Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zamboanga and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Zamboanga: $748 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Zamboanga
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Zamboanga Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Zamboanga

🇵🇭 Philippines

$748

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $748 in Zamboanga versus $2,853 in Melbourne.

Zamboanga $748
Melbourne $2,853

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,123 in Zamboanga versus $4,275 in Melbourne.

Zamboanga $1,123
Melbourne $4,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,497 in Zamboanga versus $5,697 in Melbourne.

Zamboanga $1,497
Melbourne $5,697

Living in Zamboanga 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: Zamboanga is 45% below, Melbourne is 111% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.33 ₱83.5

$17.20 A$24.75

-92.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.41 ₱1,033

$83.1 A$120

-80.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.50 ₱220

$12.43 A$17.88

-71.84%

Cappuccino

$2.09 ₱132

$4.05 A$5.82

-48.40%

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

$0.86 ₱54.0

$3.12 A$4.50

-72.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 ₱24.88

$2.46 A$3.54

-83.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.44 ₱90.8

$9.52 A$13.71

-84.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 ₱129

$8.16 A$11.74

-74.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.56 A$2.25

12.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ₱89.0

$2.90 A$4.18

-51.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 ₱73.0

$2.66 A$3.82

-56.39%

Eggs

$1.46 ₱91.7

$5.37 A$7.72

-72.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.01 ₱630

$10.67 A$15.36

-6.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.05 ₱255

$9.85 A$14.17

-58.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.33 ₱209

$15.36 A$22.11

-78.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 ₱200

$4.17 A$6.00

-23.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 ₱74.1

$3.15 A$4.53

-62.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.82 ₱241

$3.26 A$4.69

17.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 ₱73.1

$4.76 A$6.85

-75.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 ₱79.6

$3.06 A$4.41

-58.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 ₱161

$2.47 A$3.55

3.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 ₱54.4

$2.45 A$3.52

-64.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ₱32.39

$1.63 A$2.34

-68.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.74 ₱172

$45.17 A$65.0

-93.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.23 ₱266

$12.68 A$18.25

-66.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 ₱82.1

$5.69 A$8.18

-77.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ₱124

$5.23 A$7.53

-62.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱13.88

$3.87 A$5.57

-94.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.19 ₱704

$142 A$204

-92.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 ₱51.9

$4.54 A$6.53

-81.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.50

$1.42 A$2.04

-83.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 ₱118

$30.59 A$44.01

-93.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 ₱64.4

$1.47 A$2.11

-30.61%

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

$21.7K ₱1.4M

$28.9K A$41.5K

-24.68%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$25.9K A$37.3K

-25.01%

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

$124 ₱7,826

$235 A$338

-47.13%

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

$15.48 ₱975

$27.45 A$39.51

-43.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.25 ₱2,975

$56.1 A$80.8

-15.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.74 ₱2,250

$50.1 A$72.1

-28.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.67 ₱294

$21.49 A$30.93

-78.27%

Cinema Ticket

$5.07 ₱319

$17.76 A$25.56

-71.45%

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

$133 ₱8,372

$2,385 A$3,432

-94.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,082 ₱508.9K

$29.7K A$42.7K

-72.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.93 ₱2,073

$79.2 A$114

-58.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.29 ₱1,215

$49.49 A$71.2

-61.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.8 ₱4,457

$118 A$170

-40.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.7 ₱3,505

$132 A$190

-57.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$266 ₱16.8K

$1,763 A$2,537

-84.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$175 ₱11.0K

$1,411 A$2,031

-87.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$332 ₱20.9K

$3,522 A$5,069

-90.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$360 ₱22.6K

$2,525 A$3,634

-85.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,366 ₱149.0K

$7,136 A$10.3K

-66.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$998 ₱62.9K

$6,355 A$9,144

-84.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$193 ₱12.2K

$4,258 A$6,128

-95.46%

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 Zamboanga: October 19, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zamboanga

$187 25%

Melbourne

$319 11.2% 70.4% $132

Groceries & Markets

Zamboanga

$184 24.6%

Melbourne

$388 13.6% 111% $205

Accommodation & Living

Zamboanga

$175 23.3%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5% 708% $1.2K

Clothing & Footwear

Zamboanga

$80 10.7%

Melbourne

$171 6% 112% $90

Eating Out

Zamboanga

$62 8.4%

Melbourne

$310 10.9% 396% $247

Sport & Entertainment

Zamboanga

$46 6.1%

Melbourne

$86 3% 86.6% $40

Getting Around

Zamboanga

$14 1.9%

Melbourne

$169 5.9% 1103% $155

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $266 in Zamboanga and $1,763 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 2103% 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: $16.00 in Zamboanga vs $83.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $184 vs $388 per month, with Zamboanga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Zamboanga

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

08:49 8:49 AM

11:49 11:49 AM

3 h ahead of Zamboanga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

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 21, 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 21, 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

Zamboanga Melbourne 5,510 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Zamboanga
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

Zamboanga vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zamboanga and Melbourne differ by about 281% in total monthly costs ($748 vs $2,853 including rent). Zamboanga is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 2103% 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: $266 in Zamboanga versus $1,763 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $133 in Zamboanga versus $2,385 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 111% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $748 in Zamboanga versus $2,853 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Zamboanga but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Zamboanga 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, Zamboanga 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 Zamboanga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 281% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.