Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tarlac City and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Tarlac City: $531 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $27,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Tarlac City
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Tarlac City Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Tarlac City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$531

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $531 in Tarlac City versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Tarlac City $531
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $815 in Tarlac City versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Tarlac City $815
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,098 in Tarlac City versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Tarlac City $1,098
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Tarlac City costs roughly 81% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tarlac City is 61% below, Melbourne is 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.04 ₱129

$17.43 A$25.08

-88.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.02 ₱505

$84.6 A$122

-90.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.84 ₱179

$12.46 A$17.92

-77.21%

Cappuccino

$1.84 ₱116

$4.11 A$5.91

-55.23%

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

$0.46 ₱28.88

$3.06 A$4.40

-84.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₱19.04

$2.52 A$3.62

-88.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 ₱64.2

$9.80 A$14.10

-89.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₱102

$8.57 A$12.33

-80.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 ₱107

$1.48 A$2.14

14.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.15 ₱72.5

$2.94 A$4.23

-60.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.8

$2.66 A$3.82

-62.03%

Eggs

$1.95 ₱123

$5.54 A$7.97

-64.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.15 ₱325

$10.51 A$15.13

-51.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.66 ₱168

$9.65 A$13.89

-72.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.37 ₱401

$15.22 A$21.91

-58.15%

Apples (1kg)

$1.61 ₱101

$3.99 A$5.75

-59.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 ₱99.6

$3.02 A$4.34

-47.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ₱123

$3.10 A$4.46

-37.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.06 ₱67.1

$4.82 A$6.93

-78.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 ₱110

$3.03 A$4.36

-42.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 ₱75.6

$2.44 A$3.52

-50.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ₱39.30

$2.46 A$3.54

-74.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱30.88

$1.63 A$2.34

-69.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 ₱188

$44.07 A$63.4

-93.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.80 ₱239

$12.70 A$18.28

-70.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₱56.4

$5.54 A$7.97

-83.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 ₱96.9

$5.23 A$7.52

-70.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.42

$3.74 A$5.38

-93.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.22 ₱517

$138 A$198

-94.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.76 ₱47.98

$4.51 A$6.50

-83.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₱15.82

$1.36 A$1.96

-81.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 ₱83.2

$30.45 A$43.81

-95.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 ₱75.2

$1.47 A$2.12

-19.05%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$29.0K A$41.7K

-26.83%

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

$19.5K ₱1.2M

$26.5K A$38.1K

-26.39%

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

$89.9 ₱5,661

$234 A$336

-61.52%

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

$5.72 ₱360

$27.93 A$40.19

-79.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.40 ₱1,473

$55.7 A$80.2

-58.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.83 ₱2,508

$49.40 A$71.1

-19.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.18 ₱1,019

$21.48 A$30.91

-24.67%

Cinema Ticket

$5.12 ₱322

$15.09 A$21.72

-66.07%

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

$132 ₱8,311

$2,371 A$3,412

-94.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K ₱669.2K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-64.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.81 ₱1,814

$80.0 A$115

-63.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.45 ₱1,224

$50.7 A$73.0

-61.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.3 ₱3,924

$121 A$174

-48.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.52 ₱3,118

$130 A$188

-62.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$87.6 ₱5,512

$1,759 A$2,531

-95.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$70.7 ₱4,451

$1,390 A$2,000

-94.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$258 ₱16.3K

$3,494 A$5,027

-92.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$165 ₱10.4K

$2,493 A$3,588

-93.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$375 ₱23.6K

$6,926 A$9,967

-94.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$292 ₱18.4K

$6,445 A$9,274

-95.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$210 ₱13.2K

$4,383 A$6,307

-95.21%

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 Tarlac City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tarlac City

$150 28.2%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 156% $234

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tarlac City

$119 22.4%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 167% $198

Clothing & Footwear

Tarlac City

$72 13.6%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 138% $100

Accommodation & Living

Tarlac City

$71 13.3%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 1866% $1.3K

Eating Out

Tarlac City

$58 11%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 439% $256

Sport & Entertainment

Tarlac City

$50 9.4%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 59% $30

Getting Around

Tarlac City

$11 2.1%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 1369% $153

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $87.6 in Tarlac City and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 1987% 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: $8.00 in Tarlac City vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $150 vs $384 per month, with Tarlac City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Tarlac City

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

18:41 6:41 PM

21:41 9:41 PM

3 h ahead of Tarlac City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

385,398

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

Tarlac City Melbourne 6,450 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Tarlac 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

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

Tarlac City and Melbourne differ by about 431% in total monthly costs ($531 vs $2,821 including rent). Tarlac City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 1987% 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: $87.6 in Tarlac City versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $132 in Tarlac City 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 156% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $531 in Tarlac City versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tarlac City but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Tarlac 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, Tarlac 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 Tarlac City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 431% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.