Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Kedah

For one person, living is cheaper in Kedah: $877 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $28,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

157

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Kedah
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Kedah Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Kedah

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$877

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Kedah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,267 in Sydney versus $877 in Kedah.

Sydney $3,267
Kedah $877

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,847 in Sydney versus $1,399 in Kedah.

Sydney $4,847
Kedah $1,399

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,428 in Sydney versus $1,920 in Kedah.

Sydney $6,428
Kedah $1,920

Living in Sydney is roughly 272% more expensive than in Kedah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sydney is 140% above, Kedah is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.87

$3.72 MYR 15.14

370.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.4 A$128

$12.32 MYR 50.2

633.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$16.99

$4.56 MYR 18.59

162.28%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.68

$2.91 MYR 11.87

37.46%

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

$2.81 A$4.00

$0.77 MYR 3.14

264.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 A$3.16

$0.39 MYR 1.59

469.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 A$11.56

$4.24 MYR 17.26

91.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 A$10.23

$4.36 MYR 17.75

65.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 A$2.42

$1.88 MYR 7.66

-9.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.17

$1.06 MYR 4.32

177.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.57

$1.72 MYR 6.99

45.93%

Eggs

$5.66 A$8.04

$2.19 MYR 8.91

158.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 A$17.36

$13.55 MYR 55.2

-9.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 A$13.24

$4.34 MYR 17.69

114.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 A$23.97

$8.84 MYR 36.02

90.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.90 A$5.54

$2.94 MYR 11.98

32.65%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.58

$1.63 MYR 6.65

97.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 A$4.88

$2.75 MYR 11.20

24.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 A$6.16

$1.45 MYR 5.92

198.62%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.75

$1.10 MYR 4.48

204.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.41

$1.09 MYR 4.43

120.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.32

$1.13 MYR 4.61

107.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 A$1.65

$0.57 MYR 2.34

103.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.47 A$64.6

$4.62 MYR 18.83

884.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 A$19.88

$18.76 MYR 76.5

-25.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.11 A$5.84

$2.98 MYR 12.15

37.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 A$5.94

$5.33 MYR 21.72

-21.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.12 A$4.44

$0.76 MYR 3.10

310.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 A$216

$12.85 MYR 52.4

1081.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 A$4.92

$1.66 MYR 6.76

108.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.22

$0.38 MYR 1.54

310.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.54 A$56.2

$7.29 MYR 29.70

442.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.05

$0.60 MYR 2.46

141.67%

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

$29.9K A$42.5K

$45.6K MYR 185.9K

-34.48%

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

$27.5K A$39.1K

$35.8K MYR 146.1K

-23.23%

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

$251 A$356

$36.47 MYR 149

587.80%

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

$27.76 A$39.44

$9.66 MYR 39.35

187.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.0 A$82.4

$29.48 MYR 120

96.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.7 A$100

$34.63 MYR 141

104.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.25 A$33.04

$6.85 MYR 27.92

239.42%

Cinema Ticket

$17.83 A$25.33

$4.79 MYR 19.53

272.23%

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

$2,358 A$3,351

$388 MYR 1,579

508.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.2K A$38.6K

$10.7K MYR 43.4K

155.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 A$114

$58.9 MYR 240

36.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.3 A$98.5

$34.76 MYR 142

99.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$157

$81.6 MYR 333

35.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 A$181

$70.7 MYR 288

80.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,566 A$3,646

$358 MYR 1,458

617.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 A$2,547

$258 MYR 1,051

594.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,202 A$7,391

$712 MYR 2,902

630.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,156 A$4,485

$607 MYR 2,472

420.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.0K

$1,930 MYR 7,865

593.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,727 A$12.4K

$1,258 MYR 5,124

593.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,118 A$5,851

$1,339 MYR 5,456

207.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

4.04

46.53%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 24, 2026

Last update for Kedah: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9%

Kedah

$258 29.4% 85.6% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$382 11.7%

Kedah

$257 29.3% 32.8% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$337 10.3%

Kedah

$76 8.6% 77.5% $261

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.2%

Kedah

$113 12.9% 62.3% $186

Getting Around

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Kedah

$19 2.2% 88.9% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$175 5.3%

Kedah

$111 12.6% 36.6% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$106 3.3%

Kedah

$44 5% 58.4% $62

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,566 in Sydney and $358 in Kedah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays about 3.1 times more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $90 in Sydney vs $12 in Kedah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $382 vs $257 per month, with Kedah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇲🇾 Kedah

🕒 Local time

03:20 3:20 AM

00:20 12:20 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

417,800

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.53 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sydney Kedah 6,950 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Kedah

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 Kedah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sydney and Kedah differ by about 272% in total monthly costs ($3,267 vs $877 including rent). Kedah is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Sydney is about 3.1 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,566 in Sydney versus $358 in Kedah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,358 in Sydney versus $388 in Kedah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 49% higher in Sydney. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $877 in Kedah versus $3,267 in Sydney, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Kedah but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Kedah the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Kedah is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Sydney, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Sydney and Kedah are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Kedah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 73% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.