Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Lumut, Perak

For one person, living is cheaper in Lumut, Perak: $987 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $26,000 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Lumut, Perak
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Lumut, Perak Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Lumut, Perak

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$987

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Lumut, Perak

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,152 in Sydney versus $987 in Lumut, Perak.

Sydney $3,152
Lumut, Perak $987

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,710 in Sydney versus $1,449 in Lumut, Perak.

Sydney $4,710
Lumut, Perak $1,449

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,268 in Sydney versus $1,910 in Lumut, Perak.

Sydney $6,268
Lumut, Perak $1,910

Living in Sydney is roughly 219% more expensive than in Lumut, Perak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sydney is 133% above, Lumut, Perak is 27% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$3.56 MYR 14.52

393.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$12.21 MYR 49.79

649.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$4.92 MYR 20.06

143.09%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.97 MYR 12.14

37.04%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.83 MYR 3.39

243.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.38 MYR 1.56

492.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$3.84 MYR 15.65

97.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$5.97 MYR 24.34

24.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$2.14 MYR 8.73

-22.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.07 MYR 4.38

159.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$2.02 MYR 8.25

19.80%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$2.46 MYR 10.05

129.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$13.82 MYR 56.4

-15.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$4.38 MYR 17.88

120.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$9.89 MYR 40.36

69.36%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$3.35 MYR 13.68

21.49%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$1.83 MYR 7.45

77.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$2.25 MYR 9.18

52.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$1.60 MYR 6.53

167.50%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$1.28 MYR 5.24

156.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$1.35 MYR 5.52

70.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$1.18 MYR 4.82

94.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.66 MYR 2.68

83.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$4.39 MYR 17.90

895.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$19.67 MYR 80.2

-29.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$3.51 MYR 14.31

11.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$5.03 MYR 20.51

-22.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$0.64 MYR 2.62

375.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$11.47 MYR 46.78

1209.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$1.23 MYR 5.03

174.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$1.21 MYR 4.92

28.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$4.92 MYR 20.06

713.21%

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

$42.2K MYR 172.2K

-31.01%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$34.0K MYR 138.7K

-11.38%

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

$223 A$320

$61.4 MYR 251

262.36%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$8.79 MYR 35.87

208.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$26.41 MYR 108

111.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$37.77 MYR 154

97.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

$6.93 MYR 28.29

246.18%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$5.12 MYR 20.89

242.97%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$303 MYR 1,236

624.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$12.9K MYR 52.6K

118.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$70.9 MYR 289

10.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$41.12 MYR 168

66.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$87.5 MYR 357

27.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$95.2 MYR 388

41.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$406 MYR 1,657

515.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$299 MYR 1,222

470.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$686 MYR 2,798

620.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$475 MYR 1,940

535.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$2,306 MYR 9,407

471.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$1,183 MYR 4,824

607.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

$381 MYR 1,555

979.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

4.18

39.71%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lumut, Perak: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Lumut, Perak

$299 30.4% 82.5% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Lumut, Perak

$274 27.8% 27.6% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Lumut, Perak

$97 9.8% 68.4% $209

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Lumut, Perak

$115 11.6% 61.5% $184

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Lumut, Perak

$133 13.4% 25% $44

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Lumut, Perak

$21 2.2% 87.7% $152

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Lumut, Perak

$48 4.9% 56.3% $62

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,500 in Sydney and $406 in Lumut, Perak. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 979% 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 $12.00 in Lumut, Perak for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $379 vs $274 per month, with Lumut, Perak cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇲🇾 Lumut, Perak

🕒 Local time

21:40 9:40 PM

18:40 6:40 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

39,595

💱 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 →

On the map

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Sydney Lumut, Perak 6,780 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 Lumut, Perak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lumut, Perak wins on cost – living expenses run 219% lower than in Sydney. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lumut, Perak the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 979% 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 $406 in Lumut, Perak. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lumut, Perak – a meal for two runs $12.00 versus $91.0 in Sydney. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,152 per month in Sydney versus $987 in Lumut, Perak – a 219% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $987 in Lumut, Perak versus $3,152 in Sydney, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Lumut, Perak but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Lumut, Perak 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 Lumut, Perak 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 Lumut, Perak gentler on the wallet – expenses run 219% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.