Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Butuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Butuan: $578 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $30,900 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Butuan
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Butuan Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Butuan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$578

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Butuan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,152 in Sydney versus $578 in Butuan.

Sydney $3,152
Butuan $578

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,710 in Sydney versus $913 in Butuan.

Sydney $4,710
Butuan $913

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,268 in Sydney versus $1,248 in Butuan.

Sydney $6,268
Butuan $1,248

Living in Sydney is roughly 445% more expensive than in Butuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sydney is 133% above, Butuan is 57% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$4.67 ₱294

276.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$26.83 ₱1,689

240.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$2.41 ₱152

396.27%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.09 ₱131

94.74%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.33 ₱21.01

763.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.23 ₱14.47

878.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$1.57 ₱98.8

384.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$2.46 ₱155

202.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.95 ₱123

-14.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.09 ₱68.9

155.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$0.87 ₱55.0

178.16%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$1.86 ₱117

203.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$6.21 ₱391

88.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$4.84 ₱305

99.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$9.32 ₱587

79.72%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.68 ₱169

51.87%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$1.11 ₱69.7

192.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$2.42 ₱152

42.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$1.20 ₱75.8

256.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$2.02 ₱127

62.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$3.51 ₱221

-34.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$1.25 ₱79.0

84.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.67 ₱42.40

80.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$2.39 ₱150

1728.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$8.13 ₱512

70.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$1.25 ₱78.7

212.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$1.69 ₱106

131.36%

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

$0.78 ₱49.31

333.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$0.25 ₱15.83

524.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$1.96 ₱123

1941.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.05 ₱66.1

33.33%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

37.17%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$19.0K ₱1.2M

58.33%

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

$223 A$320

$107 ₱6,745

107.78%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$18.89 ₱1,189

43.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$30.87 ₱1,944

80.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$23.85 ₱1,502

212.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$4.37 ₱275

301.83%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$108 ₱6,790

1936.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$7,696 ₱484.6K

266.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$61.7 ₱3,885

27.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$31.28 ₱1,970

118.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$71.8 ₱4,523

54.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$62.2 ₱3,916

116.14%

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

8.31

-29.72%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Butuan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Butuan

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Butuan

$200 34.6% 47.2% $179

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Butuan

$157 27.1% 48.7% $149

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Butuan

$85 14.6% 71.7% $214

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Butuan

$102 17.7% 42.2% $74

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Butuan

$2 * 0.4% 98.8% $172

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Butuan

$33 5.6% 70.3% $77

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $91.0 in Sydney vs $27.00 in Butuan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $379 vs $200 per month, with Butuan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇵🇭 Butuan

🕒 Local time

13:01 1:01 PM

10:01 10:01 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

337,063

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sydney Butuan 5,480 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Butuan

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 Butuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Butuan wins on cost – living expenses run 445% lower than in Sydney. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Butuan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $4,728 in Sydney and $867 in Butuan 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.

Childcare runs $2,196 in Sydney versus $108 in Butuan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Butuan – a meal for two runs $27.00 versus $91.0 in Sydney. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $578 in Butuan versus $3,152 in Sydney, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Butuan but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Butuan 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 Butuan 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 Butuan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 445% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.