Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Bacolod

For one person, living is cheaper in Bacolod: $607 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $30,500 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Bacolod
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Bacolod Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Bacolod

🇵🇭 Philippines

$607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Bacolod

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 Bacolod actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $607 in Bacolod, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Bacolod $607

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $885 in Bacolod, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Bacolod $885

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $1,162 in Bacolod, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Bacolod $1,162

Sydney costs about 419% more than Bacolod, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sydney sits 133% above the global median, while Bacolod is 55% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$2.34 ₱147

650.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$12.87 ₱810

610.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$4.03 ₱254

196.77%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.46 ₱155

65.45%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.70 ₱43.96

307.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.38 ₱23.61

492.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$1.37 ₱86.3

454.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$1.78 ₱112

317.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.61 ₱101

3.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.16 ₱73.2

139.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$0.95 ₱60.0

154.74%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$1.66 ₱105

239.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$8.92 ₱561

31.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$6.95 ₱437

38.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$3.37 ₱212

20.77%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$2.42 ₱152

34.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$0.53 ₱33.60

707.55%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$2.00 ₱126

15.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$1.03 ₱64.8

17.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$2.77 ₱175

1477.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$0.91 ₱57.4

328.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$0.18 ₱11.18

1588.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$0.61 ₱38.66

454.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.28 ₱80.5

9.37%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$22.1K ₱1.4M

32.02%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$24.0K ₱1.5M

25.55%

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

$223 A$320

$137 ₱8,646

62.09%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$7.99 ₱503

239.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$28.20 ₱1,776

97.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$15.87 ₱999

370.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

$2.44 ₱153

883.20%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$4.37 ₱275

301.83%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$31.23 ₱1,966

6931.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$267 ₱16.8K

836.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$178 ₱11.2K

858.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$475 ₱29.9K

940.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$347 ₱21.8K

772.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

$206 ₱13.0K

1895.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bacolod: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Bacolod

$178 29.4% 89.6% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Bacolod

$155 * 25.5% 59.2% $224

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Bacolod

$174 28.6% 43.2% $132

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Bacolod

$75 12.4% 74.9% $224

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Bacolod

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Bacolod

$1.3 * 0.2% 99.2% $172

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Bacolod

$25 4.1% 77.6% $85

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney versus $267 in Bacolod. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 1896% higher in Sydney, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Sydney versus $13.00 in Bacolod. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $155 – making Bacolod the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇵🇭 Bacolod

🕒 Local time

10:38 10:38 AM

07:38 7:38 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

561,875

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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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Between locations

Sydney Bacolod 5,780 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

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Sydney
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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 Bacolod: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,152 in Sydney, $607 in Bacolod – roughly 419% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,728 per month in Sydney and $911 in Bacolod. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Sydney and $13.00 in Bacolod. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 145% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bacolod, where all-in costs run around $607, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Bacolod it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Bacolod has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $607 in Bacolod to $3,152 in Sydney. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Bacolod. 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.