Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Langkawi

For one person, living is cheaper in Langkawi: $537 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $31,400 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Langkawi
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Langkawi Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Langkawi

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$537

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Langkawi

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

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $537 in Langkawi, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Langkawi $537

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $770 in Langkawi, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Langkawi $770

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $1,003 in Langkawi, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Langkawi $1,003

Sydney costs about 487% more than Langkawi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sydney sits 133% above the global median, while Langkawi is 60% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$3.27 MYR 13.33

437.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$19.71 MYR 80.4

364.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$6.38 MYR 26.04

87.46%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$1.65 MYR 6.72

146.67%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.82 MYR 3.36

247.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.53 MYR 2.18

324.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$1.72 MYR 7.03

341.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$2.26 MYR 9.22

228.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.74 MYR 7.10

-4.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.31 MYR 5.36

112.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$1.79 MYR 7.30

215.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$17.48 MYR 71.3

-33.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.02 MYR 8.23

101.49%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$0.99 MYR 4.05

228.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$1.68 MYR 6.86

104.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$1.67 MYR 6.83

156.29%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$0.76 MYR 3.09

202.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$3.69 MYR 15.04

1084.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$8.82 MYR 36.00

57.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$0.94 MYR 3.82

314.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$1.19 MYR 4.87

228.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.88 MYR 3.57

59.09%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$24.4K MYR 99.6K

19.29%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

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

$223 A$320

$36.65 MYR 150

507.37%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$24.82 MYR 101

200.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

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

$2,196 A$3,160

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$308 MYR 1,255

712.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$244 MYR 997

599.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$374 MYR 1,528

1220.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$320 MYR 1,304

845.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$1,168 MYR 4,765

1027.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

$1,240 MYR 5,060

231.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Langkawi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Langkawi

$244 45.5% 85.7% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Langkawi

$148 * 27.5% 61% $231

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Langkawi

$37 * 6.8% 88% $269

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Langkawi

$84 15.6% 72% $215

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Langkawi

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Langkawi

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Langkawi

$25 * 4.6% 77.4% $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 $308 in Langkawi. 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 232% 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 $20.00 in Langkawi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $148 – making Langkawi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇲🇾 Langkawi

🕒 Local time

11:01 11:01 AM

08:01 8:01 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

30,212

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Sydney Langkawi 7,010 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Langkawi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,152 in Sydney, $537 in Langkawi – roughly 487% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,728 per month in Sydney and $806 in Langkawi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Langkawi, 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 $20.00 in Langkawi. 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 $537 in Langkawi. That's a gap of about 487%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Langkawi, where all-in costs run around $537, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Langkawi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Langkawi – 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 Langkawi. 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.