Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Marikina

For one person, living is cheaper in Marikina: $704 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $29,400 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Marikina
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Marikina Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Marikina

🇵🇭 Philippines

$704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Marikina

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

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $704 in Marikina, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Marikina $704

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $1,094 in Marikina, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Marikina $1,094

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $1,484 in Marikina, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Marikina $1,484

Sydney costs about 348% more than Marikina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 133% above the global median, while Marikina is 48% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$4.07 ₱257

331.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$32.37 ₱2,038

182.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$3.17 ₱199

277.29%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.29 ₱144

77.73%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.55 ₱34.81

418.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.33 ₱20.92

581.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$1.01 ₱63.7

652.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$2.36 ₱149

214.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.85 ₱117

-10.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.23 ₱77.7

126.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$1.06 ₱66.5

128.30%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$2.08 ₱131

171.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$7.39 ₱466

58.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$4.20 ₱264

130.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$6.78 ₱427

147.05%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.46 ₱155

65.45%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$2.03 ₱128

60.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$2.33 ₱146

47.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$2.30 ₱145

86.09%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$2.38 ₱150

37.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$3.48 ₱219

-33.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$1.10 ₱69.5

109.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.70 ₱44.21

72.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$2.93 ₱184

1391.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$8.73 ₱550

58.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$0.98 ₱62.0

297.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$2.05 ₱129

90.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$0.50 ₱31.34

508.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$0.73 ₱46.04

363.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$0.23 ₱14.53

578.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$1.94 ₱122

1962.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.24 ₱78.3

12.90%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$21.7K ₱1.4M

34.34%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

55.05%

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

$223 A$320

$139 ₱8,744

60.28%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$16.19 ₱1,019

67.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$28.10 ₱1,769

98.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$36.73 ₱2,312

103.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$7.11 ₱448

146.98%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$131 ₱8,250

1575.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$7,456 ₱469.4K

278.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$59.9 ₱3,774

30.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$28.37 ₱1,786

141.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$75.4 ₱4,745

47.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$54.7 ₱3,442

145.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$180 ₱11.3K

1288.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$79.2 ₱4,986

2058.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$322 ₱20.3K

1434.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$145 ₱9,110

1988.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$1,134 ₱71.4K

1061.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$481 ₱30.3K

1641.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

$387 ₱24.3K

963.91%

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 Marikina: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Marikina

$79 11.3% 95.4% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Marikina

$206 29.2% 45.7% $173

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Marikina

$183 26% 40.1% $122

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Marikina

$83 11.8% 72.2% $216

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Marikina

$98 14% 44.4% $78

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Marikina

$3.9 * 0.6% 97.8% $170

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Marikina

$51 7.2% 53.6% $59

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney versus $180 in Marikina. 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 964% 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 $32.00 in Marikina. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $206 – making Marikina the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇵🇭 Marikina

🕒 Local time

08:33 8:33 AM

05:33 5:33 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

456,059

💱 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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Between locations

Sydney Marikina 6,270 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Marikina

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 Marikina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,152 in Sydney, $704 in Marikina – roughly 348% 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 $1,056 in Marikina. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Marikina, 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 $704 in Marikina. That's a gap of about 348%.

Kindergarten costs $2,196 per month in Sydney and $131 in Marikina. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Marikina, where all-in costs run around $704, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Marikina it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Marikina – 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 Marikina. 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.