Which place is cheaper, Melbourne or Cebu?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations. These travel costs come from the actual spending of real travelers.
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Should you visit Cebu or Melbourne?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Should I visit Cebu or Melbourne? This is a common question asked by many travelers. By figuring out which city has activities that align with your interests along with knowing which is more affordable, you'll understand where you can get more bang for your buck. So, let's dive into the details and the data, which all comes from actual travelers.
Where Should I go: Cebu or Melbourne?
Cebu
Cebu Island is an important island in the Visayas region of the Philippines, characterized by its main port at Cebu City as well as many natural features. The most-visited areas include islands of Mactan, Bantayan, Badian, Malapascua and Camotes, all which have resorts and hotels. Scuba diving and snorkeling are common activities along the shoreline, while hiking the mountainous spine of the island is popular inland.
Melbourne
Melbourne is the second largest city in Australia, after Sydney. It is also the capital city of the state of Victoria, in southeastern Australia. Melbourne is arguably the best city to experience culture and the arts in Australia. There is a friendly rivalry between Melbourne and Sydney over livability and popularity and Melbourne is definitely the city to visit for its parks, shopping, restaurants, galleries and theaters. Like Sydney, it is situated on the water, at the head of Port Phillip Bay. It's a beautiful city, and although it lacks the major sights that you'll find in Sydney such as the Sydney Opera House or the Harbour Bridge, you will never find yourself lacking for entertainment. It is also a wonderful base for exploring many of the nearby highlights, including Grampians National Park, The Great Ocean Road, and Phillip Island where you can view the penguin parade.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Romantic Tours for Couples in Philippines, The Best Honeymoon Tours in Philippines, The Best Scuba Diving Tours in Australia, and The Best Family-Friendly Tours to Australia.
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Cebu Prices
Philippines PricesMelbourne Prices
Australia Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayCebu $80Melbourne $195
The average daily cost (per person) in Cebu is $80, while the average daily cost in Melbourne is $195. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Cebu and Melbourne in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personCebu $25Melbourne $119
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomCebu $50Melbourne $238
Compare Hotels in Cebu and Melbourne
Looking for a hotel in Cebu or Melbourne? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.
Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.
Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: Cebu Hotel Prices and Melbourne Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Cebu $26Melbourne $20
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Cebu
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Cebu:
- Try find your better than us ! Airport transfer service in Cebu HTL-APT (CEB): $31
- Try find your better than us ! Airport transfer service in Cebu APT-HTL (CEB): $18
- Private Airport to Hotel Transfer in Cebu City: $35
- Oslob Private Van Transfer between Cebu, Mactan or Mandaue City: $175
- Mactan-Cebu Island Hopping Cruise with Lunch & Roundtrip Transfer: $196
- Kawasan Falls Canyoneering w/ Lunch & Transfers from Cebu City: $122
- Danasan Eco Adventure Park Including Round-Trip Hotel Transfer: $161
- Cordova Private Transfer from Cordova city to Mactan Cebu Airport (CEB): $28
- Private One-Way Airport Transfer: $26
- Private Car Transfer with Driver (Flexible Routes): $28
- Oslob Whale Shark Encounter & SUMILON with Transfers: $196
- One-way Airport Transfer to Cebu City Hotels: $89
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Melbourne
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for transportation costs in Melbourne:
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Airport Bus$10
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Tram Ride$2.49
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Melbourne
Also for Melbourne, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Melbourne Airport: Express Bus Transfer to/from City Center: $16
- Express Bus Transfer to or from Melbourne City Center: $19
- Melbourne CBD to Melbourne Airport Private Transfer 4 or more: $32
- Melbourne Airport(Tullamarine): Shared Transfer to Melbourne: $32
- MEL Airport to CBD Private transfers 4 or more: $33
- Melbourne (Tullamarine) Airport: Shared Transfer to Melbourne: $33
- MEL Airport to City Centre Private Transfer: $40
- Melbourne Airport Private Transfer to City: $44
- Transfer Melbourne Airport MEL to City Centre/St Kilda/Hawthorne: $45
- Airport to City Private Transfer (One-way): $66
- Try find your better than us ! Airport transfer service Melbourne HTL-APT (MEL): $69
- Private Car Transfer Melbourne Airport To CBD: $80
Is it cheaper to fly into Cebu or Melbourne?
Prices for flights to both Melbourne and Cebu change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.
Food
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Food Meals for one dayCebu $36Melbourne $53
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Cebu
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Cebu.
