Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Bukit Mertajam

For one person, living is cheaper in Bukit Mertajam: $623 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $30,300 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Bukit Mertajam
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Bukit Mertajam Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Bukit Mertajam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$623

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Bukit Mertajam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,152 in Sydney versus $623 in Bukit Mertajam.

Sydney $3,152
Bukit Mertajam $623

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,710 in Sydney versus $979 in Bukit Mertajam.

Sydney $4,710
Bukit Mertajam $979

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,268 in Sydney versus $1,335 in Bukit Mertajam.

Sydney $6,268
Bukit Mertajam $1,335

Living in Sydney is roughly 406% more expensive than in Bukit Mertajam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sydney is 133% above, Bukit Mertajam is 54% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$1.93 MYR 7.87

810.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$20.63 MYR 84.2

343.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$3.93 MYR 16.03

204.33%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$3.14 MYR 12.80

29.62%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.72 MYR 2.93

295.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.47 MYR 1.93

378.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$4.30 MYR 17.52

76.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$6.05 MYR 24.69

22.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.74 MYR 7.10

-4.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.12 MYR 4.58

148.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$1.94 MYR 7.91

24.74%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$2.52 MYR 10.26

123.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$14.07 MYR 57.4

-16.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$4.34 MYR 17.71

122.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$9.65 MYR 39.35

73.58%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$3.49 MYR 14.24

16.62%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$1.79 MYR 7.32

81.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$2.31 MYR 9.42

48.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$1.53 MYR 6.23

179.74%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$1.33 MYR 5.42

146.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$1.41 MYR 5.76

63.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$1.12 MYR 4.57

105.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.67 MYR 2.72

80.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$4.32 MYR 17.64

911.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$19.48 MYR 79.5

-28.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$3.65 MYR 14.91

6.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$5.05 MYR 20.60

-22.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$1.19 MYR 4.84

184.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$1.25 MYR 5.11

24.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$5.03 MYR 20.50

695.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.87 MYR 3.54

60.92%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$41.2K MYR 168.3K

-29.39%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$34.4K MYR 140.4K

-12.46%

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

$223 A$320

$62.4 MYR 255

256.50%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$8.54 MYR 34.85

218.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$26.31 MYR 107

112.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$5.06 MYR 20.65

247.04%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$242 MYR 989

805.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$13.0K MYR 52.9K

117.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$71.6 MYR 292

9.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$41.95 MYR 171

63.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$87.5 MYR 357

27.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$97.3 MYR 397

38.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

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

$567 MYR 2,312

625.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

4.18

39.71%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bukit Mertajam: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Bukit Mertajam

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Bukit Mertajam

$271 43.5% 28.4% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Bukit Mertajam

$97 15.6% 68.2% $208

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Bukit Mertajam

$103 16.6% 65.4% $195

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Bukit Mertajam

$134 21.5% 24% $42

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Bukit Mertajam

$7.5 * 1.2% 95.7% $166

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Bukit Mertajam

$10 * 1.6% 90.8% $100

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

Cost Breakdown

Sydney pays 626% 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 $21.00 in Bukit Mertajam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $379 vs $271 per month, with Bukit Mertajam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇲🇾 Bukit Mertajam

🕒 Local time

16:38 4:38 PM

13:38 1:38 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

212,329

💱 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 Bukit Mertajam 6,880 km ≈ 9 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 Bukit Mertajam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sydney and Bukit Mertajam differ by about 406% in total monthly costs ($3,152 vs $623 including rent). Bukit Mertajam is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 626% higher in Sydney, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Sydney. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $3,152 per month in Sydney versus $623 in Bukit Mertajam – a 406% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $623 in Bukit Mertajam versus $3,152 in Sydney, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bukit Mertajam but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Bukit Mertajam 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 Bukit Mertajam 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 Bukit Mertajam gentler on the wallet – expenses run 406% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.