Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Albay

For one person, living is cheaper in Albay: $740 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $28,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Albay
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Albay Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Albay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$740

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Albay

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sydney and in Albay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,152 in Sydney versus $740 in Albay.

Sydney $3,152
Albay $740

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,710 in Sydney versus $1,099 in Albay.

Sydney $4,710
Albay $1,099

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,268 in Sydney versus $1,457 in Albay.

Sydney $6,268
Albay $1,457

Living in Sydney is roughly 326% more expensive than in Albay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sydney is 133% above, Albay is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$3.98 ₱250

341.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$17.00 ₱1,070

438.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$2.72 ₱171

339.71%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.27 ₱143

79.30%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.62 ₱39.23

359.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.33 ₱21.01

581.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$1.17 ₱73.6

549.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$1.97 ₱124

277.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.85 ₱116

-10.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.04 ₱65.2

167.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$0.86 ₱54.0

181.40%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$1.99 ₱125

183.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$4.92 ₱310

138.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$4.17 ₱263

131.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$6.55 ₱413

155.73%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.71 ₱171

50.18%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$1.58 ₱99.3

105.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$2.12 ₱133

62.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$1.03 ₱65.0

315.53%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$1.78 ₱112

84.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$2.26 ₱142

1.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$0.86 ₱53.9

167.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.49 ₱30.89

146.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$2.67 ₱168

1537.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$7.49 ₱472

85.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$1.10 ₱69.2

254.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$1.88 ₱118

107.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$0.26 ₱16.50

1069.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$10.06 ₱634

1393.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$0.68 ₱42.90

397.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$0.19 ₱11.90

721.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$1.65 ₱104

2324.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.38 ₱87.1

1.45%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$18.5K ₱1.2M

57.75%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$19.5K ₱1.2M

54.16%

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

$223 A$320

$115 ₱7,229

93.89%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$15.40 ₱970

76.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$25.92 ₱1,632

115.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$37.20 ₱2,342

100.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

$5.27 ₱332

355.22%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$5.34 ₱336

228.84%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$133 ₱8,400

1545.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$7,069 ₱445.1K

298.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$28.70 ₱1,807

173.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$19.91 ₱1,254

243.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$72.9 ₱4,587

52.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$50.2 ₱3,160

167.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$230 ₱14.5K

989.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$190 ₱11.9K

801.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$489 ₱30.8K

910.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$328 ₱20.6K

821.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$2,576 ₱162.2K

411.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$959 ₱60.4K

772.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

$163 ₱10.2K

2426.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

6.79

-13.99%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Albay: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Albay

$190 25.6% 88.9% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Albay

$176 23.7% 53.6% $203

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Albay

$156 21.1% 48.9% $149

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Albay

$81 10.9% 72.9% $218

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Albay

$77 10.4% 56.3% $99

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Albay

$13 1.7% 92.7% $161

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Albay

$48 6.5% 56.4% $62

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,500 in Sydney and $230 in Albay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 2427% 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: $91.0 in Sydney vs $17.00 in Albay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $379 vs $176 per month, with Albay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇵🇭 Albay

🕒 Local time

16:58 4:58 PM

13:58 1:58 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

179,481

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

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).

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).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sydney Albay 5,980 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Albay

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

Sydney vs Albay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sydney and Albay differ by about 326% in total monthly costs ($3,152 vs $740 including rent). Albay is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 2427% higher in Sydney, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,500 in Sydney versus $230 in Albay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 116% higher in Sydney. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Albay – 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 $740 in Albay versus $3,152 in Sydney, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Albay but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Albay 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, Sydney and Albay 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 Albay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 326% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.