Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and San Juan

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $749 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $28,800 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 Juan
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San Juan Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

San Juan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$749

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in San Juan

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

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $749 in San Juan, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
San Juan $749

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $1,101 in San Juan, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
San Juan $1,101

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $1,452 in San Juan, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
San Juan $1,452

Sydney costs about 321% more than San Juan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 133% above the global median, while San Juan is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$4.05 ₱255

333.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$16.88 ₱1,063

441.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$2.82 ₱177

324.11%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.76 ₱174

47.46%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.66 ₱41.30

331.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.31 ₱19.48

625.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$1.07 ₱67.2

610.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$1.56 ₱98.5

376.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.69 ₱107

-1.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.12 ₱70.5

148.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$0.84 ₱52.7

188.10%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$1.82 ₱114

209.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$5.24 ₱330

123.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$3.46 ₱218

179.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$7.21 ₱454

132.32%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.32 ₱146

75.43%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$1.36 ₱85.9

138.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$2.33 ₱147

47.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$1.06 ₱66.8

303.77%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$1.69 ₱107

94.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$1.74 ₱109

32.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$0.67 ₱42.17

243.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.97 ₱61.3

24.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$2.71 ₱171

1512.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$7.79 ₱490

78.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$0.92 ₱58.0

323.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$1.84 ₱116

112.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$0.26 ₱16.26

1069.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$12.14 ₱764

1137.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$0.79 ₱49.71

327.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$0.23 ₱14.52

578.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$1.95 ₱123

1951.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.24 ₱77.8

12.90%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$21.0K ₱1.3M

38.85%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$19.0K ₱1.2M

58.90%

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

$223 A$320

$141 ₱8,877

57.88%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$14.25 ₱897

90.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$24.38 ₱1,535

128.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$30.07 ₱1,893

148.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

$4.41 ₱278

443.99%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$5.07 ₱319

246.35%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$74.3 ₱4,677

2856.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$2,556 ₱160.9K

1002.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$29.32 ₱1,846

167.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$19.71 ₱1,241

247.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$72.1 ₱4,539

54.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$56.8 ₱3,573

136.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$303 ₱19.1K

724.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$173 ₱10.9K

886.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$515 ₱32.4K

860.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$302 ₱19.0K

902.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$2,681 ₱168.8K

391.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$1,115 ₱70.2K

650.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

$243 ₱15.3K

1589.72%

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 San Juan: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

San Juan

$173 23.1% 89.9% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

San Juan

$175 23.3% 53.9% $204

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

San Juan

$180 24% 41.2% $126

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

San Juan

$86 11.5% 71.1% $212

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

San Juan

$80 10.7% 54.7% $97

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

San Juan

$15 2% 91.3% $158

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

San Juan

$40 5.4% 63.4% $70

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney versus $303 in San Juan. 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 1590% 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 $17.00 in San Juan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $175 – making San Juan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇵🇭 San Juan

🕒 Local time

09:08 9:08 AM

06:08 6:08 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

126,347

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sydney San Juan 6,270 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
San Juan

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 Juan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,152 in Sydney, $749 in San Juan – roughly 321% 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 $1,124 in San Juan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Juan, 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 $74.3 in San Juan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 117% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in San Juan, where all-in costs run around $749, than in Sydney at $3,152. In San Juan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Juan – 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 Juan. 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.