Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Butterworth and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Butterworth: $932 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $26,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Butterworth
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Butterworth Living Index
155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index

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Butterworth

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$932

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $932 per month in Butterworth vs $3,152 in Sydney, rent included.

Butterworth $932
Sydney $3,152

A couple spends around $1,402 per month in Butterworth vs $4,710 in Sydney, rent included.

Butterworth $1,402
Sydney $4,710

A family of three spends $1,871 per month in Butterworth vs $6,268 in Sydney, rent included.

Butterworth $1,871
Sydney $6,268

Butterworth is about 70% cheaper than Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Butterworth sits 31% below the global median, while Sydney is 133% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.77 MYR 15.38

$17.57 A$25.29

-78.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.66 MYR 80.2

$91.5 A$132

-78.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.70 MYR 19.19

$11.96 A$17.21

-60.70%

Cappuccino

$2.90 MYR 11.82

$4.07 A$5.85

-28.75%

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

$0.76 MYR 3.11

$2.85 A$4.10

-73.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 MYR 1.59

$2.25 A$3.24

-82.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.19 MYR 17.09

$7.60 A$10.94

-44.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.30 MYR 17.56

$7.43 A$10.69

-42.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 MYR 8.48

$1.66 A$2.38

25.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 MYR 4.26

$2.78 A$4.00

-62.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 MYR 6.94

$2.42 A$3.49

-29.75%

Eggs

$2.17 MYR 8.86

$5.64 A$8.12

-61.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.81 MYR 56.4

$11.71 A$16.85

17.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.35 MYR 17.74

$9.66 A$13.89

-54.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.79 MYR 35.87

$16.75 A$24.10

-47.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MYR 11.84

$4.07 A$5.85

-28.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 MYR 6.88

$3.25 A$4.68

-48.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 MYR 9.52

$3.44 A$4.96

-32.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 MYR 5.75

$4.28 A$6.16

-67.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 MYR 4.29

$3.28 A$4.72

-67.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 MYR 4.61

$2.30 A$3.30

-50.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 MYR 4.42

$2.30 A$3.31

-53.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 MYR 2.33

$1.21 A$1.74

-52.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.46 MYR 18.20

$43.71 A$62.9

-89.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.33 MYR 78.9

$13.88 A$19.97

39.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 MYR 11.72

$3.90 A$5.62

-26.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.90 MYR 19.97

$3.91 A$5.63

25.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 MYR 2.86

$3.04 A$4.38

-76.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.13 MYR 45.40

$150 A$216

-92.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 MYR 4.89

$3.38 A$4.86

-64.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 MYR 1.52

$1.56 A$2.24

-76.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.87 MYR 19.88

$40.01 A$57.6

-87.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 MYR 3.63

$1.40 A$2.01

-36.43%

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

$42.2K MYR 172.3K

$29.1K A$41.9K

45.00%

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

$34.2K MYR 139.5K

$30.1K A$43.4K

13.51%

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

$37.79 MYR 154

$223 A$320

-83.02%

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

$8.58 MYR 34.99

$27.16 A$39.08

-68.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.51 MYR 108

$55.8 A$80.3

-52.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.71 MYR 150

$74.6 A$107

-50.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.90 MYR 28.15

$23.99 A$34.52

-71.24%

Cinema Ticket

$5.03 MYR 20.50

$17.56 A$25.27

-71.36%

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

$297 MYR 1,211

$2,196 A$3,160

-86.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K MYR 44.4K

$28.2K A$40.6K

-61.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 MYR 240

$78.4 A$113

-24.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.71 MYR 146

$68.4 A$98.5

-47.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.9 MYR 334

$111 A$160

-26.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.0 MYR 290

$134 A$193

-47.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$410 MYR 1,672

$2,500 A$3,598

-83.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$314 MYR 1,281

$1,709 A$2,460

-81.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$772 MYR 3,149

$4,946 A$7,117

-84.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$522 MYR 2,130

$3,022 A$4,349

-82.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,053 MYR 8,376

$13.2K A$18.9K

-84.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,101 MYR 4,493

$8,370 A$12.0K

-86.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.04

5.84

-30.82%

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

Last update for Butterworth: October 10, 2026

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Butterworth

$314 33.7%

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2% 444% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Butterworth

$257 27.6%

Sydney

$379 12% 47.4% $122

Eating Out

Butterworth

$113 12.1%

Sydney

$299 9.5% 164% $185

Clothing & Footwear

Butterworth

$111 12%

Sydney

$177 5.6% 58.5% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Butterworth

$73 7.8%

Sydney

$306 9.7% 319% $233

Sport & Entertainment

Butterworth

$47 5%

Sydney

$110 3.5% 135% $63

Getting Around

Butterworth

$17 1.8%

Sydney

$174 5.5% 921% $157

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $410 in Butterworth versus $2,500 in Sydney. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Butterworth versus $91.0 in Sydney. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $379 – making Butterworth the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Butterworth

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

05:08 5:08 AM

08:08 8:08 AM

3 h ahead of Butterworth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

339,132

4,840,600

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 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 MYR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Butterworth Sydney 6,890 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Butterworth
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

Butterworth vs Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $932 in Butterworth, $3,152 in Sydney – roughly 238% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,398 per month in Butterworth and $4,728 in Sydney. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Butterworth, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $932 in Butterworth and $3,152 in Sydney. That's a gap of about 238%.

Public transport costs about 1250% less in Butterworth. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Butterworth, where all-in costs run around $932, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Butterworth it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Butterworth – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Butterworth. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sydney makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.