Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Mandaue

For one person, living is cheaper in Mandaue: $825 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $27,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
Learn more

Sydney Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Mandaue
Learn more

Mandaue Living Index

Jump to prices

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Mandaue

🇵🇭 Philippines

$825

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Mandaue

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,152 in Sydney versus $825 in Mandaue.

Sydney $3,152
Mandaue $825

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,710 in Sydney versus $1,203 in Mandaue.

Sydney $4,710
Mandaue $1,203

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,268 in Sydney versus $1,581 in Mandaue.

Sydney $6,268
Mandaue $1,581

Living in Sydney is roughly 282% more expensive than in Mandaue, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sydney is 133% above, Mandaue is 39% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$2.96 ₱187

493.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$23.45 ₱1,476

290.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$3.99 ₱251

199.75%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.58 ₱162

57.75%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$1.54 ₱97.0

85.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.49 ₱31.05

359.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$1.72 ₱108

341.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$2.28 ₱144

225.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.95 ₱123

-14.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.09 ₱68.7

155.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$0.93 ₱58.7

160.22%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$1.97 ₱124

186.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$9.91 ₱624

18.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$4.36 ₱275

121.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$7.63 ₱481

119.53%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$3.47 ₱219

17.29%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$1.43 ₱90.0

127.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$2.28 ₱144

50.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$1.47 ₱92.5

191.16%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$2.34 ₱147

40.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$1.97 ₱124

16.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$1.19 ₱74.9

93.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.67 ₱42.41

80.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$2.37 ₱149

1744.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$6.29 ₱396

120.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$1.23 ₱77.4

217.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$1.72 ₱108

127.33%

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

$9.67 ₱609

1453.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$0.74 ₱46.69

356.76%

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

$1.88 ₱119

2028.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.32 ₱83.3

6.06%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

37.23%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

57.55%

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

$223 A$320

$98.3 ₱6,187

126.52%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$14.07 ₱886

93.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$27.93 ₱1,758

99.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$33.01 ₱2,078

126.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

$5.27 ₱332

355.22%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$5.69 ₱358

208.61%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$130 ₱8,204

1585.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$7,979 ₱502.4K

253.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$32.91 ₱2,072

138.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$19.62 ₱1,235

248.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$76.1 ₱4,790

46.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$57.7 ₱3,632

133.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$429 ₱27.0K

482.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$251 ₱15.8K

580.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$747 ₱47.1K

561.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$353 ₱22.2K

756.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$2,174 ₱136.9K

505.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$902 ₱56.8K

828.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

$234 ₱14.8K

1654.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

7.2

-18.89%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mandaue: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Mandaue

$251 30.5% 85.3% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Mandaue

$205 24.8% 45.9% $174

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Mandaue

$140 17% 54.1% $165

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Mandaue

$88 10.7% 70.6% $211

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Mandaue

$84 10.2% 52.5% $93

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Mandaue

$12 1.5% 92.9% $161

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Mandaue

$44 5.4% 59.6% $65

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,500 in Sydney and $429 in Mandaue. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 1654% 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 $23.00 in Mandaue for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $379 vs $205 per month, with Mandaue cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇵🇭 Mandaue

🕒 Local time

06:49 6:49 AM

03:49 3:49 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

364,116

💱 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 = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sydney Mandaue 5,700 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Mandaue

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 Mandaue: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mandaue wins on cost – living expenses run 282% lower than in Sydney. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mandaue the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1654% 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 $429 in Mandaue. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Mandaue – a meal for two runs $23.00 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 $825 in Mandaue – a 282% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $825 in Mandaue versus $3,152 in Sydney, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Mandaue but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Mandaue 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 Mandaue 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 Mandaue gentler on the wallet – expenses run 282% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.