Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Iligan City

For one person, living is cheaper in Iligan City: $739 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $29,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
Learn more

Sydney Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Iligan City
Learn more

Iligan City Living Index

Jump to prices

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Iligan City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$739

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Iligan City

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

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $739 in Iligan City, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Iligan City $739

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $1,126 in Iligan City, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Iligan City $1,126

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $1,514 in Iligan City, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Iligan City $1,514

Sydney costs about 327% more than Iligan City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 133% above the global median, while Iligan City is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$3.99 ₱251

340.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$17.85 ₱1,124

412.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$2.74 ₱172

336.50%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.26 ₱142

80.09%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.67 ₱42.01

325.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.34 ₱21.15

561.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$1.13 ₱71.1

572.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$1.90 ₱120

291.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$2.05 ₱129

-19.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.16 ₱72.8

139.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$0.90 ₱56.7

168.89%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$1.93 ₱121

192.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$5.66 ₱357

106.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$4.21 ₱265

129.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$7.26 ₱457

130.72%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.42 ₱153

68.18%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$1.54 ₱97.2

111.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$2.34 ₱147

47.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$1.17 ₱73.7

265.81%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$2.01 ₱126

63.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$1.92 ₱121

19.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$0.92 ₱57.8

150.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.57 ₱35.82

112.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$2.97 ₱187

1371.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$7.55 ₱476

83.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$0.96 ₱60.5

306.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$2.01 ₱126

94.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$0.26 ₱16.49

1069.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$12.63 ₱795

1089.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$0.85 ₱53.5

297.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$0.21 ₱13.33

642.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$2.01 ₱127

1890.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.17 ₱73.6

19.66%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

37.60%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$16.8K ₱1.1M

79.32%

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

$223 A$320

$129 ₱8,095

73.12%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$15.31 ₱964

77.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$24.12 ₱1,519

131.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$31.95 ₱2,011

133.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

$4.61 ₱290

420.39%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$5.14 ₱324

241.63%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$131 ₱8,241

1577.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$8,881 ₱559.2K

217.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$33.30 ₱2,097

135.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$18.10 ₱1,139

278.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$70.2 ₱4,422

58.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$48.70 ₱3,066

176.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$111 ₱6,985

2153.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$172 ₱10.8K

895.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$515 ₱32.4K

859.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$357 ₱22.5K

745.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$2,600 ₱163.7K

406.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$875 ₱55.1K

856.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

$198 ₱12.5K

1978.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

6.79

-13.99%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Iligan City: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Iligan City

$172 23.2% 90% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Iligan City

$184 24.9% 51.4% $195

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Iligan City

$168 22.7% 45% $138

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Iligan City

$81 10.9% 73% $218

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Iligan City

$77 10.4% 56.6% $100

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Iligan City

$16 2.1% 91% $158

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Iligan City

$42 5.7% 61.5% $68

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney versus $111 in Iligan City. 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 1979% 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 $18.00 in Iligan City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $184 – making Iligan City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇵🇭 Iligan City

🕒 Local time

14:47 2:47 PM

11:47 11:47 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

342,618

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sydney Iligan City 5,480 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Iligan City

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 Iligan City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,152 in Sydney, $739 in Iligan City – roughly 327% 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 $1,108 in Iligan City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 1089% less in Iligan City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,196 per month in Sydney and $131 in Iligan City. 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 Iligan City, where all-in costs run around $739, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Iligan City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Iligan City – 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 Iligan City. 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.