Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kulim and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Kulim: $891 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $28,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Kulim
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Kulim Living Index
157

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index

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Kulim

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$891

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $891 per month in Kulim vs $3,267 in Sydney, rent included.

Kulim $891
Sydney $3,267

A couple spends around $1,374 per month in Kulim vs $4,847 in Sydney, rent included.

Kulim $1,374
Sydney $4,847

A family of three spends $1,857 per month in Kulim vs $6,428 in Sydney, rent included.

Kulim $1,857
Sydney $6,428

Kulim is about 73% cheaper than Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kulim sits 35% below the global median, while Sydney is 140% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.72 MYR 15.17

$17.50 A$24.87

-78.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.45 MYR 79.3

$90.4 A$128

-78.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.53 MYR 18.45

$11.96 A$16.99

-62.12%

Cappuccino

$2.89 MYR 11.76

$4.00 A$5.68

-27.75%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.19

$2.81 A$4.00

-72.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 MYR 1.70

$2.22 A$3.16

-81.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.90 MYR 15.90

$8.13 A$11.56

-52.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 MYR 18.76

$7.20 A$10.23

-35.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 MYR 7.97

$1.70 A$2.42

15.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 MYR 5.00

$2.94 A$4.17

-58.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.30 MYR 5.29

$2.51 A$3.57

-48.21%

Eggs

$2.23 MYR 9.07

$5.66 A$8.04

-60.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.68 MYR 51.7

$12.22 A$17.36

3.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.85 MYR 15.70

$9.31 A$13.24

-58.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.72 MYR 43.69

$16.87 A$23.97

-36.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MYR 12.42

$3.90 A$5.54

-21.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MYR 7.68

$3.22 A$4.58

-41.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MYR 10.37

$3.43 A$4.88

-25.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 5.88

$4.33 A$6.16

-66.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.83

$3.35 A$4.75

-64.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 MYR 5.54

$2.40 A$3.41

-43.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 MYR 4.41

$2.34 A$3.32

-53.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 MYR 2.15

$1.16 A$1.65

-54.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.47 MYR 18.22

$45.47 A$64.6

-90.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.05 MYR 85.8

$13.99 A$19.88

50.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.07 MYR 12.49

$4.11 A$5.84

-25.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 MYR 15.90

$4.18 A$5.94

-6.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 MYR 3.06

$3.12 A$4.44

-75.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 MYR 51.5

$152 A$216

-91.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.04 MYR 4.23

$3.46 A$4.92

-69.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 MYR 2.28

$1.56 A$2.22

-64.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.26 MYR 33.64

$39.54 A$56.2

-79.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.74 MYR 3.00

$1.45 A$2.05

-48.97%

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

$48.9K MYR 199.1K

$29.9K A$42.5K

63.46%

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

$30.9K MYR 125.9K

$27.5K A$39.1K

12.33%

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

$45.19 MYR 184

$251 A$356

-81.98%

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

$8.70 MYR 35.44

$27.76 A$39.44

-68.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.83 MYR 105

$58.0 A$82.4

-55.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.10 MYR 147

$70.7 A$100

-48.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.37 MYR 30.04

$23.25 A$33.04

-68.30%

Cinema Ticket

$4.46 MYR 18.16

$17.83 A$25.33

-74.99%

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

$268 MYR 1,091

$2,358 A$3,351

-88.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,096 MYR 28.9K

$27.2K A$38.6K

-73.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.2 MYR 253

$80.5 A$114

-22.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.78 MYR 125

$69.3 A$98.5

-55.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.2 MYR 314

$111 A$157

-30.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.8 MYR 289

$127 A$181

-44.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$419 MYR 1,707

$2,566 A$3,646

-83.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$265 MYR 1,079

$1,792 A$2,547

-85.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 MYR 3,110

$5,202 A$7,391

-85.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$497 MYR 2,026

$3,156 A$4,485

-84.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,141 MYR 8,723

$13.4K A$19.0K

-84.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,272 MYR 5,184

$8,727 A$12.4K

-85.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,118 A$5,851

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

5.92

-31.42%

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

Last update for Kulim: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sydney: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kulim

$265 29.7%

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9% 577% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Kulim

$262 29.4%

Sydney

$382 11.7% 46.1% $121

Eating Out

Kulim

$112 12.5%

Sydney

$299 9.2% 168% $188

Clothing & Footwear

Kulim

$108 12.2%

Sydney

$175 5.3% 61% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kulim

$80 9%

Sydney

$337 10.3% 322% $257

Sport & Entertainment

Kulim

$45 5.1%

Sydney

$106 3.3% 136% $61

Getting Around

Kulim

$19 2.2%

Sydney

$176 5.4% 801% $156

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $419 in Kulim versus $2,566 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 $19 in Kulim versus $90 in Sydney. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $262 vs $382 – making Kulim the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kulim

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

21:17 9:17 PM

00:17 12:17 AM

3 h ahead of Kulim

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

319,056

4,840,600

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.53 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kulim Sydney 6,880 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Kulim
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

Kulim vs Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sydney costs about 267% more than Kulim, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,336 per month in Kulim and $4,900 in Sydney. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kulim, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $419 there versus $2,566 in Sydney.

Groceries cost about 46% more in Sydney, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Kulim and $90 in Sydney. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $891 in Kulim and $3,267 in Sydney. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Kulim – 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.

For expats, Kulim is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 267% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.