Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Kalimantan

For one person, living is cheaper in Kalimantan: $639 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $30,200 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Kalimantan
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Kalimantan Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Kalimantan

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Kalimantan

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

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $639 in Kalimantan, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Kalimantan $639

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $984 in Kalimantan, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Kalimantan $984

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $1,328 in Kalimantan, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Kalimantan $1,328

Sydney costs about 393% more than Kalimantan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 133% above the global median, while Kalimantan is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$1.65 Rp 29.7K

964.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$14.21 Rp 255.9K

543.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$3.73 Rp 67.1K

220.64%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$1.49 Rp 26.8K

173.15%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.46 Rp 8,364

519.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.23 Rp 4,226

878.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$2.36 Rp 42.4K

222.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$3.45 Rp 62.1K

115.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.05 Rp 18.9K

58.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.21 Rp 21.7K

129.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$0.73 Rp 13.1K

231.51%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$1.33 Rp 23.9K

324.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$7.03 Rp 126.5K

66.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$3.02 Rp 54.4K

219.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$7.24 Rp 130.3K

131.35%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.02 Rp 36.4K

101.49%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$1.10 Rp 19.8K

195.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$1.69 Rp 30.5K

103.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$1.10 Rp 19.8K

289.09%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$1.40 Rp 25.1K

134.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$1.93 Rp 34.7K

19.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$0.75 Rp 13.4K

206.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.43 Rp 7,748

181.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$2.51 Rp 45.2K

1641.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$24.07 Rp 433.3K

-42.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$1.74 Rp 31.3K

124.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$2.66 Rp 47.9K

46.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$0.29 Rp 5,282

948.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$0.53 Rp 9,475

537.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$0.39 Rp 7,011

300.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$2.59 Rp 46.7K

1444.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.75 Rp 13.5K

86.67%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$21.9K Rp 394.1M

33.03%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$27.2K Rp 490.2M

10.63%

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

$223 A$320

$68.9 Rp 1.2M

223.03%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$3.73 Rp 67.1K

628.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$19.85 Rp 357.3K

181.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$18.32 Rp 329.7K

307.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

$8.79 Rp 158.1K

172.92%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$3.11 Rp 56.0K

464.63%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$102 Rp 1.8M

2042.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$6,826 Rp 122.9M

312.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$47.05 Rp 847.0K

66.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$26.14 Rp 470.5K

161.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$83.9 Rp 1.5M

32.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$61.5 Rp 1.1M

118.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$235 Rp 4.2M

964.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$160 Rp 2.9M

965.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$614 Rp 11.1M

705.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$333 Rp 6.0M

807.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$1,308 Rp 23.5M

907.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$687 Rp 12.4M

1118.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

9.46

-38.27%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Kalimantan: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Kalimantan

$160 25.1% 90.6% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Kalimantan

$196 30.7% 48.2% $183

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Kalimantan

$92 14.5% 69.7% $213

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Kalimantan

$64 10% 78.6% $235

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Kalimantan

$98 15.4% 44.3% $78

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Kalimantan

$3.7 * 0.6% 97.9% $170

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Kalimantan

$25 3.8% 77.6% $85

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney versus $235 in Kalimantan. 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 $14.00 in Kalimantan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $196 – making Kalimantan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇮🇩 Kalimantan

🕒 Local time

18:56 6:56 PM

15:56 3:56 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sydney Kalimantan 5,470 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Kalimantan

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 Kalimantan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sydney is pricier by about 393%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,728 per month in Sydney and $959 in Kalimantan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kalimantan, 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 $14.00 in Kalimantan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 93% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kalimantan, where all-in costs run around $639, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Kalimantan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kalimantan – 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 Kalimantan. 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.