Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Mambajao

For one person, living is cheaper in Mambajao: $508 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $31,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
Learn more

Sydney Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Mambajao
Learn more

Mambajao Living Index

Jump to prices

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Mambajao

🇵🇭 Philippines

$508

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Mambajao

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

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $508 in Mambajao, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Mambajao $508

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $817 in Mambajao, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Mambajao $817

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $1,126 in Mambajao, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Mambajao $1,126

Sydney costs about 521% more than Mambajao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 133% above the global median, while Mambajao is 62% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$1.36 ₱85.9

1191.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$15.83 ₱997

477.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$3.40 ₱214

251.76%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.28 ₱144

78.51%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.38 ₱24.02

650.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.27 ₱16.81

733.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$1.03 ₱64.6

637.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$1.12 ₱70.6

563.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$0.90 ₱56.8

84.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$0.63 ₱39.56

341.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$0.66 ₱41.56

266.67%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$1.26 ₱79.5

347.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$5.90 ₱372

98.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$4.29 ₱270

125.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$5.50 ₱346

204.55%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.54 ₱160

60.24%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$1.63 ₱103

99.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$2.24 ₱141

53.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$1.13 ₱71.3

278.76%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$1.29 ₱81.3

154.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$2.06 ₱130

11.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$0.90 ₱56.8

155.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.55 ₱34.37

120.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$2.51 ₱158

1641.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$7.42 ₱467

87.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$0.99 ₱62.0

293.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$1.13 ₱70.9

246.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$0.20 ₱12.47

1420.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$10.71 ₱675

1302.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$0.69 ₱43.54

389.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$0.21 ₱12.97

642.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$1.70 ₱107

2253.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.28 ₱80.3

9.37%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$21.9K ₱1.4M

32.68%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

38.48%

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

$223 A$320

$64.9 ₱4,083

243.25%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$16.36 ₱1,030

66.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$20.10 ₱1,266

177.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$27.72 ₱1,745

169.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

$4.68 ₱295

412.61%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$4.95 ₱312

254.75%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$127 ₱7,995

1629.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$8,993 ₱566.2K

213.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$30.83 ₱1,941

154.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$22.01 ₱1,386

210.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$72.3 ₱4,553

53.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$63.1 ₱3,975

112.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$101 ₱6,360

2375.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$56.3 ₱3,542

2937.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$237 ₱14.9K

1984.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$158 ₱9,973

1807.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$2,172 ₱136.7K

506.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$990 ₱62.3K

745.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

$153 ₱9,616

2593.00%

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 Mambajao: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Mambajao

$56 11.1% 96.7% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Mambajao

$156 30.7% 58.8% $223

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Mambajao

$101 20% 66.8% $204

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Mambajao

$59 11.5% 80.4% $240

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Mambajao

$85 16.7% 52% $92

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Mambajao

$13 2.6% 92.4% $160

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Mambajao

$38 7.4% 65.7% $72

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney versus $101 in Mambajao. 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 2593% 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 Mambajao. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $156 – making Mambajao the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇵🇭 Mambajao

🕒 Local time

06:22 6:22 AM

03:22 3:22 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

41,094

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Mambajao 5,550 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Mambajao

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 Mambajao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sydney costs about 521% more than Mambajao, 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 $761 in Mambajao. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mambajao, 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 $508 in Mambajao. That's a gap of about 521%.

Public transport costs about 1303% less in Mambajao. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Mambajao, where all-in costs run around $508, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Mambajao it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mambajao – 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 Mambajao. 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.