Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dumaguete and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Dumaguete: $791 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $28,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Dumaguete
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Dumaguete Living Index
155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index

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Dumaguete

🇵🇭 Philippines

$791

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $791 in Dumaguete versus $3,152 in Sydney.

Dumaguete $791
Sydney $3,152

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,202 in Dumaguete versus $4,710 in Sydney.

Dumaguete $1,202
Sydney $4,710

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,612 in Dumaguete versus $6,268 in Sydney.

Dumaguete $1,612
Sydney $6,268

Living in Dumaguete costs roughly 75% less than in Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dumaguete is 41% below, Sydney is 133% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.85 ₱242

$17.57 A$25.29

-78.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.19 ₱1,020

$91.5 A$132

-82.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.17 ₱262

$11.96 A$17.21

-65.13%

Cappuccino

$2.27 ₱143

$4.07 A$5.85

-44.23%

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

$0.72 ₱45.42

$2.85 A$4.10

-74.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 ₱27.45

$2.25 A$3.24

-80.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.34 ₱84.2

$7.60 A$10.94

-82.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ₱117

$7.43 A$10.69

-75.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 ₱101

$1.66 A$2.38

-3.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 ₱83.9

$2.78 A$4.00

-52.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.95 ₱59.6

$2.42 A$3.49

-60.74%

Eggs

$1.75 ₱110

$5.64 A$8.12

-68.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.39 ₱528

$11.71 A$16.85

-28.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.40 ₱277

$9.66 A$13.89

-54.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.01 ₱441

$16.75 A$24.10

-58.15%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 ₱103

$4.07 A$5.85

-59.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 ₱82.0

$3.25 A$4.68

-60.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.51 ₱221

$3.44 A$4.96

2.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.25 ₱78.7

$4.28 A$6.16

-70.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.43 ₱153

$3.28 A$4.72

-25.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 ₱98.8

$2.30 A$3.30

-31.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 ₱49.58

$2.30 A$3.31

-65.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₱34.27

$1.21 A$1.74

-55.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.32 ₱146

$43.71 A$62.9

-94.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.84 ₱557

$13.88 A$19.97

-36.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 ₱75.7

$3.90 A$5.62

-69.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 ₱79.1

$3.91 A$5.63

-67.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 ₱25.84

$3.04 A$4.38

-86.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.09 ₱635

$150 A$216

-93.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.69 ₱43.64

$3.38 A$4.86

-79.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ₱10.41

$1.56 A$2.24

-89.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.19 ₱138

$40.01 A$57.6

-94.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ₱66.7

$1.40 A$2.01

-24.29%

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

$20.9K ₱1.3M

$29.1K A$41.9K

-28.28%

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

$24.1K ₱1.5M

$30.1K A$43.4K

-19.90%

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

$67.1 ₱4,227

$223 A$320

-69.84%

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

$10.05 ₱632

$27.16 A$39.08

-63.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.78 ₱1,623

$55.8 A$80.3

-53.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.76 ₱1,496

$74.6 A$107

-68.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.06 ₱256

$23.99 A$34.52

-83.08%

Cinema Ticket

$7.23 ₱455

$17.56 A$25.27

-58.83%

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

$57.8 ₱3,639

$2,196 A$3,160

-97.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,698 ₱106.9K

$28.2K A$40.6K

-93.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.4 ₱5,945

$78.4 A$113

20.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.11 ₱2,022

$68.4 A$98.5

-53.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 ₱6,429

$111 A$160

-8.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 ₱7,053

$134 A$193

-16.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$238 ₱15.0K

$2,500 A$3,598

-90.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$207 ₱13.0K

$1,709 A$2,460

-87.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$429 ₱27.0K

$4,946 A$7,117

-91.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$359 ₱22.6K

$3,022 A$4,349

-88.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,082 ₱194.0K

$13.2K A$18.9K

-76.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$693 ₱43.7K

$8,370 A$12.0K

-91.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$276 ₱17.4K

$4,113 A$5,919

-93.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

19.86%

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

Last update for Dumaguete: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dumaguete

$207 26.2%

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2% 726% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Dumaguete

$191 24.1%

Sydney

$379 12% 98.2% $187

Clothing & Footwear

Dumaguete

$153 19.4%

Sydney

$177 5.6% 15.2% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dumaguete

$103 13%

Sydney

$306 9.7% 197% $203

Eating Out

Dumaguete

$86 10.8%

Sydney

$299 9.5% 249% $213

Sport & Entertainment

Dumaguete

$38 4.8%

Sydney

$110 3.5% 187% $72

Getting Around

Dumaguete

$13 1.7%

Sydney

$174 5.5% 1210% $160

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $238 in Dumaguete and $2,500 in Sydney. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 1390% 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: $16.00 in Dumaguete vs $91.0 in Sydney for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $191 vs $379 per month, with Dumaguete cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Dumaguete

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

14:06 2:06 PM

17:06 5:06 PM

3 h ahead of Dumaguete

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

134,103

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 18, 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 18, 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

Dumaguete Sydney 5,630 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Dumaguete
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

Dumaguete vs Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dumaguete and Sydney differ by about 298% in total monthly costs ($791 vs $3,152 including rent). Dumaguete is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 1390% 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: $238 in Dumaguete versus $2,500 in Sydney. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $791 per month in Dumaguete versus $3,152 in Sydney – a 298% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dumaguete runs roughly 1389% less than in Sydney. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $791 in Dumaguete versus $3,152 in Sydney, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Dumaguete but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Dumaguete 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, Dumaguete 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 Dumaguete gentler on the wallet – expenses run 298% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.