Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mandaluyong and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Mandaluyong: $841 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $27,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Mandaluyong
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Mandaluyong Living Index
155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index

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Mandaluyong

🇵🇭 Philippines

$841

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $841 in Mandaluyong versus $3,152 in Sydney.

Mandaluyong $841
Sydney $3,152

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,389 in Mandaluyong versus $4,710 in Sydney.

Mandaluyong $1,389
Sydney $4,710

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,936 in Mandaluyong versus $6,268 in Sydney.

Mandaluyong $1,936
Sydney $6,268

Living in Mandaluyong costs roughly 73% less than in Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mandaluyong is 38% below, Sydney is 133% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.72 ₱297

$17.57 A$25.29

-73.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.62 ₱1,046

$91.5 A$132

-81.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.53 ₱223

$11.96 A$17.21

-70.48%

Cappuccino

$2.18 ₱137

$4.07 A$5.85

-46.44%

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

$0.99 ₱62.1

$2.85 A$4.10

-65.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱30.84

$2.25 A$3.24

-78.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ₱76.7

$7.60 A$10.94

-83.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 ₱152

$7.43 A$10.69

-67.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 ₱105

$1.66 A$2.38

1.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 ₱81.6

$2.78 A$4.00

-53.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₱64.8

$2.42 A$3.49

-57.44%

Eggs

$2.21 ₱139

$5.64 A$8.12

-60.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.18 ₱326

$11.71 A$16.85

-55.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.84 ₱305

$9.66 A$13.89

-49.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.82 ₱429

$16.75 A$24.10

-59.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 ₱213

$4.07 A$5.85

-16.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 ₱119

$3.25 A$4.68

-41.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.09 ₱194

$3.44 A$4.96

-10.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.85 ₱116

$4.28 A$6.16

-56.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 ₱139

$3.28 A$4.72

-32.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.63 ₱166

$2.30 A$3.30

14.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ₱39.08

$2.30 A$3.31

-73.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱30.84

$1.21 A$1.74

-59.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 ₱185

$43.71 A$62.9

-93.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.95 ₱564

$13.88 A$19.97

-35.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 ₱60.0

$3.90 A$5.62

-75.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 ₱130

$3.91 A$5.63

-47.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ₱23.73

$3.04 A$4.38

-87.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 ₱45.59

$3.38 A$4.86

-78.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.47

$1.56 A$2.24

-85.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.95 ₱122

$40.01 A$57.6

-95.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ₱76.5

$1.40 A$2.01

-12.86%

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

$21.1K ₱1.3M

$29.1K A$41.9K

-27.71%

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

$19.3K ₱1.2M

$30.1K A$43.4K

-35.90%

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

$138 ₱8,711

$223 A$320

-37.84%

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

$17.70 ₱1,114

$27.16 A$39.08

-34.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.54 ₱1,545

$55.8 A$80.3

-56.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.59 ₱1,989

$74.6 A$107

-57.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

Cinema Ticket

$6.11 ₱385

$17.56 A$25.27

-65.21%

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

$131 ₱8,261

$2,196 A$3,160

-94.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,790 ₱553.4K

$28.2K A$40.6K

-68.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.06 ₱1,830

$78.4 A$113

-62.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.11 ₱1,707

$68.4 A$98.5

-60.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.2 ₱4,481

$111 A$160

-36.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.9 ₱3,454

$134 A$193

-59.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$622 ₱39.1K

$2,500 A$3,598

-75.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$241 ₱15.1K

$1,709 A$2,460

-85.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,177 ₱74.1K

$4,946 A$7,117

-76.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$724 ₱45.6K

$3,022 A$4,349

-76.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,810 ₱176.9K

$13.2K A$18.9K

-78.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$533 ₱33.6K

$4,113 A$5,919

-87.04%

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 Mandaluyong: 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

Mandaluyong

$241 28.6%

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2% 610% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Mandaluyong

$200 23.7%

Sydney

$379 12% 89.5% $179

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mandaluyong

$181 21.5%

Sydney

$306 9.7% 69.2% $125

Eating Out

Mandaluyong

$91 10.9%

Sydney

$299 9.5% 227% $207

Clothing & Footwear

Mandaluyong

$82 9.7%

Sydney

$177 5.6% 115% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Mandaluyong

$44 5.2%

Sydney

$110 3.5% 151% $66

Getting Around

Mandaluyong

$3.4 * 0.4%

Sydney

$174 5.5% 5035% $170

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $622 in Mandaluyong and $2,500 in Sydney. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 671% 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: $17.00 in Mandaluyong vs $91.0 in Sydney for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $200 vs $379 per month, with Mandaluyong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Mandaluyong

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

10:14 10:14 AM

13:14 1:14 PM

3 h ahead of Mandaluyong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

425,758

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

Mandaluyong Sydney 6,260 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Mandaluyong
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

Mandaluyong vs Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mandaluyong and Sydney differ by about 275% in total monthly costs ($841 vs $3,152 including rent). Mandaluyong is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 671% 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: $622 in Mandaluyong versus $2,500 in Sydney. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $131 in Mandaluyong 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 Mandaluyong – a meal for two runs $17.00 versus $91.0 in Sydney. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $841 in Mandaluyong versus $3,152 in Sydney, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mandaluyong but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Mandaluyong 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, Mandaluyong 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 Mandaluyong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 275% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.