Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Kemaman

For one person, living is cheaper in Kemaman: $877 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $27,300 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Kemaman
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Kemaman Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Kemaman

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$877

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Kemaman

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

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $877 in Kemaman, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Kemaman $877

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $1,352 in Kemaman, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Kemaman $1,352

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $1,827 in Kemaman, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Kemaman $1,827

Sydney costs about 259% more than Kemaman, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 133% above the global median, while Kemaman is 35% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$2.62 MYR 10.70

570.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$14.65 MYR 59.8

524.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$4.38 MYR 17.89

173.06%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$3.01 MYR 12.29

35.22%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.51 MYR 2.08

458.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.35 MYR 1.44

542.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$3.21 MYR 13.10

136.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$5.79 MYR 23.61

28.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.89 MYR 7.70

-12.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.01 MYR 4.14

175.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$0.96 MYR 3.92

152.08%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$1.14 MYR 4.64

394.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$9.82 MYR 40.04

19.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$3.28 MYR 13.39

194.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$9.63 MYR 39.27

73.94%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$3.53 MYR 14.41

15.30%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$1.88 MYR 7.66

72.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$2.66 MYR 10.86

29.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$1.73 MYR 7.05

147.40%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$2.15 MYR 8.78

52.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$2.02 MYR 8.23

13.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$1.43 MYR 5.82

60.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.48 MYR 1.95

152.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$4.66 MYR 18.99

837.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$19.79 MYR 80.8

-29.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$2.72 MYR 11.08

43.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$4.61 MYR 18.79

-15.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$0.73 MYR 2.98

316.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$12.09 MYR 49.32

1142.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$1.23 MYR 5.02

174.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$0.38 MYR 1.56

310.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$8.88 MYR 36.22

350.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.52 MYR 2.14

169.23%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$42.1K MYR 171.6K

-30.78%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$32.9K MYR 134.4K

-8.56%

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

$223 A$320

$48.98 MYR 200

354.47%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$8.30 MYR 33.87

227.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$27.03 MYR 110

106.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$41.79 MYR 170

78.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

$7.05 MYR 28.75

240.28%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$4.87 MYR 19.88

260.57%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$124 MYR 507

1667.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$10.4K MYR 42.5K

170.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$51.5 MYR 210

52.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$30.07 MYR 123

127.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$76.7 MYR 313

44.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$85.5 MYR 349

57.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$450 MYR 1,837

455.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$267 MYR 1,090

539.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$772 MYR 3,148

540.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$532 MYR 2,169

468.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$1,748 MYR 7,129

653.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$1,220 MYR 4,978

585.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

4.51

29.49%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Kemaman: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Kemaman

$267 30.5% 84.4% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Kemaman

$245 27.9% 35.4% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Kemaman

$84 9.6% 72.4% $221

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Kemaman

$101 11.6% 66.1% $197

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Kemaman

$110 12.5% 37.9% $67

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Kemaman

$18 2.1% 89.5% $155

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Kemaman

$52 5.9% 53% $58

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney versus $450 in Kemaman. 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 $15.00 in Kemaman. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $245 – making Kemaman the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇲🇾 Kemaman

🕒 Local time

18:08 6:08 PM

15:08 3:08 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

215,582

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 →

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Between locations

Sydney Kemaman 6,560 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Kemaman

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 Kemaman: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sydney is pricier by about 259%, 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 $1,315 in Kemaman. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kemaman, 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 $15.00 in Kemaman. 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 $877 in Kemaman. That's a gap of about 259%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kemaman, where all-in costs run around $877, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Kemaman it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kemaman – 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 Kemaman. 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.