Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calamba and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Calamba: $518 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $31,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Calamba
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Calamba Living Index
155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index

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Calamba

🇵🇭 Philippines

$518

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $518 in Calamba versus $3,152 in Sydney.

Calamba $518
Sydney $3,152

Estimated couple costs with rent: $764 in Calamba versus $4,710 in Sydney.

Calamba $764
Sydney $4,710

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,010 in Calamba versus $6,268 in Sydney.

Calamba $1,010
Sydney $6,268

Living in Calamba costs roughly 84% less than in Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Calamba is 62% below, Sydney is 133% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.92 ₱247

$17.57 A$25.29

-77.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.02 ₱757

$91.5 A$132

-86.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.82 ₱178

$11.96 A$17.21

-76.42%

Cappuccino

$1.79 ₱113

$4.07 A$5.85

-56.02%

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

$0.56 ₱35.44

$2.85 A$4.10

-80.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱21.06

$2.25 A$3.24

-85.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.94 ₱59.5

$7.60 A$10.94

-87.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ₱97.7

$7.43 A$10.69

-79.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ₱101

$1.66 A$2.38

-3.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₱70.1

$2.78 A$4.00

-60.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ₱61.0

$2.42 A$3.49

-59.92%

Eggs

$2.00 ₱126

$5.64 A$8.12

-64.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.20 ₱327

$11.71 A$16.85

-55.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ₱214

$9.66 A$13.89

-64.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.80 ₱491

$16.75 A$24.10

-53.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 ₱145

$4.07 A$5.85

-43.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 ₱96.9

$3.25 A$4.68

-52.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 ₱151

$3.44 A$4.96

-30.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.06 ₱66.9

$4.28 A$6.16

-75.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 ₱109

$3.28 A$4.72

-47.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 ₱112

$2.30 A$3.30

-22.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ₱38.68

$2.30 A$3.31

-73.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱31.10

$1.21 A$1.74

-59.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.92 ₱184

$43.71 A$62.9

-93.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.87 ₱558

$13.88 A$19.97

-36.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₱60.3

$3.90 A$5.62

-75.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 ₱132

$3.91 A$5.63

-46.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 ₱51.9

$3.38 A$4.86

-75.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₱15.75

$1.56 A$2.24

-83.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 ₱119

$40.01 A$57.6

-95.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 ₱58.7

$1.40 A$2.01

-33.57%

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

$21.1K ₱1.3M

$29.1K A$41.9K

-27.44%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$30.1K A$43.4K

-36.90%

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

$139 ₱8,759

$223 A$320

-37.50%

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

$17.36 ₱1,093

$27.16 A$39.08

-36.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.85 ₱1,502

$55.8 A$80.3

-57.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

Cinema Ticket

$5.04 ₱317

$17.56 A$25.27

-71.30%

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

$130 ₱8,193

$2,196 A$3,160

-94.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K ₱668.9K

$28.2K A$40.6K

-62.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.54 ₱1,797

$78.4 A$113

-63.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.73 ₱1,242

$68.4 A$98.5

-71.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.0 ₱4,468

$111 A$160

-36.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.3 ₱3,482

$134 A$193

-58.86%

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)

$260 ₱16.4K

$4,113 A$5,919

-93.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

5.84

15.58%

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

Last update for Calamba: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calamba

$180 34.8%

Sydney

$306 9.7% 69.5% $125

Groceries & Markets

Calamba

$175 33.7%

Sydney

$379 12% 117% $204

Clothing & Footwear

Calamba

$79 15.2%

Sydney

$177 5.6% 125% $98

Eating Out

Calamba

$73 14%

Sydney

$299 9.5% 310% $226

Sport & Entertainment

Calamba

$10 * 1.9%

Sydney

$110 3.5% 989% $100

Getting Around

Calamba

$2.1 * 0.4%

Sydney

$174 5.5% 8245% $171

Accommodation & Living

Calamba

- * 0%

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

Sydney pays 1483% 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: $12.00 in Calamba vs $91.0 in Sydney for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $175 vs $379 per month, with Calamba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Calamba

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

03:49 3:49 AM

06:49 6:49 AM

3 h ahead of Calamba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

539,671

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 = 70.79 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Calamba Sydney 6,220 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Calamba
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

Calamba vs Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calamba wins on cost – living expenses run 508% lower than in Sydney. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Calamba the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 1483% 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 117% higher in Sydney. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $518 per month in Calamba versus $3,152 in Sydney – a 508% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $518 in Calamba versus $3,152 in Sydney, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Calamba but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Calamba 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, Calamba 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 Calamba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 508% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.