Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Mandaluyong

For one person, living is cheaper in Mandaluyong: $841 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 Mandaluyong
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Mandaluyong Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Mandaluyong

🇵🇭 Philippines

$841

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Mandaluyong

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,152 in Sydney versus $841 in Mandaluyong.

Sydney $3,152
Mandaluyong $841

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,710 in Sydney versus $1,389 in Mandaluyong.

Sydney $4,710
Mandaluyong $1,389

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,268 in Sydney versus $1,936 in Mandaluyong.

Sydney $6,268
Mandaluyong $1,936

Living in Sydney is roughly 275% more expensive than in Mandaluyong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sydney is 133% above, Mandaluyong is 38% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$4.72 ₱297

272.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$16.62 ₱1,046

450.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$3.53 ₱223

238.81%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.18 ₱137

86.70%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.99 ₱62.1

187.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.49 ₱30.84

359.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$1.22 ₱76.7

522.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$2.41 ₱152

208.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.68 ₱105

-1.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.30 ₱81.6

113.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$1.03 ₱64.8

134.95%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$2.21 ₱139

155.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$5.18 ₱326

126.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$4.84 ₱305

99.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$6.82 ₱429

145.60%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$3.38 ₱213

20.41%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$1.89 ₱119

71.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$3.09 ₱194

11.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$1.85 ₱116

131.35%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$2.21 ₱139

48.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$2.63 ₱166

-12.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$0.62 ₱39.08

270.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.49 ₱30.84

146.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$2.94 ₱185

1386.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$8.95 ₱564

55.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$0.95 ₱60.0

310.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$2.07 ₱130

88.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$0.38 ₱23.73

700.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$0.72 ₱45.59

369.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$0.23 ₱14.47

578.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$1.95 ₱122

1951.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.22 ₱76.5

14.75%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$21.1K ₱1.3M

38.34%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$19.3K ₱1.2M

56.00%

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

$17.70 ₱1,114

53.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$24.54 ₱1,545

127.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$31.59 ₱1,989

136.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$6.11 ₱385

187.40%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$131 ₱8,261

1573.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$8,790 ₱553.4K

220.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$29.06 ₱1,830

169.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$27.11 ₱1,707

152.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$71.2 ₱4,481

56.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$54.9 ₱3,454

145.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$622 ₱39.1K

302.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$241 ₱15.1K

610.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$1,177 ₱74.1K

320.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$724 ₱45.6K

317.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$2,810 ₱176.9K

368.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

$533 ₱33.6K

671.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

6.75

-13.48%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mandaluyong: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Mandaluyong

$241 28.6% 85.9% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Mandaluyong

$200 23.7% 47.2% $179

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Mandaluyong

$181 21.5% 40.9% $125

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Mandaluyong

$91 10.9% 69.4% $207

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Mandaluyong

$82 9.7% 53.6% $95

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Mandaluyong

$3.4 * 0.4% 98.1% $170

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Mandaluyong

$44 5.2% 60.1% $66

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 $622 in Mandaluyong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 671% 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 $17.00 in Mandaluyong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $379 vs $200 per month, with Mandaluyong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇵🇭 Mandaluyong

🕒 Local time

09:48 9:48 AM

06:48 6:48 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

425,758

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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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Sydney Mandaluyong 6,260 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

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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 Mandaluyong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sydney and Mandaluyong differ by about 275% in total monthly costs ($3,152 vs $841 including rent). Mandaluyong is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 671% 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 $622 in Mandaluyong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,196 in Sydney versus $131 in Mandaluyong. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mandaluyong – a meal for two runs $17.00 versus $91.0 in Sydney. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $841 in Mandaluyong versus $3,152 in Sydney, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mandaluyong but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Mandaluyong 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 Mandaluyong 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 Mandaluyong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 275% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.