- Carbon Market Food Tour & Bars with Jeepney Ride: $16
- Highlands Guided Tour with STREET FOOD TOUR OPTION: $45
- The Ultimate Cebu Food Tour: Local Tastes & Cultural Journey: $70
- Cebu City: Historical Street and Food Tour: $89
- Cebu Traditional Cuisine Cooking Class: $98
- Private Panoramic Tour with Dinner: $100
- Cebu Traditional Bamboo Cooking Class: $107
- Cebu Traditional Bamboo Cooking: $110
- Cebu Vegetarian Cooking Class: $110
- Cebu Traditional Cuisine Cooking Class: $110
- 5-Hour Evening Tour from Cebu with Dinner: $110
Typical Food Prices in Melbourne
For Melbourne, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:
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Coffee$2.62
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Pizza$4.58
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Melbourne
For Melbourne, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Melbourne Flavors: Queen Victoria Market Food Tour: $40
- Multicultural Markets Food Tour – Melbourne’s Global Tastes: $51
- Queen Victoria Market: 'Flavours of Australia' Food Tour: $52
- Queen Victoria Market Early Access Food Tour: $53
- Eynesbury Homestead Dinner and Ghost Tour: $54
- Inner North Street Food Tour: $72
- Sunset Kayak Tour with Dinner: $79
- Melbourne Sunset Kayaking Experience with Dinner: $81
- Melbourne Private Multicultural Markets Food Tour: $86
- Best of Little Italy Dinner Tour: $92
- Carlton a Little Italy Dinner Tour: $93
- Chinese Dumpling Cooking Class with a Drink: $99
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Cebu $17Melbourne $27
Tours and Activities in Cebu
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Cebu are as follows:
- BEST OF Cebu City Heritage with Uphill Tour | Joiners: $64
- Cebu Steet food, historical and mountain tour: $110
- 3-Hour Small Group Cebu City Tour: $38
- Aqua Sports Adventure Package with 3 Water Activities: $129
- BEST OF Cebu City Heritage with Uphill Tour: $61
- BEST OF Guided Heritage City Joiners Tour: $44
- Badian Canyoneering Adventure and Kawasan Waterfalls Private Tour: $149
- Badian Cebu Canyoneering Experience: $146
- Badian Cebu Canyoneering Experience: $103
- Balamban Uphill Adventure Tour in Cebu: $100
- Best Seller Cebu City Group Tour: $53
- Bohol Countryside Day Tour From Cebu City | Lunch at Loboc River Cruise: $145
Tours and Activities in Melbourne
For Melbourne, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- Melbourne Scavenger Hunt and Highlights Self-Guided Tour: $4.81
- Melbourne (St Kilda) Scavenger Hunt and Sights Self-Guided Tour: $6.41
- Melbourne City Centre Scavenger Hunt and Sights Self-Guided Tour: $6.45
- Melbourne Vampire Quest: Self-Guided Gothic Adventure: $7.20
- Melbourne Self Guided Audio Experience: $9.00
- Immigration Museum Entry Ticket: $9.92
- Melbourne Gardens Explorer Minibus Tour: $9.92
- Scienceworks Entry Ticket: $9.92
- Questo Self-guided Haunted Melbourne Walking Tour: $11
- Melbourne Museum Entry Ticket: $12
- Upside Down House Photo Experience in Australia: $13
- Melbourne Museum Entry Ticket: $13
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayCebu $14Melbourne $17
Sample the Local Flavors in Cebu
Some specific costs for nightlife related activities in Cebu:
- Makati Pub Crawl with Optional City Tour: $18
- Cebu City Light's Pub Crawl: $110
Typical Alcohol Prices in Melbourne
Here are a few samples of the prices for alcohol and nightlife in Melbourne from other travelers:
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Bottle of Wine$5.07
Sample the Local Flavors in Melbourne
Also in Melbourne, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
- Melbourne Christmas Bar Crawl: $15
- Melbourne Pub Crawl (Batmania Tours): $19
- Weekly Bar Crawl: 5 Free shots, Club Entry: $20
- Melbourne Halloween Bar Crawl: $24
- Spirits and Ales Haunted Pub Walking Tour: $26
- MELBOURNE Spirits and Ales Haunted Pub Tour: $26
- Melbourne Music Venue Pub Crawl with History + 2 Free Drinks: $26
- Laid back, Yarra Valley Wine Tour: Wine, Cider, Gin, Beer + Choc: $87
- New Chocolate and wine tasting tour in the Yarra Valley: $89
- Cruise Ship Friendly Yarra Valley Wine Tour with Port Pickup: $114
- Yarra Valley: Bus Wine Tour with Lunch and a Glass of Wine: $116
- Yarra Valley Wine Tour & Lunch & Gin/Beer Option: $129
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Cebu and Melbourne, we can see that Melbourne is more expensive. And not only is Cebu much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Cebu is in Asia and Melbourne is in Pacific, this is one of the main reasons why the costs are so different, as different regions of the world tend to have overall different travel costs. So, traveling to Cebu would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Cebu and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Melbourne would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Melbourne than you might in Cebu.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Cebu Expensive? and Is Melbourne Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Cebu or Melbourne?
Melbourne has a larger population, and is about 5 times larger than the population of Cebu. When comparing the sizes of Cebu and Melbourne, keep in mind that a larger population does not always imply the destination has more attractions or better activities. So, always research the type of place that you want to visit along with the activities and attractions that interest you.
When is the best time to visit Cebu or Melbourne?
Melbourne has a temperate climate with four distinct seasons, but Cebu experiences a warm climate with fairly sunny weather most of the year.
Should I visit Cebu or Melbourne in the Summer?
