Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Santiago City

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago City: $854 a month against $3,245 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $28,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

156

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
Learn more

Sydney Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Santiago City
Learn more

Santiago City Living Index

Jump to prices

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,245

/mo nomad

Santiago City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$854

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Santiago City

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

A single person spends $3,245 per month in Sydney vs $854 in Santiago City, rent included.

Sydney $3,245
Santiago City $854

A couple spends around $4,803 per month in Sydney vs $1,345 in Santiago City, rent included.

Sydney $4,803
Santiago City $1,345

A family of three spends $6,362 per month in Sydney vs $1,836 in Santiago City, rent included.

Sydney $6,362
Santiago City $1,836

Sydney costs about 280% more than Santiago City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 139% above the global median, while Santiago City is 37% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.41 A$25.05

$6.51 ₱410

167.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.3 A$130

$39.27 ₱2,472

129.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 A$17.15

$4.89 ₱308

143.76%

Cappuccino

$4.03 A$5.80

$2.66 ₱168

51.50%

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

$2.88 A$4.15

$1.10 ₱69.4

161.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 A$3.20

$0.54 ₱33.94

312.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 A$11.36

$2.34 ₱147

237.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 A$9.76

$3.17 ₱200

113.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 A$2.45

$1.92 ₱121

-10.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.28 ₱80.6

129.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.61

$1.01 ₱63.7

148.51%

Eggs

$5.55 A$7.99

$1.42 ₱89.2

290.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 A$16.94

$7.36 ₱463

59.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 A$13.35

$4.95 ₱311

87.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.70 A$24.03

$6.77 ₱426

146.68%

Apples (1kg)

$3.92 A$5.64

$2.43 ₱153

61.32%

Banana (1kg)

$3.16 A$4.55

$1.96 ₱123

61.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.48 A$5.00

$3.20 ₱202

8.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.38 A$6.31

$2.31 ₱145

89.61%

Potato (1kg)

$3.33 A$4.79

$3.65 ₱230

-8.77%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.46

$3.52 ₱221

-31.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 A$3.32

$1.12 ₱70.4

106.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 A$1.65

$0.58 ₱36.26

98.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.34 A$63.8

$2.60 ₱163

1605.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.71 A$19.72

$7.99 ₱503

71.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.00 A$5.75

$1.32 ₱83.0

203.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 A$5.80

$2.05 ₱129

96.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.22 A$4.63

$0.24 ₱15.03

1241.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$154 A$222

$11.36 ₱715

1256.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 A$5.14

$0.62 ₱39.29

475.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 A$2.27

$0.23 ₱14.53

586.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.44 A$56.8

$1.93 ₱121

1943.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.13

$1.26 ₱79.4

17.46%

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

$29.6K A$42.5K

$21.6K ₱1.4M

37.05%

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

$27.7K A$39.8K

$19.9K ₱1.3M

38.76%

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

$241 A$347

$155 ₱9,755

55.80%

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

$27.57 A$39.67

$16.27 ₱1,025

69.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.3 A$81.0

$31.63 ₱1,991

77.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.1 A$112

$32.06 ₱2,019

143.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.26 A$33.47

$4.73 ₱298

391.75%

Cinema Ticket

$17.55 A$25.26

$7.27 ₱458

141.40%

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

$2,185 A$3,144

$135 ₱8,518

1515.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.8K A$40.0K

$7,571 ₱476.7K

266.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$33.62 ₱2,116

137.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.7 A$102

$19.43 ₱1,223

263.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$159

$79.8 ₱5,025

38.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 A$186

$55.2 ₱3,478

134.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,477 A$3,564

$266 ₱16.7K

832.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,777 A$2,557

$170 ₱10.7K

947.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,885 A$7,030

$521 ₱32.8K

837.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,093 A$4,451

$360 ₱22.7K

758.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.3K

$2,370 ₱149.2K

465.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,375 A$12.1K

$994 ₱62.6K

742.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,074 A$5,862

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

7.5

-21.07%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 20, 2026

Last update for Santiago City: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.8%

Santiago City

$170 19.9% 90.5% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$378 11.7%

Santiago City

$213 25% 43.6% $165

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$325 10%

Santiago City

$203 23.7% 37.6% $122

Eating Out

Sydney

$297 9.2%

Santiago City

$123 14.4% 58.5% $174

Getting Around

Sydney

$178 5.5%

Santiago City

$14 1.7% 92.1% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Santiago City

$85 9.9% 51.9% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$113 3.5%

Santiago City

$47 5.5% 58.8% $67

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,477 in Sydney versus $266 in Santiago City. 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 $90.0 in Sydney versus $39.00 in Santiago City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $378 vs $213 – making Santiago City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇵🇭 Santiago City

🕒 Local time

12:31 12:31 PM

09:31 9:31 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

108,414

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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 Santiago City 6,440 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Santiago City

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 Santiago City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,245 in Sydney, $854 in Santiago City – roughly 280% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,867 per month in Sydney and $1,281 in Santiago City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santiago City, 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 $90.0 in Sydney and $39.00 in Santiago City. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,245 in Sydney and $854 in Santiago City. That's a gap of about 280%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Santiago City, where all-in costs run around $854, than in Sydney at $3,245. In Santiago City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Santiago City – 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 Santiago City. 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.