Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Caloocan

For one person, living is cheaper in Caloocan: $504 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $31,800 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Caloocan
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Caloocan Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Caloocan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$504

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Caloocan

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

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $504 in Caloocan, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Caloocan $504

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $674 in Caloocan, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Caloocan $674

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $845 in Caloocan, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Caloocan $845

Sydney costs about 525% more than Caloocan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 133% above the global median, while Caloocan is 63% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$2.74 ₱173

541.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$16.50 ₱1,039

454.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$2.22 ₱140

438.74%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$0.91 ₱57.3

347.25%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.40 ₱25.00

612.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.33 ₱21.07

581.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$1.01 ₱63.8

652.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$1.61 ₱101

361.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.62 ₱102

2.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.11 ₱69.7

150.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$1.00 ₱63.0

142.00%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$1.81 ₱114

211.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$5.19 ₱327

125.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$3.44 ₱216

180.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$7.94 ₱500

110.96%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.21 ₱139

84.16%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$0.92 ₱57.7

253.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$2.38 ₱150

44.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$1.04 ₱65.5

311.54%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$1.12 ₱70.7

192.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$1.70 ₱107

35.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$0.65 ₱41.16

253.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.49 ₱31.11

146.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$3.00 ₱189

1357.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$4.68 ₱295

196.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$0.91 ₱57.2

328.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$1.99 ₱126

96.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$0.22 ₱13.86

1281.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$0.82 ₱51.9

312.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$0.25 ₱15.82

524.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$1.90 ₱119

2005.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.09 ₱68.5

28.44%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$21.4K ₱1.3M

36.39%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$19.3K ₱1.2M

56.32%

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

$223 A$320

$53.2 ₱3,351

318.26%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$9.80 ₱617

177.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$23.23 ₱1,463

140.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$4.76 ₱300

1467.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$5.04 ₱318

248.41%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$134 ₱8,411

1543.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$10.9K ₱688.2K

157.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$29.00 ₱1,826

170.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$19.90 ₱1,253

243.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$55.3 ₱3,479

101.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$47.92 ₱3,017

180.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$205 ₱12.9K

1121.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$121 ₱7,620

1312.19%

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

$320 ₱20.1K

1185.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

6.75

-13.48%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Caloocan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Caloocan

$121 24% 92.9% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Caloocan

$160 31.7% 57.8% $219

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Caloocan

$86 17.1% 71.8% $219

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Caloocan

$51 10.1% 83% $248

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Caloocan

$68 13.6% 61.3% $108

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Caloocan

$3 * 0.6% 98.3% $171

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Caloocan

$15 3% 86.5% $95

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney versus $205 in Caloocan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 1186% higher in Sydney, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Sydney versus $16.00 in Caloocan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $160 – making Caloocan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇵🇭 Caloocan

🕒 Local time

08:35 8:35 AM

05:35 5:35 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

1,661,584

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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 →

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Between locations

Sydney Caloocan 6,270 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Caloocan

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 Caloocan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sydney costs about 525% more than Caloocan, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,728 per month in Sydney and $756 in Caloocan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Sydney and $16.00 in Caloocan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 137% more in Sydney, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Caloocan, where all-in costs run around $504, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Caloocan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Caloocan – 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 Caloocan. 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.