Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Lipa

For one person, living is cheaper in Lipa: $607 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $30,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
Learn more

Sydney Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Lipa
Learn more

Lipa Living Index

Jump to prices

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Lipa

🇵🇭 Philippines

$607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Lipa

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

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $607 in Lipa, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Lipa $607

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $937 in Lipa, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Lipa $937

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

Sydney $6,268
Lipa $1,268

Sydney costs about 419% more than Lipa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 133% above the global median, while Lipa is 55% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$3.14 ₱198

459.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$16.01 ₱1,008

471.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$2.75 ₱173

334.91%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$1.80 ₱113

126.11%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.45 ₱28.54

533.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.30 ₱19.15

650.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$1.02 ₱64.5

645.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$1.60 ₱101

364.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.47 ₱92.7

12.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.15 ₱72.5

141.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$0.87 ₱54.8

178.16%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$1.68 ₱106

235.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$4.98 ₱314

135.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$3.39 ₱213

184.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$7.99 ₱503

109.64%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.29 ₱144

77.73%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$1.60 ₱101

103.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$2.34 ₱147

47.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$1.07 ₱67.6

300.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$1.66 ₱105

97.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$1.70 ₱107

35.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$0.65 ₱41.18

253.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.49 ₱30.96

146.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$2.88 ₱181

1417.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$8.96 ₱564

54.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$0.99 ₱62.1

293.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$2.01 ₱126

94.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$0.25 ₱15.65

1116.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$4.81 ₱303

3023.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$0.70 ₱43.83

382.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$0.23 ₱14.48

578.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$1.90 ₱119

2005.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.11 ₱69.9

26.13%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$21.3K ₱1.3M

36.49%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$15.9K ₱1.0M

89.14%

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

$223 A$320

$138 ₱8,711

60.88%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$17.20 ₱1,083

57.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$23.11 ₱1,455

141.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$32.15 ₱2,024

132.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

$3.93 ₱247

510.43%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$4.94 ₱311

255.47%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$133 ₱8,392

1547.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$10.6K ₱670.2K

164.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$28.59 ₱1,800

174.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$19.30 ₱1,215

254.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$71.5 ₱4,504

55.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$55.5 ₱3,496

142.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$80.4 ₱5,061

3009.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$61.6 ₱3,881

2672.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$251 ₱15.8K

1871.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$181 ₱11.4K

1570.34%

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

$225 ₱14.2K

1724.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

-2.67%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lipa: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Lipa

$62 10.2% 96.4% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Lipa

$172 28.3% 54.6% $207

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Lipa

$179 29.4% 41.5% $127

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Lipa

$66 10.9% 77.8% $232

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Lipa

$79 13% 55.4% $98

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Lipa

$7.7 1.3% 95.6% $166

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Lipa

$42 6.9% 61.7% $68

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney versus $80.4 in Lipa. 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 1725% 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 $16.00 in Lipa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $172 – making Lipa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇵🇭 Lipa

🕒 Local time

13:24 1:24 PM

10:24 10:24 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

332,386

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sydney Lipa 6,200 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Lipa

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 Lipa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,152 in Sydney, $607 in Lipa – roughly 419% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,728 per month in Sydney and $910 in Lipa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 3023% less in Lipa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,196 per month in Sydney and $133 in Lipa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lipa, where all-in costs run around $607, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Lipa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Lipa – 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 Lipa. 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.