Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Imus

For one person, living is cheaper in Imus: $647 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $30,100 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Imus
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Imus Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Imus

🇵🇭 Philippines

$647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Imus

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

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $647 in Imus, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Imus $647

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $965 in Imus, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Imus $965

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $1,283 in Imus, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Imus $1,283

Sydney costs about 387% more than Imus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 133% above the global median, while Imus is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$3.96 ₱249

343.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$17.00 ₱1,070

438.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$2.85 ₱179

319.65%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$1.86 ₱117

118.82%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.56 ₱35.19

408.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.33 ₱20.78

581.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$1.02 ₱64.2

645.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$1.70 ₱107

337.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.68 ₱106

-1.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.13 ₱71.0

146.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$1.03 ₱64.7

134.95%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$2.08 ₱131

171.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$5.18 ₱326

126.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$3.33 ₱210

190.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$7.85 ₱494

113.38%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.27 ₱143

79.30%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$1.60 ₱101

103.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$2.35 ₱148

46.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$1.78 ₱112

140.45%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$1.72 ₱108

90.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$1.73 ₱109

32.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$0.66 ₱41.73

248.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.49 ₱31.10

146.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$3.14 ₱198

1292.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$8.99 ₱566

54.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$1.13 ₱71.4

245.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$1.98 ₱125

97.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$0.26 ₱16.16

1069.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$10.94 ₱689

1273.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$0.80 ₱50.2

322.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$0.23 ₱14.50

578.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$1.92 ₱121

1983.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.22 ₱76.7

14.75%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$21.7K ₱1.4M

34.41%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$19.5K ₱1.2M

54.66%

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

$223 A$320

$123 ₱7,715

81.67%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$15.62 ₱983

73.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$23.34 ₱1,469

139.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$27.55 ₱1,735

170.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

$5.07 ₱319

373.18%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$5.29 ₱333

231.95%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$134 ₱8,428

1540.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$8,820 ₱555.3K

219.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$29.14 ₱1,834

169.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$19.72 ₱1,241

247.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$72.7 ₱4,574

53.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$54.8 ₱3,453

145.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$122 ₱7,660

1954.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$99.7 ₱6,274

1615.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$202 ₱12.7K

2349.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$166 ₱10.4K

1724.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$2,138 ₱134.6K

515.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$1,101 ₱69.3K

660.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

$172 ₱10.8K

2298.28%

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 Imus: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Imus

$100 15.4% 94.2% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Imus

$180 27.9% 52.4% $198

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Imus

$161 24.9% 47.2% $144

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Imus

$75 11.5% 75% $224

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Imus

$79 12.3% 55.1% $97

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Imus

$14 2.2% 92% $160

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Imus

$38 5.9% 65.3% $72

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney versus $122 in Imus. 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 2298% 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 $17.00 in Imus. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $180 – making Imus the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇵🇭 Imus

🕒 Local time

10:38 10:38 AM

07:38 7:38 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

496,794

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Sydney Imus 6,250 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Imus

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 Imus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,152 in Sydney, $647 in Imus – roughly 387% 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 $971 in Imus. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 110% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Sydney and $17.00 in Imus. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Imus, where all-in costs run around $647, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Imus it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Imus – 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 Imus. 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.