Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Palawan

For one person, living is cheaper in Palawan: $792 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $28,300 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Palawan
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Palawan Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Palawan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$792

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Palawan

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

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $792 in Palawan, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Palawan $792

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $1,230 in Palawan, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Palawan $1,230

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $1,668 in Palawan, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Palawan $1,668

Sydney costs about 298% more than Palawan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 133% above the global median, while Palawan is 41% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$3.62 ₱228

385.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$19.14 ₱1,205

377.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$3.37 ₱212

254.90%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.63 ₱165

54.75%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.83 ₱52.5

243.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.39 ₱24.65

476.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$1.29 ₱81.4

489.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$2.16 ₱136

243.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.90 ₱120

-12.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.26 ₱79.4

120.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$1.01 ₱63.5

139.60%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$1.98 ₱125

184.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$7.83 ₱493

49.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$4.21 ₱265

129.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$7.78 ₱490

115.30%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$3.00 ₱189

35.67%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$1.56 ₱98.2

108.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$2.72 ₱171

26.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$1.62 ₱102

164.20%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$2.31 ₱146

41.99%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$2.59 ₱163

-11.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$1.06 ₱66.9

116.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.71 ₱44.86

70.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$2.78 ₱175

1472.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$6.85 ₱431

102.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$1.20 ₱75.4

225.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$2.03 ₱128

92.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$0.28 ₱17.81

985.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$11.29 ₱711

1230.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$0.83 ₱52.4

307.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$0.24 ₱15.20

550.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$2.15 ₱136

1760.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.10 ₱69.2

27.27%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$26.5K ₱1.7M

9.90%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$20.1K ₱1.3M

50.19%

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

$223 A$320

$114 ₱7,183

95.11%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$32.54 ₱2,049

-16.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$27.55 ₱1,734

102.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$34.48 ₱2,171

116.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

$4.36 ₱275

450.23%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$5.80 ₱365

202.76%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$150 ₱9,463

1360.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$4,228 ₱266.2K

566.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$45.09 ₱2,839

73.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$26.54 ₱1,671

157.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$74.9 ₱4,713

48.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$53.6 ₱3,377

150.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$264 ₱16.6K

845.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$177 ₱11.1K

866.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$589 ₱37.1K

739.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$390 ₱24.5K

675.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$2,359 ₱148.5K

458.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$994 ₱62.6K

741.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

6.67

-12.44%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Palawan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Palawan

$177 22.4% 89.7% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Palawan

$204 25.7% 46.2% $175

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Palawan

$174 22% 43% $131

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Palawan

$86 10.9% 71.1% $212

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Palawan

$90 11.4% 49% $87

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Palawan

$14 1.8% 91.7% $159

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Palawan

$46 5.8% 58% $64

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney versus $264 in Palawan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Sydney versus $19.00 in Palawan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $204 – making Palawan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇵🇭 Palawan

🕒 Local time

13:52 1:52 PM

10:52 10:52 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

939,594

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Palawan 5,950 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Palawan

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 Palawan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sydney is pricier by about 298%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,728 per month in Sydney and $1,187 in Palawan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Palawan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $2,196 per month in Sydney and $150 in Palawan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 86% more in Sydney, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Palawan, where all-in costs run around $792, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Palawan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Palawan – 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 Palawan. 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.