Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Lucena

For one person, living is cheaper in Lucena: $646 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $30,100 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Lucena
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Lucena Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Lucena

🇵🇭 Philippines

$646

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Lucena

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

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $646 in Lucena, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Lucena $646

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $1,041 in Lucena, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Lucena $1,041

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $1,436 in Lucena, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Lucena $1,436

Sydney costs about 388% more than Lucena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 133% above the global median, while Lucena is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$1.50 ₱94.4

1071.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$18.91 ₱1,191

383.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$1.72 ₱108

595.35%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$1.32 ₱83.2

208.33%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.33 ₱20.88

763.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.29 ₱18.26

675.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$1.38 ₱86.7

450.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$1.28 ₱80.9

480.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.66 ₱105

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.17 ₱73.4

137.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$0.92 ₱57.6

163.04%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$1.75 ₱110

222.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$6.82 ₱429

71.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$4.21 ₱265

129.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$7.13 ₱449

134.92%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$4.04 ₱254

0.74%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$1.37 ₱86.0

137.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$3.58 ₱225

-3.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$1.17 ₱73.5

265.81%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$2.27 ₱143

44.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$3.30 ₱208

-30.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$1.42 ₱89.6

61.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.91 ₱57.0

32.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$2.74 ₱173

1495.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$7.74 ₱487

79.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$1.34 ₱84.6

191.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$1.76 ₱111

122.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$0.24 ₱14.97

1166.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$12.08 ₱761

1143.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$0.81 ₱51.0

317.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$0.21 ₱13.19

642.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$2.54 ₱160

1475.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.23 ₱77.6

13.82%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$21.3K ₱1.3M

36.72%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$18.8K ₱1.2M

60.60%

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

$223 A$320

$47.89 ₱3,015

364.82%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$6.37 ₱401

326.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$11.06 ₱696

404.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$34.15 ₱2,150

118.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

$4.02 ₱253

496.77%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$7.38 ₱465

137.94%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$71.9 ₱4,529

2953.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$2,515 ₱158.3K

1020.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$35.78 ₱2,253

119.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$22.69 ₱1,428

201.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$79.7 ₱5,020

39.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$74.4 ₱4,683

80.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$262 ₱16.5K

855.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$170 ₱10.7K

907.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$516 ₱32.5K

858.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$357 ₱22.5K

746.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$2,274 ₱143.2K

479.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$921 ₱58.0K

809.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

$320 ₱20.2K

1184.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

-16.57%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lucena: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Lucena

$170 26.3% 90.1% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Lucena

$206 31.9% 45.6% $172

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Lucena

$65 10.1% 78.6% $240

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Lucena

$45 7% 84.9% $254

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Lucena

$96 14.8% 45.8% $81

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Lucena

$15 2.3% 91.4% $159

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Lucena

$49 7.6% 55.4% $61

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney versus $262 in Lucena. 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 1184% 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 $19.00 in Lucena. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $206 – making Lucena the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇵🇭 Lucena

🕒 Local time

14:23 2:23 PM

11:23 11:23 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

278,924

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Sydney Lucena 6,170 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Lucena

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 Lucena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,152 in Sydney, $646 in Lucena – roughly 388% 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 $968 in Lucena. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $2,196 per month in Sydney and $71.9 in Lucena. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 84% more in Sydney, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lucena, where all-in costs run around $646, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Lucena it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Lucena – 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 Lucena. 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.