Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Balikpapan and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Balikpapan: $668 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $29,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Balikpapan
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Balikpapan Living Index
155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index

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Balikpapan

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$668

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Balikpapan and in Sydney

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Balikpapan and in Sydney actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $668 in Balikpapan versus $3,152 in Sydney.

Balikpapan $668
Sydney $3,152

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,048 in Balikpapan versus $4,710 in Sydney.

Balikpapan $1,048
Sydney $4,710

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,428 in Balikpapan versus $6,268 in Sydney.

Balikpapan $1,428
Sydney $6,268

Living in Balikpapan costs roughly 79% less than in Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Balikpapan is 51% below, Sydney is 133% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.39 Rp 25.0K

$17.57 A$25.29

-92.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.95 Rp 197.1K

$91.5 A$132

-88.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.05 Rp 55.0K

$11.96 A$17.21

-74.50%

Cappuccino

$1.36 Rp 24.5K

$4.07 A$5.85

-66.58%

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

$0.37 Rp 6,712

$2.85 A$4.10

-87.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 Rp 6,871

$2.25 A$3.24

-83.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 Rp 40.4K

$7.60 A$10.94

-70.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

$7.43 A$10.69

-55.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Rp 20.3K

$1.66 A$2.38

-31.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 Rp 19.2K

$2.78 A$4.00

-61.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 Rp 20.8K

$2.42 A$3.49

-52.07%

Eggs

$2.54 Rp 45.8K

$5.64 A$8.12

-54.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.38 Rp 132.8K

$11.71 A$16.85

-36.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.92 Rp 52.6K

$9.66 A$13.89

-69.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.04 Rp 144.7K

$16.75 A$24.10

-52.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 Rp 40.5K

$4.07 A$5.85

-44.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 Rp 23.4K

$3.25 A$4.68

-60.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 Rp 31.7K

$3.44 A$4.96

-48.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

$4.28 A$6.16

-70.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 Rp 22.7K

$3.28 A$4.72

-61.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 Rp 34.2K

$2.30 A$3.30

-17.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 Rp 14.0K

$2.30 A$3.31

-66.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 Rp 13.0K

$1.21 A$1.74

-40.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.89 Rp 34.0K

$43.71 A$62.9

-95.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.83 Rp 374.9K

$13.88 A$19.97

50.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 Rp 33.7K

$3.90 A$5.62

-52.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 Rp 54.3K

$3.91 A$5.63

-22.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 Rp 5,219

$3.04 A$4.38

-90.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.15 Rp 20.7K

$3.38 A$4.86

-65.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 Rp 6,777

$1.56 A$2.24

-75.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.59 Rp 46.7K

$40.01 A$57.6

-93.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.77 Rp 13.8K

$1.40 A$2.01

-45.00%

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

$23.4K Rp 420.6M

$29.1K A$41.9K

-19.77%

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

$31.0K Rp 558.8M

$30.1K A$43.4K

3.04%

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

$67.5 Rp 1.2M

$223 A$320

-69.69%

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

$4.36 Rp 78.4K

$27.16 A$39.08

-83.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.86 Rp 537.4K

$55.8 A$80.3

-46.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.74 Rp 427.4K

$74.6 A$107

-68.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.46 Rp 152.2K

$23.99 A$34.52

-64.74%

Cinema Ticket

$2.84 Rp 51.1K

$17.56 A$25.27

-83.83%

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

$93.1 Rp 1.7M

$2,196 A$3,160

-95.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,570 Rp 154.3M

$28.2K A$40.6K

-69.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.14 Rp 686.6K

$78.4 A$113

-51.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.66 Rp 335.9K

$68.4 A$98.5

-72.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$141 Rp 2.5M

$111 A$160

26.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.9 Rp 1.3M

$134 A$193

-47.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$203 Rp 3.7M

$2,500 A$3,598

-91.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$148 Rp 2.7M

$1,709 A$2,460

-91.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$537 Rp 9.7M

$4,946 A$7,117

-89.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$361 Rp 6.5M

$3,022 A$4,349

-88.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,258 Rp 22.6M

$13.2K A$18.9K

-90.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$818 Rp 14.7M

$8,370 A$12.0K

-90.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$238 Rp 4.3M

$4,113 A$5,919

-94.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.46

5.84

61.99%

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

Last update for Balikpapan: October 13, 2026

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Balikpapan

$206 30.9%

Sydney

$379 12% 83.3% $172

Accommodation & Living

Balikpapan

$148 22.1%

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2% 1057% $1.6K

Clothing & Footwear

Balikpapan

$121 18.1%

Sydney

$177 5.6% 46.3% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Balikpapan

$102 15.2%

Sydney

$306 9.7% 201% $204

Eating Out

Balikpapan

$57 8.6%

Sydney

$299 9.5% 419% $241

Sport & Entertainment

Balikpapan

$29 4.4%

Sydney

$110 3.5% 273% $80

Getting Around

Balikpapan

$4.2 * 0.6%

Sydney

$174 5.5% 4043% $169

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 $203 in Balikpapan and $2,500 in Sydney. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 1630% 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: $11.00 in Balikpapan vs $91.0 in Sydney for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $379 per month, with Balikpapan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Balikpapan

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

15:10 3:10 PM

18:10 6:10 PM

3 h ahead of Balikpapan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

701,066

4,840,600

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Balikpapan Sydney 5,090 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Balikpapan
Sydney

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

Balikpapan vs Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Balikpapan and Sydney differ by about 372% in total monthly costs ($668 vs $3,152 including rent). Balikpapan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 1630% lower in Sydney. 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: $203 in Balikpapan versus $2,500 in Sydney. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $93.1 in Balikpapan versus $2,196 in Sydney. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Balikpapan – a meal for two runs $11.00 versus $91.0 in Sydney. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $668 in Balikpapan versus $3,152 in Sydney, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Balikpapan but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Balikpapan 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, Balikpapan and Sydney 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 Balikpapan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 372% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.