Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tagum City and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Tagum City: $437 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $28,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Tagum City
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Tagum City Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Tagum City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$437

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $437 in Tagum City versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Tagum City $437
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $541 in Tagum City versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Tagum City $541
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $645 in Tagum City versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Tagum City $645
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Tagum City costs roughly 84% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tagum City is 68% below, Melbourne is 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.50 ₱346

$17.43 A$25.08

-68.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.68 ₱799

$84.6 A$122

-85.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.05 ₱318

$12.46 A$17.92

-59.47%

Cappuccino

$2.29 ₱144

$4.11 A$5.91

-44.28%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.87 ₱117

$9.80 A$14.10

-80.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 ₱90.9

$8.57 A$12.33

-83.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 ₱102

$1.48 A$2.14

9.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

Eggs

$1.88 ₱119

$5.54 A$7.97

-66.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.06 ₱507

$15.22 A$21.91

-47.04%

Apples (1kg)

$6.41 ₱404

$3.99 A$5.75

60.65%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 ₱86.0

$5.54 A$7.97

-75.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.76

$3.74 A$5.38

-93.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ₱86.2

$1.47 A$2.12

-6.80%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

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

$55.7 ₱3,506

$234 A$336

-76.17%

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

$8.09 ₱510

$27.93 A$40.19

-71.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.46 ₱1,729

$55.7 A$80.2

-50.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.71 ₱1,493

$49.40 A$71.1

-52.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$3.28 ₱206

$15.09 A$21.72

-78.26%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$159 ₱9,992

$1,759 A$2,531

-90.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$129 ₱8,124

$1,390 A$2,000

-90.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$323 ₱20.3K

$3,494 A$5,027

-90.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$203 ₱12.8K

$4,383 A$6,307

-95.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

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

Last update for Tagum City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tagum City

$129 29.5%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 977% $1.3K

Eating Out

Tagum City

$99 * 22.6%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 218% $216

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tagum City

$91 20.9%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 248% $226

Groceries & Markets

Tagum City

$87 * 19.9%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 342% $297

Sport & Entertainment

Tagum City

$30 6.9%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 163% $49

Getting Around

Tagum City

$1 * 0.2%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 16278% $163

Clothing & Footwear

Tagum City

- * 0%

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

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 $159 in Tagum City and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 2059% 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: $13.00 in Tagum City vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $87.0 vs $384 per month, with Tagum City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Tagum City

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

03:04 3:04 AM

06:04 6:04 AM

3 h ahead of Tagum City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

296,202

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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Highest

Between locations

Tagum City Melbourne 5,410 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Tagum 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

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

Tagum City and Melbourne differ by about 545% in total monthly costs ($437 vs $2,821 including rent). Tagum City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 2059% 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: $159 in Tagum City versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Tagum City – a meal for two runs $13.00 versus $85.0 in Melbourne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $437 per month in Tagum City versus $2,821 in Melbourne – a 545% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $437 in Tagum City versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tagum City but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Tagum 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, Tagum 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 Tagum City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 545% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.