Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and San Fernando, La Union

For one person, living is cheaper in San Fernando, La Union: $719 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $29,200 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
36

Cost of Living Index in San Fernando, La Union
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San Fernando, La Union Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

San Fernando, La Union

🇵🇭 Philippines

$719

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in San Fernando, La Union

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 San Fernando, La Union actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $719 in San Fernando, La Union, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
San Fernando, La Union $719

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $1,102 in San Fernando, La Union, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
San Fernando, La Union $1,102

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $1,485 in San Fernando, La Union, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
San Fernando, La Union $1,485

Sydney costs about 338% more than San Fernando, La Union, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 133% above the global median, while San Fernando, La Union is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$3.93 ₱248

347.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$14.86 ₱936

515.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$2.45 ₱154

388.16%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$1.92 ₱121

111.98%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.63 ₱39.53

352.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.30 ₱18.67

650.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$1.15 ₱72.3

560.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$1.78 ₱112

317.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.68 ₱106

-1.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.08 ₱67.7

157.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$1.03 ₱65.0

134.95%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$1.93 ₱122

192.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$6.38 ₱402

83.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$3.77 ₱238

156.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$7.48 ₱471

123.93%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.38 ₱150

71.01%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$1.60 ₱101

103.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$2.71 ₱170

26.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$1.21 ₱76.1

253.72%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$2.26 ₱142

45.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$2.07 ₱131

11.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$1.00 ₱62.8

130.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.58 ₱36.41

108.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$2.97 ₱187

1371.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$7.16 ₱451

93.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$1.11 ₱70.0

251.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$1.63 ₱103

139.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$0.25 ₱15.89

1116.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$10.92 ₱687

1275.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$0.81 ₱51.2

317.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$0.21 ₱13.52

642.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$1.77 ₱111

2160.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.02 ₱64.5

37.25%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$21.0K ₱1.3M

38.68%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$18.3K ₱1.1M

64.96%

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

$223 A$320

$109 ₱6,863

104.22%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$16.96 ₱1,068

60.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$27.32 ₱1,720

104.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$32.83 ₱2,067

127.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

$4.60 ₱290

421.52%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$5.76 ₱363

204.86%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$114 ₱7,179

1825.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$9,119 ₱574.1K

209.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$33.24 ₱2,093

135.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$17.66 ₱1,112

287.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$71.9 ₱4,524

54.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$55.6 ₱3,503

141.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$262 ₱16.5K

854.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$169 ₱10.7K

909.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$521 ₱32.8K

849.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$361 ₱22.7K

737.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$2,558 ₱161.1K

414.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$1,037 ₱65.3K

707.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

6.79

-13.99%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for San Fernando, La Union: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

San Fernando, La Union

$169 23.6% 90.1% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

San Fernando, La Union

$183 25.5% 51.6% $195

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

San Fernando, La Union

$153 21.3% 49.8% $152

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

San Fernando, La Union

$75 10.4% 74.9% $224

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

San Fernando, La Union

$80 11.2% 54.6% $96

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

San Fernando, La Union

$14 1.9% 92% $160

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

San Fernando, La Union

$44 6.2% 59.6% $65

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney versus $262 in San Fernando, La Union. 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 $15.00 in San Fernando, La Union. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $183 – making San Fernando, La Union the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇵🇭 San Fernando, La Union

🕒 Local time

18:16 6:16 PM

15:16 3:16 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

83,003

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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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Sydney San Fernando, La Union 6,500 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

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San Fernando, La Union

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 San Fernando, La Union: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sydney is pricier by about 338%, 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 $1,079 in San Fernando, La Union. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Sydney and $15.00 in San Fernando, La Union. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,152 in Sydney and $719 in San Fernando, La Union. That's a gap of about 338%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in San Fernando, La Union, where all-in costs run around $719, than in Sydney at $3,152. In San Fernando, La Union it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Fernando, La Union – 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 San Fernando, La Union. 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.