Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Laoag City

For one person, living is cheaper in Laoag City: $743 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $28,900 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Laoag City
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Laoag City Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Laoag City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$743

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Laoag City

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

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $743 in Laoag City, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Laoag City $743

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $1,112 in Laoag City, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Laoag City $1,112

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $1,480 in Laoag City, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Laoag City $1,480

Sydney costs about 324% more than Laoag City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 133% above the global median, while Laoag City is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$3.41 ₱215

415.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$16.52 ₱1,041

453.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$2.94 ₱185

306.80%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.54 ₱160

60.24%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.67 ₱42.13

325.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.33 ₱20.53

581.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$1.00 ₱63.3

660.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$1.85 ₱117

301.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.63 ₱103

1.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.17 ₱73.8

137.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$0.92 ₱58.1

163.04%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$1.95 ₱123

189.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$5.25 ₱331

123.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$4.30 ₱271

124.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$7.24 ₱456

131.35%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.42 ₱152

68.18%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$1.63 ₱103

99.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$2.44 ₱154

40.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$1.19 ₱74.7

259.66%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$1.94 ₱122

69.07%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$1.88 ₱119

22.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$1.01 ₱63.4

127.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.54 ₱33.75

124.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$2.89 ₱182

1412.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$7.37 ₱464

88.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$0.94 ₱59.5

314.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$1.94 ₱122

101.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$0.26 ₱16.39

1069.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$11.99 ₱756

1152.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$0.73 ₱45.78

363.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$0.24 ₱15.15

550.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$2.19 ₱138

1726.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.03 ₱64.6

35.92%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$21.6K ₱1.4M

34.56%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$19.0K ₱1.2M

58.34%

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

$223 A$320

$136 ₱8,546

64.07%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$14.48 ₱912

87.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$24.79 ₱1,562

125.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$32.51 ₱2,048

129.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

$5.10 ₱321

370.39%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$5.03 ₱317

249.11%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$133 ₱8,389

1548.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$8,190 ₱515.9K

244.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$33.49 ₱2,109

134.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$19.72 ₱1,242

247.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$71.2 ₱4,484

56.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$55.3 ₱3,485

142.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$270 ₱17.0K

827.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$171 ₱10.8K

897.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$513 ₱32.3K

864.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$330 ₱20.8K

817.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$2,434 ₱153.3K

440.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$1,087 ₱68.4K

670.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

$162 ₱10.2K

2441.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

6.79

-13.99%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Laoag City: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Laoag City

$171 23% 90% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Laoag City

$179 24.2% 52.6% $199

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Laoag City

$175 23.5% 42.8% $131

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Laoag City

$79 10.7% 73.4% $219

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Laoag City

$81 10.9% 54.2% $96

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Laoag City

$15 2% 91.4% $159

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Laoag City

$43 5.7% 61.2% $67

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney versus $270 in Laoag City. 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 2442% 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 $17.00 in Laoag City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $179 – making Laoag City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇵🇭 Laoag City

🕒 Local time

08:10 8:10 AM

05:10 5:10 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

112,117

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.82 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Sydney Laoag City 6,640 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Laoag City

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 Laoag City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sydney costs about 324% more than Laoag City, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,728 per month in Sydney and $1,115 in Laoag City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Laoag City, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,152 in Sydney and $743 in Laoag City. That's a gap of about 324%.

Public transport costs about 1153% less in Laoag City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Laoag City, where all-in costs run around $743, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Laoag City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Laoag City – 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 Laoag City. 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.