Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Butuan and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Butuan: $578 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $30,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Butuan
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Butuan Living Index
155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index

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Butuan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$578

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $578 in Butuan versus $3,152 in Sydney.

Butuan $578
Sydney $3,152

Estimated couple costs with rent: $913 in Butuan versus $4,710 in Sydney.

Butuan $913
Sydney $4,710

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,248 in Butuan versus $6,268 in Sydney.

Butuan $1,248
Sydney $6,268

Living in Butuan costs roughly 82% less than in Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Butuan is 57% below, Sydney is 133% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.67 ₱294

$17.57 A$25.29

-73.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.83 ₱1,689

$91.5 A$132

-70.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.41 ₱152

$11.96 A$17.21

-79.85%

Cappuccino

$2.09 ₱131

$4.07 A$5.85

-48.65%

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

$0.33 ₱21.01

$2.85 A$4.10

-88.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 ₱14.47

$2.25 A$3.24

-89.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.57 ₱98.8

$7.60 A$10.94

-79.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 ₱155

$7.43 A$10.69

-66.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ₱123

$1.66 A$2.38

17.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₱68.9

$2.78 A$4.00

-60.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 ₱55.0

$2.42 A$3.49

-64.05%

Eggs

$1.86 ₱117

$5.64 A$8.12

-67.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.21 ₱391

$11.71 A$16.85

-46.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.84 ₱305

$9.66 A$13.89

-49.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.32 ₱587

$16.75 A$24.10

-44.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 ₱169

$4.07 A$5.85

-34.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 ₱69.7

$3.25 A$4.68

-65.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.42 ₱152

$3.44 A$4.96

-29.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.20 ₱75.8

$4.28 A$6.16

-71.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 ₱127

$3.28 A$4.72

-38.41%

Onion (1kg)

$3.51 ₱221

$2.30 A$3.30

52.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₱79.0

$2.30 A$3.31

-45.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₱42.40

$1.21 A$1.74

-44.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.39 ₱150

$43.71 A$62.9

-94.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.13 ₱512

$13.88 A$19.97

-41.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 ₱78.7

$3.90 A$5.62

-67.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ₱106

$3.91 A$5.63

-56.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.78 ₱49.31

$3.38 A$4.86

-76.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₱15.83

$1.56 A$2.24

-83.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 ₱123

$40.01 A$57.6

-95.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ₱66.1

$1.40 A$2.01

-25.00%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$29.1K A$41.9K

-27.10%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$30.1K A$43.4K

-36.84%

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

$107 ₱6,745

$223 A$320

-51.87%

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

$18.89 ₱1,189

$27.16 A$39.08

-30.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.87 ₱1,944

$55.8 A$80.3

-44.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.85 ₱1,502

$74.6 A$107

-68.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

Cinema Ticket

$4.37 ₱275

$17.56 A$25.27

-75.11%

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

$108 ₱6,790

$2,196 A$3,160

-95.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,696 ₱484.6K

$28.2K A$40.6K

-72.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ₱3,885

$78.4 A$113

-21.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.28 ₱1,970

$68.4 A$98.5

-54.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.8 ₱4,523

$111 A$160

-35.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.2 ₱3,916

$134 A$193

-53.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.31

5.84

42.29%

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

Last update for Butuan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Butuan

$200 34.6%

Sydney

$379 12% 89.2% $179

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Butuan

$157 27.1%

Sydney

$306 9.7% 94.8% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Butuan

$102 17.7%

Sydney

$177 5.6% 72.9% $74

Eating Out

Butuan

$85 14.6%

Sydney

$299 9.5% 253% $214

Sport & Entertainment

Butuan

$33 5.6%

Sydney

$110 3.5% 237% $77

Getting Around

Butuan

$2 * 0.4%

Sydney

$174 5.5% 8408% $172

Accommodation & Living

Butuan

- * 0%

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $27.00 in Butuan vs $91.0 in Sydney for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $200 vs $379 per month, with Butuan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Butuan

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

05:56 5:56 AM

08:56 8:56 AM

3 h ahead of Butuan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

337,063

4,840,600

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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

Butuan Sydney 5,480 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Butuan
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

Butuan vs Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Butuan wins on cost – living expenses run 445% lower than in Sydney. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Butuan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $867 in Butuan and $4,728 in Sydney to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $108 in Butuan 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 Butuan – a meal for two runs $27.00 versus $91.0 in Sydney. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $578 in Butuan versus $3,152 in Sydney, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Butuan but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Butuan 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, Butuan 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 Butuan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 445% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.