Both Melbourne and Cebu during the summer are popular places to visit. Plenty of visitors come to Cebu because of the warm climate and sunshine that lasts throughout the year. Also, the beaches, the city activities, and the family-friendly experiences are the main draw to Melbourne this time of year.
In the summer, Cebu is a little warmer than Melbourne. Typically, the summer temperatures in Cebu in July average around 28°C (82°F), and Melbourne averages at about 20°C (68°F)in January.
It rains a lot this time of the year in Cebu. Cebu usually gets more rain in July than Melbournein January. Cebu gets 160 mm (6.3 in) of rain, while Melbourne receives 45 mm (1.8 in) of rain this time of the year.
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Summer Average Temperatures July and JanuaryCebu 28°C (82°F)Melbourne 20°C (68°F)
Should I visit Cebu or Melbourne in the Autumn?
The autumn attracts plenty of travelers to both Cebu and Melbourne. Warm weather and sunshine bring visitors to Cebu year-round. Also, many travelers come to Melbourne for the city's sights and attractions and the shopping scene.
In October, Cebu is generally much warmer than Melbournein April. Daily temperatures in Cebu average around 28°C (82°F), and Melbourne fluctuates around 15°C (60°F).
Cebu gets a good bit of rain this time of year. In October, Cebu usually receives more rain than Melbournein April. Cebu gets 150 mm (5.9 in) of rain, while Melbourne receives 50 mm (2 in) of rain each month for the autumn.
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Autumn Average Temperatures October and AprilCebu 28°C (82°F)Melbourne 15°C (60°F)
Should I visit Cebu or Melbourne in the Winter?
The winter brings many poeple to Cebu as well as Melbourne. Cebu attracts visitors year-round for its warm weather and sunny climate. Also, many visitors come to Melbourne in the winter for the museums, the shopping scene, and the cuisine.
Cebu is much warmer than Melbourne in the winter. The daily temperature in Cebu averages around 27°C (81°F) in January, and Melbourne fluctuates around 9°C (49°F)in July.
Cebu usually gets more rain in January than Melbournein July. Cebu gets 90 mm (3.5 in) of rain, while Melbourne receives 43 mm (1.7 in) of rain this time of the year.
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Winter Average Temperatures January and JulyCebu 27°C (81°F)Melbourne 9°C (49°F)
Should I visit Cebu or Melbourne in the Spring?
Both Melbourne and Cebu are popular destinations to visit in the spring with plenty of activities. The warm climate attracts visitors to Cebu throughout the year. Also, most visitors come to Melbourne for the beaches and the activities around the city during these months.
In the spring, Cebu is much warmer than Melbourne. Typically, the spring temperatures in Cebu in April average around 29°C (84°F), and Melbourne averages at about 14°C (57°F)in October.
In April, Cebu usually receives less rain than Melbournein October. Cebu gets 50 mm (2 in) of rain, while Melbourne receives 62 mm (2.4 in) of rain each month for the spring.
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Spring Average Temperatures April and OctoberCebu 29°C (84°F)Melbourne 14°C (57°F)
Typical Weather for Melbourne and Cebu
| Cebu | Melbourne | |||
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| Temp (°C) | Rain (mm) | Temp (°C) | Rain (mm) | |
| Jan | 27°C (81°F) | 90 mm (3.5 in) | 20°C (68°F) | 45 mm (1.8 in) |
| Feb | 27°C (81°F) | 90 mm (3.5 in) | 20°C (68°F) | 43 mm (1.7 in) |
| Mar | 28°C (82°F) | 70 mm (2.8 in) | 19°C (65°F) | 35 mm (1.4 in) |
| Apr | 29°C (84°F) | 50 mm (2 in) | 15°C (60°F) | 50 mm (2 in) |
| May | 30°C (86°F) | 110 mm (4.3 in) | 13°C (55°F) | 55 mm (2.2 in) |
| Jun | 29°C (84°F) | 170 mm (6.7 in) | 10°C (50°F) | 37 mm (1.5 in) |
| Jul | 28°C (82°F) | 160 mm (6.3 in) | 9°C (49°F) | 43 mm (1.7 in) |
| Aug | 28°C (82°F) | 140 mm (5.5 in) | 10°C (51°F) | 51 mm (2 in) |
| Sep | 29°C (84°F) | 170 mm (6.7 in) | 12°C (53°F) | 48 mm (1.9 in) |
| Oct | 28°C (82°F) | 150 mm (5.9 in) | 14°C (57°F) | 62 mm (2.4 in) |
| Nov | 28°C (82°F) | 140 mm (5.5 in) | 16°C (61°F) | 49 mm (1.9 in) |
| Dec | 27°C (81°F) | 130 mm (5.1 in) | 18°C (65°F) | 47 mm (1.9 in) |
Budget Your Trip is all about finding out how much everything costs so that you can travel cheaper and longer. Created by avid travelers Laurie and Bryan, our goal is to help you plan your next trip on the right budget. With average daily travel costs that are calculated from the budgets of real travelers, plus an analysis of hotel and tour prices, you can find out how much money you need to plan your next adventure. We also have plenty of travel advice, accommodation reviews, and activity suggestions.