Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Dumaguete

For one person, living is cheaper in Dumaguete: $791 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $28,300 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Dumaguete
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Dumaguete Living Index

Jump to prices

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Dumaguete

🇵🇭 Philippines

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Dumaguete

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,152 in Sydney versus $791 in Dumaguete.

Sydney $3,152
Dumaguete $791

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,710 in Sydney versus $1,202 in Dumaguete.

Sydney $4,710
Dumaguete $1,202

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,268 in Sydney versus $1,612 in Dumaguete.

Sydney $6,268
Dumaguete $1,612

Living in Sydney is roughly 298% more expensive than in Dumaguete, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sydney is 133% above, Dumaguete is 41% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$3.85 ₱242

356.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$16.19 ₱1,020

465.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$4.17 ₱262

186.81%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.27 ₱143

79.30%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.72 ₱45.42

295.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.44 ₱27.45

411.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$1.34 ₱84.2

467.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$1.85 ₱117

301.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.61 ₱101

3.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.33 ₱83.9

109.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$0.95 ₱59.6

154.74%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$1.75 ₱110

222.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$8.39 ₱528

39.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$4.40 ₱277

119.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$7.01 ₱441

138.94%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$1.63 ₱103

149.69%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$1.30 ₱82.0

150.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$3.51 ₱221

-1.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$1.25 ₱78.7

242.40%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$2.43 ₱153

34.98%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$1.57 ₱98.8

46.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$0.79 ₱49.58

191.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.54 ₱34.27

124.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$2.32 ₱146

1784.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$8.84 ₱557

57.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$1.20 ₱75.7

225.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$1.26 ₱79.1

210.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$0.41 ₱25.84

641.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$10.09 ₱635

1388.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$0.69 ₱43.64

389.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$0.17 ₱10.41

817.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$2.19 ₱138

1726.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.06 ₱66.7

32.08%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$20.9K ₱1.3M

39.44%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$24.1K ₱1.5M

24.84%

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

$223 A$320

$67.1 ₱4,227

231.55%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$10.05 ₱632

170.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$25.78 ₱1,623

116.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$23.76 ₱1,496

214.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

$4.06 ₱256

490.89%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$7.23 ₱455

142.88%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$57.8 ₱3,639

3699.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$1,698 ₱106.9K

1559.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$94.4 ₱5,945

-16.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$32.11 ₱2,022

113.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$102 ₱6,429

8.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$112 ₱7,053

20.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$238 ₱15.0K

951.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$207 ₱13.0K

725.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$429 ₱27.0K

1052.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$359 ₱22.6K

742.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$3,082 ₱194.0K

327.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$693 ₱43.7K

1107.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

$276 ₱17.4K

1389.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

-16.57%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Dumaguete: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Dumaguete

$207 26.2% 87.9% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Dumaguete

$191 24.1% 49.5% $187

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Dumaguete

$103 13% 66.3% $203

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Dumaguete

$86 10.8% 71.3% $213

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Dumaguete

$153 19.4% 13.2% $23

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Dumaguete

$13 1.7% 92.4% $160

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Dumaguete

$38 4.8% 65.2% $72

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,500 in Sydney and $238 in Dumaguete. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 1390% 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 $16.00 in Dumaguete for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $379 vs $191 per month, with Dumaguete cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇵🇭 Dumaguete

🕒 Local time

01:03 1:03 AM

22:03 10:03 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

134,103

💱 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 Dumaguete 5,630 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

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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 Dumaguete: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sydney and Dumaguete differ by about 298% in total monthly costs ($3,152 vs $791 including rent). Dumaguete is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1390% higher in Sydney, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,500 in Sydney versus $238 in Dumaguete. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $3,152 per month in Sydney versus $791 in Dumaguete – a 298% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dumaguete runs roughly 1389% less than in Sydney. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $791 in Dumaguete versus $3,152 in Sydney, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Dumaguete but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Dumaguete 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 Dumaguete 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 Dumaguete gentler on the wallet – expenses run 298% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.