Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Baguio

For one person, living is cheaper in Baguio: $755 a month against $3,182 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $29,100 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 Baguio
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Baguio Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,182

/mo nomad

Baguio

🇵🇭 Philippines

$755

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Baguio

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,182 in Sydney versus $755 in Baguio.

Sydney $3,182
Baguio $755

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,696 in Sydney versus $1,183 in Baguio.

Sydney $4,696
Baguio $1,183

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,210 in Sydney versus $1,611 in Baguio.

Sydney $6,210
Baguio $1,611

Living in Sydney is roughly 321% more expensive than in Baguio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sydney is 137% above, Baguio is 44% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 A$25.28

$3.97 ₱249

344.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.1 A$139

$16.85 ₱1,057

476.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.94 A$17.09

$2.76 ₱173

332.61%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.72

$1.84 ₱115

117.39%

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

$2.84 A$4.06

$0.60 ₱37.75

373.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 A$3.25

$0.34 ₱21.40

567.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 A$11.29

$1.01 ₱63.6

681.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 A$10.20

$1.64 ₱103

334.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.69 ₱106

-1.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 A$4.00

$1.13 ₱70.9

146.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.33

$1.03 ₱64.5

125.24%

Eggs

$5.53 A$7.92

$2.02 ₱126

173.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 A$17.28

$4.96 ₱311

143.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.84 A$14.09

$3.37 ₱211

191.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.61 A$23.78

$7.68 ₱482

116.28%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 A$5.76

$2.31 ₱145

74.03%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.51

$1.60 ₱100

96.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 A$5.01

$2.33 ₱146

50.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.47 A$6.39

$1.08 ₱67.5

313.89%

Potato (1kg)

$3.32 A$4.76

$1.67 ₱104

98.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$1.72 ₱108

33.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.35

$0.67 ₱41.91

249.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 A$1.65

$0.53 ₱33.15

116.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.02 A$64.4

$2.98 ₱187

1410.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.96 A$19.97

$8.72 ₱547

60.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.98 A$5.70

$0.97 ₱61.1

310.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.07 A$5.82

$2.08 ₱130

95.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.16 A$4.52

$0.25 ₱15.73

1164.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$215

$12.66 ₱794

1084.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.45 A$4.94

$0.83 ₱52.0

315.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.33

$0.25 ₱15.78

552.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.98 A$57.2

$1.89 ₱119

2015.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.25 ₱78.7

12.00%

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

$28.4K A$40.7K

$21.1K ₱1.3M

34.44%

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

$29.4K A$42.1K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

51.90%

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

$220 A$315

$142 ₱8,910

54.78%

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

$27.70 A$39.64

$17.90 ₱1,122

54.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 A$79.5

$23.77 ₱1,491

133.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.3 A$106

$21.07 ₱1,322

252.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.95 A$34.28

$5.18 ₱325

362.36%

Cinema Ticket

$17.73 A$25.37

$5.15 ₱323

244.27%

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

$2,157 A$3,087

$132 ₱8,307

1528.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K A$40.5K

$10.8K ₱675.4K

162.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$112

$29.14 ₱1,827

169.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.5 A$101

$19.94 ₱1,251

253.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$159

$73.0 ₱4,578

52.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$189

$55.5 ₱3,480

137.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,514 A$3,598

$403 ₱25.3K

523.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,732 A$2,478

$195 ₱12.2K

789.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,889 A$6,996

$824 ₱51.7K

493.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,039 A$4,349

$460 ₱28.9K

560.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$2,677 ₱167.9K

393.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,117 A$11.6K

$928 ₱58.2K

775.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,082 A$5,842

$185 ₱11.6K

2110.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

6.75

-13.48%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 5, 2026

Last update for Baguio: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.5%

Baguio

$195 25.8% 88.8% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$380 12%

Baguio

$175 23.2% 54% $206

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$303 9.6%

Baguio

$184 24.4% 39.4% $119

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.4%

Baguio

$74 9.8% 75.2% $225

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$176 5.6%

Baguio

$80 10.6% 54.7% $97

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Baguio

$16 2.1% 91% $158

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Baguio

$31 4.2% 71.4% $78

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,514 in Sydney and $403 in Baguio. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 2111% 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: $97.0 in Sydney vs $17.00 in Baguio for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $380 vs $175 per month, with Baguio cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇵🇭 Baguio

🕒 Local time

17:20 5:20 PM

14:20 2:20 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

366,358

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Sydney Baguio 6,460 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

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 Baguio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baguio wins on cost – living expenses run 321% lower than in Sydney. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Baguio the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 2111% 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: $2,514 in Sydney versus $403 in Baguio. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $3,182 per month in Sydney versus $755 in Baguio – a 321% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Baguio runs roughly 1085% less than in Sydney. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $755 in Baguio versus $3,182 in Sydney, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Baguio but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Baguio 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 Baguio 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 Baguio gentler on the wallet – expenses run 321% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.