Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Putrajaya and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Putrajaya: $818 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $28,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Putrajaya
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Putrajaya Living Index
155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index

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Putrajaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$818

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $818 in Putrajaya versus $3,152 in Sydney.

Putrajaya $818
Sydney $3,152

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,232 in Putrajaya versus $4,710 in Sydney.

Putrajaya $1,232
Sydney $4,710

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,646 in Putrajaya versus $6,268 in Sydney.

Putrajaya $1,646
Sydney $6,268

Living in Putrajaya costs roughly 74% less than in Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Putrajaya is 39% below, Sydney is 133% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.78 MYR 15.41

$17.57 A$25.29

-78.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.39 MYR 75.0

$91.5 A$132

-79.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.58 MYR 18.67

$11.96 A$17.21

-61.71%

Cappuccino

$2.86 MYR 11.68

$4.07 A$5.85

-29.73%

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

$0.80 MYR 3.28

$2.85 A$4.10

-71.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 MYR 1.59

$2.25 A$3.24

-82.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.66 MYR 14.92

$7.60 A$10.94

-51.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 MYR 18.52

$7.43 A$10.69

-38.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 MYR 6.83

$1.66 A$2.38

0.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 MYR 4.49

$2.78 A$4.00

-60.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MYR 6.00

$2.42 A$3.49

-39.26%

Eggs

$1.67 MYR 6.82

$5.64 A$8.12

-70.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.84 MYR 32.00

$11.71 A$16.85

-33.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.68 MYR 19.09

$9.66 A$13.89

-51.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.57 MYR 39.05

$16.75 A$24.10

-42.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.41 MYR 9.82

$4.07 A$5.85

-40.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 MYR 6.15

$3.25 A$4.68

-53.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 MYR 9.23

$3.44 A$4.96

-34.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 MYR 6.65

$4.28 A$6.16

-61.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 MYR 5.37

$3.28 A$4.72

-59.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 MYR 6.11

$2.30 A$3.30

-34.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 MYR 5.43

$2.30 A$3.31

-42.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 MYR 2.22

$1.21 A$1.74

-55.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 MYR 17.50

$43.71 A$62.9

-90.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.26 MYR 54.1

$13.88 A$19.97

-4.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.97 MYR 12.10

$3.90 A$5.62

-23.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 MYR 12.74

$3.91 A$5.63

-20.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 MYR 2.84

$3.04 A$4.38

-77.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.45 MYR 50.8

$150 A$216

-91.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.96 MYR 3.92

$3.38 A$4.86

-71.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.48 MYR 1.96

$1.56 A$2.24

-69.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.93 MYR 40.51

$40.01 A$57.6

-75.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.74 MYR 3.01

$1.40 A$2.01

-47.14%

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

$42.5K MYR 173.3K

$29.1K A$41.9K

45.83%

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

$34.5K MYR 140.7K

$30.1K A$43.4K

14.46%

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

$53.4 MYR 218

$223 A$320

-76.02%

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

$11.10 MYR 45.29

$27.16 A$39.08

-59.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.49 MYR 91.7

$55.8 A$80.3

-59.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.53 MYR 145

$74.6 A$107

-52.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.63 MYR 39.28

$23.99 A$34.52

-59.86%

Cinema Ticket

$4.87 MYR 19.88

$17.56 A$25.27

-72.27%

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

$506 MYR 2,063

$2,196 A$3,160

-76.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,463 MYR 18.2K

$28.2K A$40.6K

-84.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.2 MYR 225

$78.4 A$113

-29.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.63 MYR 67.9

$68.4 A$98.5

-75.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 MYR 326

$111 A$160

-28.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.9 MYR 355

$134 A$193

-35.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$348 MYR 1,420

$2,500 A$3,598

-86.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$228 MYR 932

$1,709 A$2,460

-86.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$644 MYR 2,628

$4,946 A$7,117

-86.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$372 MYR 1,516

$3,022 A$4,349

-87.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,622 MYR 10.7K

$13.2K A$18.9K

-80.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,765 MYR 7,202

$8,370 A$12.0K

-78.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,043 MYR 4,255

$4,113 A$5,919

-74.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

5.84

-30.48%

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

Last update for Putrajaya: 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

Putrajaya

$228 27.9%

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2% 648% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Putrajaya

$221 27%

Sydney

$379 12% 71.6% $158

Eating Out

Putrajaya

$110 13.5%

Sydney

$299 9.5% 170% $188

Clothing & Footwear

Putrajaya

$107 13.1%

Sydney

$177 5.6% 64.5% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Putrajaya

$87 10.6%

Sydney

$306 9.7% 251% $219

Sport & Entertainment

Putrajaya

$45 5.5%

Sydney

$110 3.5% 142% $64

Getting Around

Putrajaya

$19 2.3%

Sydney

$174 5.5% 834% $155

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $348 in Putrajaya and $2,500 in Sydney. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 294% 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: $18.00 in Putrajaya vs $91.0 in Sydney for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $221 vs $379 per month, with Putrajaya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Putrajaya

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

15:24 3:24 PM

18:24 6:24 PM

3 h ahead of Putrajaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

109,202

4,840,600

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 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 MYR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Putrajaya Sydney 6,600 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Putrajaya
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

Putrajaya vs Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Putrajaya wins on cost – living expenses run 285% lower than in Sydney. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Putrajaya the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 294% 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: $348 in Putrajaya versus $2,500 in Sydney. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Putrajaya runs roughly 1107% less than in Sydney. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $506 in Putrajaya versus $2,196 in Sydney. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $818 in Putrajaya versus $3,152 in Sydney, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Putrajaya but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Putrajaya 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, Putrajaya 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 Putrajaya gentler on the wallet – expenses run 285% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.