Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palawan and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Palawan: $792 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.

38

Cost of Living Index in Palawan
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Palawan Living Index
155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index

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Palawan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$792

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $792 per month in Palawan vs $3,152 in Sydney, rent included.

Palawan $792
Sydney $3,152

A couple spends around $1,230 per month in Palawan vs $4,710 in Sydney, rent included.

Palawan $1,230
Sydney $4,710

A family of three spends $1,668 per month in Palawan vs $6,268 in Sydney, rent included.

Palawan $1,668
Sydney $6,268

Palawan is about 75% cheaper than Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Palawan sits 41% below the global median, while Sydney is 133% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.62 ₱228

$17.57 A$25.29

-79.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.14 ₱1,205

$91.5 A$132

-79.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.37 ₱212

$11.96 A$17.21

-71.82%

Cappuccino

$2.63 ₱165

$4.07 A$5.85

-35.38%

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

$0.83 ₱52.5

$2.85 A$4.10

-70.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ₱24.65

$2.25 A$3.24

-82.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.29 ₱81.4

$7.60 A$10.94

-83.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 ₱136

$7.43 A$10.69

-70.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ₱120

$1.66 A$2.38

14.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 ₱79.4

$2.78 A$4.00

-54.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$2.42 A$3.49

-58.26%

Eggs

$1.98 ₱125

$5.64 A$8.12

-64.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.83 ₱493

$11.71 A$16.85

-33.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.21 ₱265

$9.66 A$13.89

-56.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.78 ₱490

$16.75 A$24.10

-53.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.00 ₱189

$4.07 A$5.85

-26.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 ₱98.2

$3.25 A$4.68

-52.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 ₱171

$3.44 A$4.96

-20.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.62 ₱102

$4.28 A$6.16

-62.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 ₱146

$3.28 A$4.72

-29.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.59 ₱163

$2.30 A$3.30

12.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ₱66.9

$2.30 A$3.31

-53.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ₱44.86

$1.21 A$1.74

-41.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.78 ₱175

$43.71 A$62.9

-93.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.85 ₱431

$13.88 A$19.97

-50.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 ₱75.4

$3.90 A$5.62

-69.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ₱128

$3.91 A$5.63

-48.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₱17.81

$3.04 A$4.38

-90.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.29 ₱711

$150 A$216

-92.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.83 ₱52.4

$3.38 A$4.86

-75.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.20

$1.56 A$2.24

-84.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 ₱136

$40.01 A$57.6

-94.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ₱69.2

$1.40 A$2.01

-21.43%

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

$26.5K ₱1.7M

$29.1K A$41.9K

-9.01%

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

$20.1K ₱1.3M

$30.1K A$43.4K

-33.42%

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

$114 ₱7,183

$223 A$320

-48.75%

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

$32.54 ₱2,049

$27.16 A$39.08

19.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.55 ₱1,734

$55.8 A$80.3

-50.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.48 ₱2,171

$74.6 A$107

-53.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.36 ₱275

$23.99 A$34.52

-81.83%

Cinema Ticket

$5.80 ₱365

$17.56 A$25.27

-66.97%

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

$150 ₱9,463

$2,196 A$3,160

-93.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,228 ₱266.2K

$28.2K A$40.6K

-85.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.09 ₱2,839

$78.4 A$113

-42.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.54 ₱1,671

$68.4 A$98.5

-61.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.9 ₱4,713

$111 A$160

-32.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.6 ₱3,377

$134 A$193

-60.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$264 ₱16.6K

$2,500 A$3,598

-89.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$177 ₱11.1K

$1,709 A$2,460

-89.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₱37.1K

$4,946 A$7,117

-88.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$390 ₱24.5K

$3,022 A$4,349

-87.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,359 ₱148.5K

$13.2K A$18.9K

-82.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$994 ₱62.6K

$8,370 A$12.0K

-88.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

5.84

14.21%

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

Last update for Palawan: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Palawan

$204 25.7%

Sydney

$379 12% 85.9% $175

Accommodation & Living

Palawan

$177 22.4%

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2% 866% $1.5K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palawan

$174 22%

Sydney

$306 9.7% 75.4% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Palawan

$90 11.4%

Sydney

$177 5.6% 96.1% $87

Eating Out

Palawan

$86 10.9%

Sydney

$299 9.5% 246% $212

Sport & Entertainment

Palawan

$46 5.8%

Sydney

$110 3.5% 138% $64

Getting Around

Palawan

$14 1.8%

Sydney

$174 5.5% 1100% $159

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $264 in Palawan versus $2,500 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 $19.00 in Palawan versus $91.0 in Sydney. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $204 vs $379 – making Palawan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Palawan

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

10:00 10:00 AM

13:00 1:00 PM

3 h ahead of Palawan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

939,594

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

Palawan Sydney 5,950 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Palawan
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

Palawan vs Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sydney is pricier by about 298%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,187 per month in Palawan and $4,728 in Sydney. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Palawan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $150 per month in Palawan and $2,196 in Sydney. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 86% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Palawan, where all-in costs run around $792, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Palawan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Palawan – 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.

If budget matters most, go with Palawan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sydney makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.