Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Balikpapan

For one person, living is cheaper in Balikpapan: $668 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $29,800 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Balikpapan
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Balikpapan Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Balikpapan

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$668

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Balikpapan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,152 in Sydney versus $668 in Balikpapan.

Sydney $3,152
Balikpapan $668

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,710 in Sydney versus $1,048 in Balikpapan.

Sydney $4,710
Balikpapan $1,048

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,268 in Sydney versus $1,428 in Balikpapan.

Sydney $6,268
Balikpapan $1,428

Living in Sydney is roughly 372% more expensive than in Balikpapan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sydney is 133% above, Balikpapan is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$1.39 Rp 25.0K

1164.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$10.95 Rp 197.1K

735.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$3.05 Rp 55.0K

292.13%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$1.36 Rp 24.5K

199.26%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.37 Rp 6,712

670.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.38 Rp 6,871

492.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$2.25 Rp 40.4K

237.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

123.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.13 Rp 20.3K

46.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.07 Rp 19.2K

159.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$1.16 Rp 20.8K

108.62%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$2.54 Rp 45.8K

122.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$7.38 Rp 132.8K

58.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$2.92 Rp 52.6K

230.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$8.04 Rp 144.7K

108.33%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.25 Rp 40.5K

80.89%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$1.30 Rp 23.4K

150.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$1.76 Rp 31.7K

95.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

237.01%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$1.26 Rp 22.7K

160.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$1.90 Rp 34.2K

21.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$0.78 Rp 14.0K

194.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.72 Rp 13.0K

68.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$1.89 Rp 34.0K

2212.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$20.83 Rp 374.9K

-33.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$1.87 Rp 33.7K

108.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$3.02 Rp 54.3K

29.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$0.29 Rp 5,219

948.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$1.15 Rp 20.7K

193.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$0.38 Rp 6,777

310.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$2.59 Rp 46.7K

1444.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.77 Rp 13.8K

81.82%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$23.4K Rp 420.6M

24.64%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$31.0K Rp 558.8M

-2.95%

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

$223 A$320

$67.5 Rp 1.2M

229.88%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$4.36 Rp 78.4K

522.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$29.86 Rp 537.4K

86.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$23.74 Rp 427.4K

214.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

$8.46 Rp 152.2K

183.57%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$2.84 Rp 51.1K

518.31%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$93.1 Rp 1.7M

2258.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$8,570 Rp 154.3M

228.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$38.14 Rp 686.6K

105.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$18.66 Rp 335.9K

266.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$141 Rp 2.5M

-20.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$70.9 Rp 1.3M

89.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$203 Rp 3.7M

1131.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$148 Rp 2.7M

1056.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$537 Rp 9.7M

820.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$361 Rp 6.5M

738.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$1,258 Rp 22.6M

946.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$818 Rp 14.7M

923.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

$238 Rp 4.3M

1629.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

9.46

-38.27%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Balikpapan: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Balikpapan

$148 22.1% 91.4% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Balikpapan

$206 30.9% 45.5% $172

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Balikpapan

$102 15.2% 66.7% $204

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Balikpapan

$57 8.6% 80.7% $241

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Balikpapan

$121 18.1% 31.6% $56

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Balikpapan

$4.2 * 0.6% 97.6% $169

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Balikpapan

$29 4.4% 73.2% $80

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,500 in Sydney and $203 in Balikpapan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 1630% 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 $11.00 in Balikpapan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $379 vs $206 per month, with Balikpapan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇮🇩 Balikpapan

🕒 Local time

18:09 6:09 PM

15:09 3:09 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

701,066

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sydney Balikpapan 5,090 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Balikpapan

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 Balikpapan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sydney and Balikpapan differ by about 372% in total monthly costs ($3,152 vs $668 including rent). Balikpapan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1630% 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 $203 in Balikpapan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,196 in Sydney versus $93.1 in Balikpapan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Balikpapan – a meal for two runs $11.00 versus $91.0 in Sydney. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $668 in Balikpapan versus $3,152 in Sydney, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Balikpapan but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Balikpapan 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 Balikpapan 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 Balikpapan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 372% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.