Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tagbilaran City and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Tagbilaran City: $624 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $26,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Tagbilaran City
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Tagbilaran City Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Tagbilaran City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$624

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $624 in Tagbilaran City versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Tagbilaran City $624
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,001 in Tagbilaran City versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Tagbilaran City $1,001
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,378 in Tagbilaran City versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Tagbilaran City $1,378
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Tagbilaran City 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: Tagbilaran City is 54% below, Melbourne is 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 ₱187

$17.43 A$25.08

-82.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.24 ₱1,085

$84.6 A$122

-79.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.89 ₱182

$12.46 A$17.92

-76.81%

Cappuccino

$2.47 ₱156

$4.11 A$5.91

-39.90%

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

$0.94 ₱58.9

$3.06 A$4.40

-69.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ₱29.04

$2.52 A$3.62

-81.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.83 ₱52.1

$9.80 A$14.10

-91.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 ₱137

$8.57 A$12.33

-74.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₱97.4

$1.48 A$2.14

4.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 ₱66.9

$2.94 A$4.23

-63.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.90 ₱56.7

$2.66 A$3.82

-66.17%

Eggs

$1.75 ₱110

$5.54 A$7.97

-68.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.33 ₱587

$10.51 A$15.13

-11.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.37 ₱275

$9.65 A$13.89

-54.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.55 ₱475

$15.22 A$21.91

-50.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 ₱180

$3.99 A$5.75

-28.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 ₱85.2

$3.02 A$4.34

-55.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ₱152

$3.10 A$4.46

-22.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ₱95.7

$4.82 A$6.93

-68.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.42 ₱152

$3.03 A$4.36

-20.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 ₱124

$2.44 A$3.52

-19.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ₱40.89

$2.46 A$3.54

-73.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 ₱29.15

$1.63 A$2.34

-71.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.38 ₱150

$44.07 A$63.4

-94.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.11 ₱385

$12.70 A$18.28

-51.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₱56.8

$5.54 A$7.97

-83.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 ₱67.3

$5.23 A$7.52

-79.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 ₱29.39

$3.74 A$5.38

-87.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.52

$4.51 A$6.50

-82.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.50

$1.36 A$1.96

-83.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.38 ₱276

$30.45 A$43.81

-85.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 ₱65.5

$1.47 A$2.12

-29.25%

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

$21.0K ₱1.3M

$29.0K A$41.7K

-27.58%

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

$19.6K ₱1.2M

$26.5K A$38.1K

-25.99%

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

$80.8 ₱5,085

$234 A$336

-65.44%

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

$14.28 ₱899

$27.93 A$40.19

-48.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.27 ₱1,591

$55.7 A$80.2

-54.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$11.21 ₱706

$49.40 A$71.1

-77.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.35 ₱211

$21.48 A$30.91

-84.40%

Cinema Ticket

$3.62 ₱228

$15.09 A$21.72

-76.01%

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

$281 ₱17.7K

$2,371 A$3,412

-88.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,018 ₱504.8K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-73.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.11 ₱2,336

$80.0 A$115

-53.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.96 ₱1,131

$50.7 A$73.0

-64.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.0 ₱4,031

$121 A$174

-46.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.0 ₱3,591

$130 A$188

-56.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$194 ₱12.2K

$1,759 A$2,531

-88.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$139 ₱8,774

$1,390 A$2,000

-89.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$477 ₱30.0K

$3,494 A$5,027

-86.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$339 ₱21.3K

$2,493 A$3,588

-86.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$785 ₱49.4K

$6,926 A$9,967

-88.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$470 ₱29.6K

$6,445 A$9,274

-92.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$178 ₱11.2K

$4,383 A$6,307

-95.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

5.9

22.03%

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

Last update for Tagbilaran City: 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

Tagbilaran City

$187 30%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 105% $197

Accommodation & Living

Tagbilaran City

$139 22.3%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 897% $1.3K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tagbilaran City

$120 19.3%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 164% $197

Clothing & Footwear

Tagbilaran City

$79 12.7%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 117% $92

Eating Out

Tagbilaran City

$76 12.2%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 313% $238

Sport & Entertainment

Tagbilaran City

$18 3%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 331% $61

Getting Around

Tagbilaran City

$3.8 * 0.6%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 4221% $160

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 $194 in Tagbilaran City and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 2361% 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: $17.00 in Tagbilaran City vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $187 vs $384 per month, with Tagbilaran City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Tagbilaran City

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

07:41 7:41 AM

10:41 10:41 AM

3 h ahead of Tagbilaran City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

86,411

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 = 70.78 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tagbilaran City Melbourne 5,710 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Tagbilaran City
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

Tagbilaran City vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tagbilaran City and Melbourne differ by about 352% in total monthly costs ($624 vs $2,821 including rent). Tagbilaran City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 2361% 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: $194 in Tagbilaran City versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 105% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $624 per month in Tagbilaran City versus $2,821 in Melbourne – a 352% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $624 in Tagbilaran City versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tagbilaran City but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Tagbilaran City 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, Tagbilaran City 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 Tagbilaran City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 352% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.