Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Kajang, Selangor

For one person, living is cheaper in Kajang, Selangor: $988 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $26,000 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Kajang, Selangor
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Kajang, Selangor Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Kajang, Selangor

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$988

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Kajang, Selangor

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

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $988 in Kajang, Selangor, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Kajang, Selangor $988

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $1,448 in Kajang, Selangor, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Kajang, Selangor $1,448

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $1,909 in Kajang, Selangor, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Kajang, Selangor $1,909

Sydney costs about 219% more than Kajang, Selangor, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 133% above the global median, while Kajang, Selangor is 27% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$3.76 MYR 15.34

367.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$18.63 MYR 76.0

391.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$4.81 MYR 19.62

148.65%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.96 MYR 12.09

37.50%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.80 MYR 3.26

256.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.47 MYR 1.92

378.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$4.35 MYR 17.76

74.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$6.08 MYR 24.81

22.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.69 MYR 6.88

-1.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.05 MYR 4.28

164.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$1.43 MYR 5.84

69.23%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$1.66 MYR 6.78

239.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$17.84 MYR 72.8

-34.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$4.56 MYR 18.62

111.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$9.80 MYR 39.98

70.92%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$3.41 MYR 13.91

19.35%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$1.69 MYR 6.88

92.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$2.32 MYR 9.48

48.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$1.53 MYR 6.23

179.74%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$1.34 MYR 5.46

144.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$1.65 MYR 6.73

39.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$1.13 MYR 4.60

103.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.51 MYR 2.09

137.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$4.36 MYR 17.79

902.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$13.93 MYR 56.8

-0.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$2.86 MYR 11.65

36.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$3.11 MYR 12.68

25.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$0.76 MYR 3.08

300.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$12.29 MYR 50.1

1122.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$1.21 MYR 4.92

179.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$0.71 MYR 2.91

119.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$4.94 MYR 20.16

709.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.82 MYR 3.35

70.73%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$42.3K MYR 172.7K

-31.20%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$35.3K MYR 143.9K

-14.56%

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

$223 A$320

$52.5 MYR 214

324.24%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$9.92 MYR 40.45

173.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$26.35 MYR 107

111.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$44.80 MYR 183

66.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

$7.53 MYR 30.73

218.59%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$4.91 MYR 20.05

257.64%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$166 MYR 677

1222.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$4,418 MYR 18.0K

538.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$54.6 MYR 223

43.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$16.33 MYR 66.6

319.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$81.6 MYR 333

36.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$97.2 MYR 396

38.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$396 MYR 1,615

531.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$337 MYR 1,375

407.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$744 MYR 3,035

564.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$502 MYR 2,047

502.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$1,919 MYR 7,828

586.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$1,012 MYR 4,129

727.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

4.06

43.84%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Kajang, Selangor: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Kajang, Selangor

$337 34.1% 80.3% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Kajang, Selangor

$256 25.9% 32.4% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Kajang, Selangor

$89 9% 71% $217

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Kajang, Selangor

$119 12.1% 60.1% $179

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Kajang, Selangor

$112 11.4% 36.4% $64

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Kajang, Selangor

$20 2% 88.4% $153

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Kajang, Selangor

$55 5.5% 50.2% $55

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney versus $396 in Kajang, Selangor. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Sydney versus $19.00 in Kajang, Selangor. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $256 – making Kajang, Selangor the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇲🇾 Kajang, Selangor

🕒 Local time

15:23 3:23 PM

12:23 12:23 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

1,047,356

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, 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).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sydney Kajang, Selangor 6,600 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Kajang, Selangor

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 Kajang, Selangor: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,152 in Sydney, $988 in Kajang, Selangor – roughly 219% 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 $1,482 in Kajang, Selangor. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kajang, Selangor, 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 $19.00 in Kajang, Selangor. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,152 in Sydney and $988 in Kajang, Selangor. That's a gap of about 219%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kajang, Selangor, where all-in costs run around $988, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Kajang, Selangor it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kajang, Selangor – 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 Kajang, Selangor. 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.