Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and El Nido

For one person, living is cheaper in El Nido: $739 a month against $3,245 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $30,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

156

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in El Nido
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El Nido Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,245

/mo nomad

El Nido

🇵🇭 Philippines

$739

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in El Nido

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

A single person spends $3,245 per month in Sydney vs $739 in El Nido, rent included.

Sydney $3,245
El Nido $739

A couple spends around $4,803 per month in Sydney vs $1,148 in El Nido, rent included.

Sydney $4,803
El Nido $1,148

A family of three spends $6,362 per month in Sydney vs $1,557 in El Nido, rent included.

Sydney $6,362
El Nido $1,557

Sydney costs about 339% more than El Nido, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sydney sits 139% above the global median, while El Nido is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.41 A$25.05

$4.84 ₱305

259.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.3 A$130

$28.13 ₱1,771

220.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 A$17.15

$3.70 ₱233

222.16%

Cappuccino

$4.03 A$5.80

$2.25 ₱142

79.11%

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

$2.88 A$4.15

$1.17 ₱73.8

146.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 A$3.20

$0.32 ₱20.45

596.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 A$11.36

$1.30 ₱81.8

506.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 A$9.76

$1.99 ₱125

240.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 A$2.45

$1.59 ₱100

7.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.00 ₱63.1

194.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.61

$1.29 ₱81.4

94.57%

Eggs

$5.55 A$7.99

$1.95 ₱123

184.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 A$16.94

$5.33 ₱336

120.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 A$13.35

$3.98 ₱250

133.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.70 A$24.03

$6.98 ₱439

139.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.92 A$5.64

$2.25 ₱142

74.22%

Banana (1kg)

$3.16 A$4.55

$1.54 ₱97.1

105.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.48 A$5.00

$2.26 ₱142

53.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.38 A$6.31

$1.16 ₱72.8

277.59%

Potato (1kg)

$3.33 A$4.79

$1.95 ₱123

70.77%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.46

$2.01 ₱127

19.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 A$3.32

$0.92 ₱58.0

151.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 A$1.65

$0.53 ₱33.65

116.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.34 A$63.8

$3.35 ₱211

1223.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.71 A$19.72

$7.24 ₱456

89.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.00 A$5.75

$1.00 ₱62.9

300.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 A$5.80

$1.87 ₱118

115.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.22 A$4.63

$0.24 ₱15.07

1241.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$154 A$222

$10.28 ₱648

1399.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 A$5.14

$0.85 ₱53.8

320.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 A$2.27

$0.20 ₱12.47

690.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.44 A$56.8

$1.72 ₱108

2193.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.13

$1.31 ₱82.3

12.98%

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

$29.6K A$42.5K

$19.2K ₱1.2M

54.06%

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

$27.7K A$39.8K

$21.6K ₱1.4M

28.08%

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

$241 A$347

$121 ₱7,638

98.98%

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

$27.57 A$39.67

$14.38 ₱906

91.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.3 A$81.0

$24.44 ₱1,539

130.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.1 A$112

$34.90 ₱2,197

123.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.26 A$33.47

$3.99 ₱251

482.96%

Cinema Ticket

$17.55 A$25.26

$5.23 ₱329

235.56%

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

$2,185 A$3,144

$124 ₱7,818

1659.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.8K A$40.0K

$6,869 ₱432.4K

304.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$33.86 ₱2,132

136.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.7 A$102

$18.81 ₱1,185

275.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$159

$66.9 ₱4,211

65.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 A$186

$49.95 ₱3,145

159.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,477 A$3,564

$269 ₱17.0K

819.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,777 A$2,557

$177 ₱11.2K

902.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,885 A$7,030

$535 ₱33.7K

812.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,093 A$4,451

$358 ₱22.5K

764.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.3K

$2,607 ₱164.1K

414.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,375 A$12.1K

$900 ₱56.7K

830.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,074 A$5,862

$257 ₱16.2K

1487.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

6.79

-12.81%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 20, 2026

Last update for El Nido: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.8%

El Nido

$177 24% 90% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$378 11.7%

El Nido

$174 23.6% 53.9% $204

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$325 10%

El Nido

$160 21.7% 50.8% $165

Eating Out

Sydney

$297 9.2%

El Nido

$93 12.6% 68.6% $204

Getting Around

Sydney

$178 5.5%

El Nido

$13 1.8% 92.7% $165

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$176 5.4%

El Nido

$76 10.3% 56.6% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$113 3.5%

El Nido

$45 6.1% 59.9% $68

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,477 in Sydney versus $269 in El Nido. 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 1487% 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 $90.0 in Sydney versus $28.00 in El Nido. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $378 vs $174 – making El Nido the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇵🇭 El Nido

🕒 Local time

10:26 10:26 AM

07:26 7:26 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

50,494

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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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Sydney El Nido 6,030 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 El Nido: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,245 in Sydney, $739 in El Nido – roughly 339% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,867 per month in Sydney and $1,109 in El Nido. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 1399% less in El Nido. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,185 per month in Sydney and $124 in El Nido. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in El Nido, where all-in costs run around $739, than in Sydney at $3,245. In El Nido it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward El Nido – 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 El Nido. 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.