Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Bago

For one person, living is cheaper in Bago: $696 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $29,500 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Bago
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Bago Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Bago

🇵🇭 Philippines

$696

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Bago

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,152 in Sydney versus $696 in Bago.

Sydney $3,152
Bago $696

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,710 in Sydney versus $1,085 in Bago.

Sydney $4,710
Bago $1,085

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,268 in Sydney versus $1,475 in Bago.

Sydney $6,268
Bago $1,475

Living in Sydney is roughly 353% more expensive than in Bago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sydney is 133% above, Bago is 48% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$3.77 ₱237

366.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$15.36 ₱967

495.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$3.13 ₱197

282.11%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.06 ₱130

97.57%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.71 ₱44.84

301.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.31 ₱19.26

625.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$1.06 ₱66.7

616.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$2.10 ₱132

253.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.45 ₱91.5

14.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.05 ₱65.8

164.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$0.89 ₱56.0

171.91%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$1.70 ₱107

231.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$5.64 ₱355

107.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$4.68 ₱294

106.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$7.51 ₱473

123.04%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.68 ₱169

51.87%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$1.72 ₱109

88.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$2.58 ₱163

33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$1.29 ₱81.4

231.78%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$1.72 ₱109

90.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$1.86 ₱117

23.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$1.01 ₱63.3

127.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.50 ₱31.69

142.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$3.30 ₱207

1224.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$7.16 ₱451

93.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$0.90 ₱56.4

333.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$1.87 ₱117

109.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$0.21 ₱13.43

1347.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$10.85 ₱683

1284.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$0.66 ₱41.31

412.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$0.23 ₱14.56

578.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$1.93 ₱121

1973.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.30 ₱81.5

7.69%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$24.5K ₱1.5M

18.94%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$18.8K ₱1.2M

60.46%

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

$223 A$320

$109 ₱6,893

103.32%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$13.03 ₱821

108.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$26.14 ₱1,646

113.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$29.61 ₱1,864

151.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

$5.30 ₱333

352.64%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$4.97 ₱313

253.32%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$130 ₱8,157

1594.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$8,189 ₱515.6K

244.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$36.58 ₱2,303

114.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$21.81 ₱1,373

213.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$76.6 ₱4,823

45.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$63.2 ₱3,977

112.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$294 ₱18.5K

749.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$147 ₱9,268

1061.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$455 ₱28.6K

987.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$347 ₱21.9K

770.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$2,607 ₱164.2K

405.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$876 ₱55.1K

855.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

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 Bago: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Bago

$147 21.2% 91.4% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Bago

$180 25.9% 52.4% $198

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Bago

$149 21.4% 51.4% $157

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Bago

$78 11.2% 73.9% $221

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Bago

$89 12.8% 49.5% $87

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Bago

$14 1.9% 92.2% $160

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Bago

$40 5.7% 64% $70

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,500 in Sydney and $294 in Bago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $91.0 in Sydney vs $15.00 in Bago for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $379 vs $180 per month, with Bago cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇵🇭 Bago

🕒 Local time

12:59 12:59 PM

09:59 9:59 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

191,210

💱 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 Bago 5,780 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Bago

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 Bago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bago is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 353% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $4,728 in Sydney and $1,044 in Bago to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,500 in Sydney versus $294 in Bago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,196 in Sydney versus $130 in Bago. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 110% higher in Sydney. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $696 in Bago versus $3,152 in Sydney, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bago but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Bago 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 Bago 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 Bago gentler on the wallet – expenses run 353% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.