13.40

$3.74 A$5.38

-94.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.41 ₱718

$138 A$198

-91.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₱51.2

$4.51 A$6.50

-82.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.36

$1.36 A$1.96

-83.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 ₱121

$30.45 A$43.81

-93.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ₱78.7

$1.47 A$2.12

-14.97%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$29.0K A$41.7K

-26.91%

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

$19.2K ₱1.2M

$26.5K A$38.1K

-27.29%

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

$85.1 ₱5,359

$234 A$336

-63.57%

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

$17.58 ₱1,107

$27.93 A$40.19

-37.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.61 ₱1,487

$55.7 A$80.2

-57.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.48 ₱1,982

$49.40 A$71.1

-36.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.14 ₱261

$21.48 A$30.91

-80.73%

Cinema Ticket

$5.13 ₱323

$15.09 A$21.72

-66.00%

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

$134 ₱8,442

$2,371 A$3,412

-94.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ₱675.9K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-64.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.89 ₱1,819

$80.0 A$115

-63.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.72 ₱1,242

$50.7 A$73.0

-61.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.5 ₱4,565

$121 A$174

-39.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.8 ₱3,515

$130 A$188

-57.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$242 ₱15.2K

$1,759 A$2,531

-86.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$157 ₱9,895

$1,390 A$2,000

-88.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$475 ₱29.9K

$3,494 A$5,027

-86.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$302 ₱19.0K

$2,493 A$3,588

-87.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,296 ₱144.5K

$6,926 A$9,967

-66.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$886 ₱55.8K

$6,445 A$9,274

-86.25%

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 Santa Cruz, Laguna: October 12, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$157 25.1%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 784% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$156 24.9%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 147% $228

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$126 20.2%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 151% $191

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$80 12.7%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 116% $92

Eating Out

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$52 8.2%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 510% $263

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$42 6.7%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 90.7% $38

Getting Around

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$14 2.3%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 1053% $150

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $242 in Santa Cruz, Laguna and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $8.00 in Santa Cruz, Laguna vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $156 vs $384 per month, with Santa Cruz, Laguna cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Santa Cruz, Laguna

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

08:27 8:27 AM

11:27 11:27 AM

3 h ahead of Santa Cruz, Laguna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

123,574

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

Santa Cruz, Laguna Melbourne 6,290 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Cruz, Laguna
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

Santa Cruz, Laguna vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Cruz, Laguna and Melbourne differ by about 350% in total monthly costs ($626 vs $2,821 including rent). Santa Cruz, Laguna is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $940 in Santa Cruz, Laguna 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: $242 in Santa Cruz, Laguna versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $134 in Santa Cruz, Laguna 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 147% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $626 in Santa Cruz, Laguna versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Santa Cruz, Laguna but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Cruz, Laguna 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, Santa Cruz, Laguna 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 Santa Cruz, Laguna gentler on the wallet – expenses run 350% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.