Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Panglao

For one person, living is cheaper in Panglao: $817 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $28,000 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Panglao
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Panglao Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Panglao

🇵🇭 Philippines

$817

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Panglao

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

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $817 in Panglao, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Panglao $817

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $1,137 in Panglao, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Panglao $1,137

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $1,456 in Panglao, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Panglao $1,456

Sydney costs about 286% more than Panglao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 133% above the global median, while Panglao is 39% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$3.08 ₱194

470.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$23.75 ₱1,495

285.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$3.94 ₱248

203.55%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.27 ₱143

79.30%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$1.60 ₱101

78.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.53 ₱33.19

324.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$1.55 ₱97.6

390.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$1.90 ₱119

291.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.59 ₱100

4.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.13 ₱70.9

146.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$0.94 ₱59.2

157.45%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$1.79 ₱113

215.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$8.58 ₱540

36.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$4.61 ₱290

109.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$7.62 ₱480

119.82%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$1.92 ₱121

111.98%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$1.39 ₱87.5

133.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$1.87 ₱118

83.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$1.53 ₱96.1

179.74%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$2.41 ₱152

36.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$1.96 ₱123

17.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$1.14 ₱71.8

101.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.47 ₱29.49

157.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$2.91 ₱183

1402.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$5.70 ₱359

143.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$0.79 ₱49.65

393.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$1.56 ₱97.9

150.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$0.23 ₱14.60

1221.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$11.32 ₱713

1227.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$0.73 ₱46.14

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

$0.90 ₱57.0

55.56%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

37.32%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$19.2K ₱1.2M

56.83%

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

$223 A$320

$58.9 ₱3,711

277.67%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$6.75 ₱425

302.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$24.52 ₱1,544

127.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$20.96 ₱1,320

255.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

$4.71 ₱297

409.34%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$3.92 ₱247

347.96%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$135 ₱8,504

1525.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$7,988 ₱502.9K

252.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$32.48 ₱2,045

141.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$19.59 ₱1,233

249.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$66.4 ₱4,183

67.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$47.63 ₱2,999

182.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$280 ₱17.7K

791.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$343 ₱21.6K

398.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$567 ₱35.7K

772.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$390 ₱24.6K

673.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$947 ₱59.6K

1290.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$1,014 ₱63.8K

725.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

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 Panglao: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Panglao

$343 42% 79.9% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Panglao

$183 22.3% 51.8% $196

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Panglao

$90 11% 70.5% $215

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Panglao

$84 10.3% 71.9% $215

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Panglao

$75 9.2% 57.7% $102

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Panglao

$14 1.7% 91.9% $159

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Panglao

$29 3.5% 73.8% $81

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney versus $280 in Panglao. 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 $24.00 in Panglao. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $183 – making Panglao the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇵🇭 Panglao

🕒 Local time

12:07 12:07 PM

09:07 9:07 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

39,839

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sydney Panglao 5,630 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Panglao

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 Panglao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sydney costs about 286% more than Panglao, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,728 per month in Sydney and $1,226 in Panglao. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 107% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Sydney and $24.00 in Panglao. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Panglao, where all-in costs run around $817, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Panglao it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Panglao – 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 Panglao. 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.