Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Serdang

For one person, living is cheaper in Serdang: $978 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $26,100 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Serdang
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Serdang Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Serdang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$978

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Serdang

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

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $978 in Serdang, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Serdang $978

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $1,422 in Serdang, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Serdang $1,422

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $1,865 in Serdang, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Serdang $1,865

Sydney costs about 222% more than Serdang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 133% above the global median, while Serdang is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$2.52 MYR 10.29

597.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$17.01 MYR 69.4

437.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$3.58 MYR 14.62

234.08%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.01 MYR 8.20

102.49%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.84 MYR 3.44

239.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.47 MYR 1.93

378.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$4.43 MYR 18.06

71.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$6.02 MYR 24.56

23.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$2.13 MYR 8.68

-22.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.10 MYR 4.51

152.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$1.95 MYR 7.95

24.10%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$2.49 MYR 10.14

126.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$13.89 MYR 56.7

-15.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$4.47 MYR 18.24

116.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$9.92 MYR 40.47

68.85%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$3.44 MYR 14.02

18.31%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$1.76 MYR 7.18

84.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$2.27 MYR 9.26

51.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$1.60 MYR 6.52

167.50%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$1.27 MYR 5.19

158.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$1.35 MYR 5.51

70.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$1.12 MYR 4.57

105.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.72 MYR 2.93

68.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$4.53 MYR 18.47

864.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$19.72 MYR 80.4

-29.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$3.50 MYR 14.29

11.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$4.91 MYR 20.01

-20.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$0.69 MYR 2.82

340.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$13.93 MYR 56.8

978.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$1.19 MYR 4.85

184.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$1.25 MYR 5.09

24.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$4.96 MYR 20.23

706.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.88 MYR 3.61

59.09%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$41.5K MYR 169.4K

-29.88%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$34.4K MYR 140.2K

-12.36%

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

$223 A$320

$61.8 MYR 252

260.02%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$8.90 MYR 36.30

205.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$26.69 MYR 109

109.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$42.43 MYR 173

75.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

$7.33 MYR 29.89

227.29%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$5.12 MYR 20.88

242.97%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$298 MYR 1,215

637.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$13.0K MYR 53.1K

116.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$71.1 MYR 290

10.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$41.18 MYR 168

66.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$85.3 MYR 348

30.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$97.3 MYR 397

38.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$394 MYR 1,607

534.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$302 MYR 1,231

466.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$685 MYR 2,794

622.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$430 MYR 1,753

603.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$1,783 MYR 7,272

638.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$1,004 MYR 4,096

733.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

$964 MYR 3,932

326.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

4.18

39.71%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Serdang: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Serdang

$302 30.9% 82.3% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Serdang

$275 28.1% 27.3% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Serdang

$97 10% 68.1% $208

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Serdang

$94 9.7% 68.4% $204

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Serdang

$133 13.6% 24.9% $44

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Serdang

$24 2.5% 86.1% $149

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Serdang

$53 5.4% 52% $57

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney versus $394 in Serdang. 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 327% 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 Serdang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $275 – making Serdang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇲🇾 Serdang

🕒 Local time

08:40 8:40 AM

05:40 5:40 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

130,252

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, 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).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sydney Serdang 6,610 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Serdang

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 Serdang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,152 in Sydney, $978 in Serdang – roughly 222% 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 $1,467 in Serdang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 38% 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 $17.00 in Serdang. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Serdang, where all-in costs run around $978, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Serdang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Serdang – 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 Serdang. 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.