Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surigao and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Surigao: $736 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Surigao
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Surigao Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Surigao

🇵🇭 Philippines

$736

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $736 in Surigao versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Surigao $736
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,124 in Surigao versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Surigao $1,124
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,512 in Surigao versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Surigao $1,512
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Surigao costs roughly 74% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Surigao is 45% below, Melbourne is 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.98 ₱251

$17.43 A$25.08

-77.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.81 ₱1,122

$84.6 A$122

-78.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.87 ₱181

$12.46 A$17.92

-76.97%

Cappuccino

$1.99 ₱125

$4.11 A$5.91

-51.58%

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

$0.73 ₱45.85

$3.06 A$4.40

-76.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₱19.84

$2.52 A$3.62

-87.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.26 ₱79.4

$9.80 A$14.10

-87.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 ₱134

$8.57 A$12.33

-75.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 ₱102

$1.48 A$2.14

9.46%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 ₱61.6

$2.94 A$4.23

-66.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ₱62.0

$2.66 A$3.82

-62.78%

Eggs

$1.94 ₱122

$5.54 A$7.97

-64.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.75 ₱362

$10.51 A$15.13

-45.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.14 ₱261

$9.65 A$13.89

-57.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.88 ₱433

$15.22 A$21.91

-54.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 ₱131

$3.99 A$5.75

-48.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 ₱99.2

$3.02 A$4.34

-47.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.56 ₱161

$3.10 A$4.46

-17.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.17 ₱73.6

$4.82 A$6.93

-75.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 ₱123

$3.03 A$4.36

-35.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 ₱111

$2.44 A$3.52

-27.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 ₱51.5

$2.46 A$3.54

-66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ₱37.75

$1.63 A$2.34

-63.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.97 ₱187

$44.07 A$63.4

-93.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.78 ₱427

$12.70 A$18.28

-46.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₱66.3

$5.54 A$7.97

-81.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₱108

$5.23 A$7.52

-67.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₱16.48

$3.74 A$5.38

-93.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.30 ₱712

$138 A$198

-91.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.66 ₱41.51

$4.51 A$6.50

-85.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.66

$1.36 A$1.96

-83.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 ₱118

$30.45 A$43.81

-93.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ₱83.0

$1.47 A$2.12

-10.20%

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

$18.7K ₱1.2M

$29.0K A$41.7K

-35.51%

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

$18.0K ₱1.1M

$26.5K A$38.1K

-32.09%

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

$124 ₱7,799

$234 A$336

-46.99%

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

$15.97 ₱1,006

$27.93 A$40.19

-42.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.80 ₱2,191

$55.7 A$80.2

-37.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.92 ₱2,262

$49.40 A$71.1

-27.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.18 ₱326

$21.48 A$30.91

-75.88%

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 ₱313

$15.09 A$21.72

-67.13%

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

$144 ₱9,095

$2,371 A$3,412

-93.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,892 ₱433.9K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-77.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.99 ₱2,329

$80.0 A$115

-53.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.93 ₱1,318

$50.7 A$73.0

-58.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.6 ₱4,384

$121 A$174

-42.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.50 ₱3,116

$130 A$188

-62.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$243 ₱15.3K

$1,759 A$2,531

-86.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$168 ₱10.6K

$1,390 A$2,000

-87.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$461 ₱29.0K

$3,494 A$5,027

-86.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$363 ₱22.9K

$2,493 A$3,588

-85.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,434 ₱153.3K

$6,926 A$9,967

-64.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,108 ₱69.8K

$6,445 A$9,274

-82.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

5.9

15.08%

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

Last update for Surigao: October 11, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surigao

$175 23.7%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 81.7% $143

Groceries & Markets

Surigao

$174 23.7%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 120% $210

Accommodation & Living

Surigao

$168 22.9%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 726% $1.2K

Clothing & Footwear

Surigao

$80 10.8%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 116% $92

Eating Out

Surigao

$79 10.7%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 298% $235

Sport & Entertainment

Surigao

$46 6.2%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 73.6% $34

Getting Around

Surigao

$14 1.9%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 1056% $150

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $243 in Surigao and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $18.00 in Surigao vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $174 vs $384 per month, with Surigao cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Surigao

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

02:11 2:11 AM

05:11 5:11 AM

3 h ahead of Surigao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

171,107

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

Surigao Melbourne 5,670 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Surigao
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

Surigao vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Surigao and Melbourne differ by about 283% in total monthly costs ($736 vs $2,821 including rent). Surigao is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,104 in Surigao 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: $243 in Surigao versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $144 in Surigao 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 120% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $736 in Surigao versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Surigao but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Surigao 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, Surigao 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 Surigao gentler on the wallet – expenses run 283% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.