Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Miri

For one person, living is cheaper in Miri: $814 a month against $3,182 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $28,400 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Miri
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Miri Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,182

/mo nomad

Miri

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$814

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Miri

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,182 in Sydney versus $814 in Miri.

Sydney $3,182
Miri $814

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,696 in Sydney versus $1,247 in Miri.

Sydney $4,696
Miri $1,247

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,210 in Sydney versus $1,680 in Miri.

Sydney $6,210
Miri $1,680

Living in Sydney is roughly 291% more expensive than in Miri, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sydney is 137% above, Miri is 39% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 A$25.28

$3.43 MYR 14.02

414.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.1 A$139

$12.16 MYR 49.65

698.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.94 A$17.09

$4.55 MYR 18.58

162.42%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.72

$2.30 MYR 9.40

73.91%

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

$2.84 A$4.06

$0.78 MYR 3.17

264.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 A$3.25

$0.30 MYR 1.24

656.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 A$11.29

$2.96 MYR 12.10

166.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 A$10.20

$3.82 MYR 15.59

86.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.40 MYR 5.72

18.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 A$4.00

$1.81 MYR 7.40

54.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.33

$0.94 MYR 3.85

146.81%

Eggs

$5.53 A$7.92

$3.50 MYR 14.27

58.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 A$17.28

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.84 A$14.09

$4.79 MYR 19.58

105.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.61 A$23.78

$15.10 MYR 61.6

10.00%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 A$5.76

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.51

$1.96 MYR 8.01

60.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 A$5.01

Tomato (1kg)

$4.47 A$6.39

Potato (1kg)

$3.32 A$4.76

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.35

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 A$1.65

$0.36 MYR 1.47

219.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.02 A$64.4

$4.35 MYR 17.77

934.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.96 A$19.97

$19.28 MYR 78.7

-27.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.98 A$5.70

$3.08 MYR 12.59

29.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.07 A$5.82

$2.41 MYR 9.85

68.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.16 A$4.52

$0.51 MYR 2.09

519.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$215

$14.41 MYR 58.8

940.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.45 A$4.94

$1.19 MYR 4.87

189.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.33

$0.64 MYR 2.60

154.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.98 A$57.2

$6.05 MYR 24.71

560.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.65 MYR 2.64

115.38%

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

$28.4K A$40.7K

$51.0K MYR 208.3K

-44.29%

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

$29.4K A$42.1K

$32.7K MYR 133.3K

-9.95%

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

$220 A$315

$49.79 MYR 203

341.63%

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

$27.70 A$39.64

$9.53 MYR 38.91

190.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 A$79.5

$33.24 MYR 136

67.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.3 A$106

$29.63 MYR 121

150.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.95 A$34.28

$6.17 MYR 25.21

288.17%

Cinema Ticket

$17.73 A$25.37

$4.45 MYR 18.18

298.43%

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

$2,157 A$3,087

$102 MYR 416

2015.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K A$40.5K

$6,641 MYR 27.1K

326.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$112

$44.13 MYR 180

77.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.5 A$101

$22.74 MYR 92.9

210.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$159

$56.2 MYR 230

98.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$189

$42.80 MYR 175

207.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,514 A$3,598

$341 MYR 1,390

638.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,732 A$2,478

$280 MYR 1,145

517.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,889 A$6,996

$596 MYR 2,435

719.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,039 A$4,349

$594 MYR 2,425

411.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$1,219 MYR 4,977

984.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,117 A$11.6K

$671 MYR 2,741

1109.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,082 A$5,842

$692 MYR 2,826

489.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

4.12

41.75%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 5, 2026

Last update for Miri: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.5%

Miri

$280 35.2% 83.8% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$380 12%

Miri

$194 * 24.4% 49% $186

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$303 9.6%

Miri

$93 11.6% 69.5% $211

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.4%

Miri

$96 12% 68.1% $204

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$176 5.6%

Miri

$75 9.4% 57.7% $102

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Miri

$21 2.6% 88% $153

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Miri

$39 4.8% 64.9% $71

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 $2,514 in Sydney and $341 in Miri. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 490% 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: $97.0 in Sydney vs $12.00 in Miri for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $380 vs $194 per month, with Miri cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇲🇾 Miri

🕒 Local time

19:22 7:22 PM

16:22 4:22 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

248,877

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.58 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sydney Miri 5,770 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Miri

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 Miri: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Miri is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 291% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 490% 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: $2,514 in Sydney versus $341 in Miri. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Miri – a meal for two runs $12.00 versus $97.0 in Sydney. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,182 per month in Sydney versus $814 in Miri – a 291% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $814 in Miri versus $3,182 in Sydney, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Miri but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Miri 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 Miri 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 Miri gentler on the wallet – expenses run 291% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.