Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Batu Pahat

For one person, living is cheaper in Batu Pahat: $905 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $27,000 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Batu Pahat
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Batu Pahat Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Batu Pahat

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$905

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Batu Pahat

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,152 in Sydney versus $905 in Batu Pahat.

Sydney $3,152
Batu Pahat $905

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,710 in Sydney versus $1,336 in Batu Pahat.

Sydney $4,710
Batu Pahat $1,336

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,268 in Sydney versus $1,767 in Batu Pahat.

Sydney $6,268
Batu Pahat $1,767

Living in Sydney is roughly 248% more expensive than in Batu Pahat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sydney is 133% above, Batu Pahat is 33% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$2.47 MYR 10.07

611.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$12.46 MYR 50.9

634.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$3.71 MYR 15.14

222.37%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$3.01 MYR 12.27

35.22%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.63 MYR 2.56

352.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.38 MYR 1.57

492.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$3.27 MYR 13.35

132.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$5.80 MYR 23.65

28.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.94 MYR 7.93

-14.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.08 MYR 4.39

157.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$1.48 MYR 6.03

63.51%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$1.83 MYR 7.48

208.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$9.83 MYR 40.10

19.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$3.19 MYR 13.02

202.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$9.42 MYR 38.43

77.81%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$3.43 MYR 14.00

18.66%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$1.93 MYR 7.88

68.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$2.72 MYR 11.10

26.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$1.80 MYR 7.35

137.78%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$2.06 MYR 8.39

59.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$2.04 MYR 8.34

12.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$1.50 MYR 6.12

53.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.56 MYR 2.27

116.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$4.56 MYR 18.59

858.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$19.40 MYR 79.2

-28.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$2.63 MYR 10.72

48.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$4.61 MYR 18.82

-15.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$0.82 MYR 3.34

270.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$11.64 MYR 47.50

1190.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$1.24 MYR 5.05

172.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$0.38 MYR 1.57

310.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$8.75 MYR 35.68

357.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.52 MYR 2.12

169.23%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$41.8K MYR 170.4K

-30.27%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$32.3K MYR 132.0K

-6.86%

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

$223 A$320

$49.05 MYR 200

353.82%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$8.37 MYR 34.13

224.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$26.95 MYR 110

107.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$34.59 MYR 141

115.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

$7.19 MYR 29.32

233.66%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$5.01 MYR 20.44

250.50%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$280 MYR 1,141

685.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$10.3K MYR 42.2K

172.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$51.8 MYR 211

51.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$29.39 MYR 120

132.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$78.1 MYR 319

42.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$86.3 MYR 352

55.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$407 MYR 1,662

513.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$299 MYR 1,218

472.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$676 MYR 2,758

631.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$486 MYR 1,983

521.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$1,868 MYR 7,621

604.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$1,218 MYR 4,969

587.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

4.51

29.49%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Batu Pahat: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Batu Pahat

$299 33% 82.5% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Batu Pahat

$250 27.6% 34% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Batu Pahat

$84 9.3% 72.4% $221

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Batu Pahat

$99 10.9% 66.9% $200

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Batu Pahat

$111 12.2% 37.4% $66

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Batu Pahat

$18 2% 89.6% $155

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Batu Pahat

$45 4.9% 59.3% $65

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,500 in Sydney and $407 in Batu Pahat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $91.0 in Sydney vs $12.00 in Batu Pahat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $379 vs $250 per month, with Batu Pahat cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇲🇾 Batu Pahat

🕒 Local time

11:08 11:08 AM

08:08 8:08 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

401,210

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, 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).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sydney Batu Pahat 6,420 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 Batu Pahat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Batu Pahat wins on cost – living expenses run 248% lower than in Sydney. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Batu Pahat the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $4,728 in Sydney and $1,358 in Batu Pahat 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 $407 in Batu Pahat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in Sydney. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Batu Pahat – a meal for two runs $12.00 versus $91.0 in Sydney. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $905 in Batu Pahat versus $3,152 in Sydney, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Batu Pahat but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Batu Pahat 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 Batu Pahat 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 Batu Pahat gentler on the wallet – expenses run 248% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.