Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Lapu-Lapu

For one person, living is cheaper in Lapu-Lapu: $845 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $27,700 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Lapu-Lapu
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Lapu-Lapu Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Lapu-Lapu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$845

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Lapu-Lapu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,152 in Sydney versus $845 in Lapu-Lapu.

Sydney $3,152
Lapu-Lapu $845

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,710 in Sydney versus $1,195 in Lapu-Lapu.

Sydney $4,710
Lapu-Lapu $1,195

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,268 in Sydney versus $1,545 in Lapu-Lapu.

Sydney $6,268
Lapu-Lapu $1,545

Living in Sydney is roughly 273% more expensive than in Lapu-Lapu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sydney is 133% above, Lapu-Lapu is 37% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$2.95 ₱186

495.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$15.86 ₱998

476.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$3.90 ₱246

206.67%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.54 ₱160

60.24%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.58 ₱36.53

391.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.38 ₱23.93

492.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$1.29 ₱80.9

489.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$2.25 ₱142

230.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.76 ₱111

-5.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.42 ₱89.2

95.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$0.94 ₱59.5

157.45%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$2.04 ₱129

176.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$5.68 ₱358

106.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$4.45 ₱280

117.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$7.71 ₱486

117.25%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$3.36 ₱211

21.13%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$1.45 ₱91.5

124.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$2.37 ₱149

45.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$1.54 ₱97.1

177.92%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$2.39 ₱151

37.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$1.98 ₱125

16.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$1.19 ₱75.2

93.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.68 ₱42.80

77.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$1.62 ₱102

2598.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$4.07 ₱256

241.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$1.05 ₱65.9

271.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$1.51 ₱95.2

158.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$0.25 ₱15.81

1116.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$0.74 ₱46.77

356.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$0.23 ₱14.51

578.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$3.90 ₱246

925.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.33 ₱83.4

5.26%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$21.5K ₱1.4M

35.27%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$19.6K ₱1.2M

54.11%

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

$223 A$320

$120 ₱7,559

85.39%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$13.99 ₱881

94.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$28.04 ₱1,765

99.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$12.62 ₱795

491.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$5.60 ₱353

213.57%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$103 ₱6,509

2024.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$7,848 ₱494.1K

259.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$47.78 ₱3,008

64.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$25.45 ₱1,603

168.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$23.86 ₱1,502

366.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$58.5 ₱3,683

129.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$437 ₱27.5K

471.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$317 ₱19.9K

439.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$1,214 ₱76.4K

307.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$473 ₱29.8K

539.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

$229 ₱14.4K

1697.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

7.2

-18.89%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lapu-Lapu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Lapu-Lapu

$317 37.5% 81.5% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Lapu-Lapu

$189 22.4% 50% $189

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Lapu-Lapu

$162 19.2% 47% $143

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Lapu-Lapu

$81 9.5% 73% $218

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Lapu-Lapu

$70 8.3% 60.4% $107

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Lapu-Lapu

$2.9 * 0.3% 98.3% $171

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Lapu-Lapu

$24 2.8% 78.3% $86

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,500 in Sydney and $437 in Lapu-Lapu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 1697% 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: $91.0 in Sydney vs $16.00 in Lapu-Lapu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $379 vs $189 per month, with Lapu-Lapu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇵🇭 Lapu-Lapu

🕒 Local time

14:23 2:23 PM

11:23 11:23 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

497,604

💱 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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sydney Lapu-Lapu 5,690 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Lapu-Lapu

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 Lapu-Lapu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sydney and Lapu-Lapu differ by about 273% in total monthly costs ($3,152 vs $845 including rent). Lapu-Lapu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1697% higher in Sydney, 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: $2,500 in Sydney versus $437 in Lapu-Lapu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,196 in Sydney versus $103 in Lapu-Lapu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Lapu-Lapu – a meal for two runs $16.00 versus $91.0 in Sydney. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $845 in Lapu-Lapu versus $3,152 in Sydney, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lapu-Lapu but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Lapu-Lapu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Sydney and Lapu-Lapu 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 Lapu-Lapu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 273% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.