Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Butterworth

For one person, living is cheaper in Butterworth: $932 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $26,600 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Butterworth
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Butterworth Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Butterworth

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$932

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Butterworth

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

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $932 in Butterworth, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Butterworth $932

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $1,402 in Butterworth, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Butterworth $1,402

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $1,871 in Butterworth, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Butterworth $1,871

Sydney costs about 238% more than Butterworth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 133% above the global median, while Butterworth is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$3.77 MYR 15.38

366.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$19.66 MYR 80.2

365.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$4.70 MYR 19.19

154.47%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.90 MYR 11.82

40.34%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.76 MYR 3.11

275.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.39 MYR 1.59

476.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$4.19 MYR 17.09

81.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$4.30 MYR 17.56

72.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$2.08 MYR 8.48

-20.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.04 MYR 4.26

167.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$1.70 MYR 6.94

42.35%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$2.17 MYR 8.86

159.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$13.81 MYR 56.4

-15.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$4.35 MYR 17.74

122.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$8.79 MYR 35.87

90.56%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.90 MYR 11.84

40.34%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$1.69 MYR 6.88

92.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$2.33 MYR 9.52

47.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$1.41 MYR 5.75

203.55%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$1.05 MYR 4.29

212.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$1.13 MYR 4.61

103.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$1.08 MYR 4.42

112.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.57 MYR 2.33

112.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$4.46 MYR 18.20

880.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$19.33 MYR 78.9

-28.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$2.87 MYR 11.72

35.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$4.90 MYR 19.97

-20.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$0.70 MYR 2.86

334.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$11.13 MYR 45.40

1249.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$1.20 MYR 4.89

181.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$0.37 MYR 1.52

321.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$4.87 MYR 19.88

721.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.89 MYR 3.63

57.30%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$42.2K MYR 172.3K

-31.03%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$34.2K MYR 139.5K

-11.90%

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

$223 A$320

$37.79 MYR 154

489.04%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$8.58 MYR 34.99

216.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$26.51 MYR 108

110.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$36.71 MYR 150

103.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

$6.90 MYR 28.15

247.68%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$5.03 MYR 20.50

249.11%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$297 MYR 1,211

640.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$10.9K MYR 44.4K

159.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$58.9 MYR 240

33.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$35.71 MYR 146

91.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$81.9 MYR 334

35.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$71.0 MYR 290

89.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$410 MYR 1,672

510.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$314 MYR 1,281

444.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$772 MYR 3,149

540.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$522 MYR 2,130

478.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$2,053 MYR 8,376

541.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$1,101 MYR 4,493

659.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

4.04

44.55%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Butterworth: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Butterworth

$314 33.7% 81.6% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Butterworth

$257 27.6% 32.2% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Butterworth

$73 7.8% 76.2% $233

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Butterworth

$113 12.1% 62.1% $185

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Butterworth

$111 12% 36.9% $65

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Butterworth

$17 1.8% 90.2% $157

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Butterworth

$47 5% 57.4% $63

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney versus $410 in Butterworth. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Sydney versus $20.00 in Butterworth. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $257 – making Butterworth the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇲🇾 Butterworth

🕒 Local time

09:07 9:07 AM

06:07 6:07 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

339,132

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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 →

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Between locations

Sydney Butterworth 6,890 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Butterworth

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 Butterworth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,152 in Sydney, $932 in Butterworth – roughly 238% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,728 per month in Sydney and $1,398 in Butterworth. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Butterworth, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,152 in Sydney and $932 in Butterworth. That's a gap of about 238%.

Public transport costs about 1250% less in Butterworth. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Butterworth, where all-in costs run around $932, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Butterworth it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Butterworth – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Butterworth. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sydney makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.