Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Seri Iskandar

For one person, living is cheaper in Seri Iskandar: $708 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $30,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

157

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Seri Iskandar
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Seri Iskandar Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Seri Iskandar

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$708

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Seri Iskandar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,267 in Sydney versus $708 in Seri Iskandar.

Sydney $3,267
Seri Iskandar $708

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,847 in Sydney versus $917 in Seri Iskandar.

Sydney $4,847
Seri Iskandar $917

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,428 in Sydney versus $1,126 in Seri Iskandar.

Sydney $6,428
Seri Iskandar $1,126

Living in Sydney is roughly 362% more expensive than in Seri Iskandar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sydney is 140% above, Seri Iskandar is 48% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.87

$2.74 MYR 11.18

538.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.4 A$128

$29.75 MYR 121

203.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$16.99

$4.72 MYR 19.24

153.39%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.68

$1.02 MYR 4.15

292.16%

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

$2.81 A$4.00

$0.52 MYR 2.13

440.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 A$3.16

$0.26 MYR 1.06

753.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 A$11.56

$2.99 MYR 12.19

171.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 A$10.23

$3.62 MYR 14.73

98.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 A$2.42

$1.58 MYR 6.43

7.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.17

$0.95 MYR 3.88

209.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.57

$0.51 MYR 2.09

392.16%

Eggs

$5.66 A$8.04

$2.03 MYR 8.25

178.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 A$17.36

$5.31 MYR 21.65

130.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 A$13.24

$1.94 MYR 7.89

379.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 A$23.97

$4.47 MYR 18.21

277.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.90 A$5.54

$2.16 MYR 8.80

80.56%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.58

$1.69 MYR 6.88

90.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 A$4.88

$1.98 MYR 8.06

73.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 A$6.16

$1.03 MYR 4.19

320.39%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.75

$0.63 MYR 2.56

431.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.41

$0.95 MYR 3.89

152.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.32

$1.02 MYR 4.15

129.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 A$1.65

$0.63 MYR 2.56

84.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.47 A$64.6

$4.39 MYR 17.87

935.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 A$19.88

$7.42 MYR 30.21

88.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.11 A$5.84

$2.44 MYR 9.93

68.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 A$5.94

$3.72 MYR 15.15

12.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.12 A$4.44

$1.08 MYR 4.41

188.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 A$216

$12.26 MYR 49.96

1138.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 A$4.92

$1.02 MYR 4.17

239.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.22

$1.24 MYR 5.03

25.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.54 A$56.2

$4.87 MYR 19.83

711.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.05

$0.61 MYR 2.50

137.70%

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

$29.9K A$42.5K

$19.4K MYR 78.9K

54.34%

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

$27.5K A$39.1K

$19.6K MYR 79.8K

40.46%

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

$251 A$356

$62.8 MYR 256

299.62%

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

$27.76 A$39.44

$8.98 MYR 36.60

209.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.0 A$82.4

$16.79 MYR 68.4

245.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.7 A$100

$13.48 MYR 54.9

424.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.25 A$33.04

$6.76 MYR 27.55

243.93%

Cinema Ticket

$17.83 A$25.33

$3.73 MYR 15.21

378.02%

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

$2,358 A$3,351

$237 MYR 965

896.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.2K A$38.6K

$13.1K MYR 53.4K

107.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 A$114

$16.83 MYR 68.6

378.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.3 A$98.5

$8.68 MYR 35.36

698.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$157

$60.4 MYR 246

83.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 A$181

$37.27 MYR 152

241.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,566 A$3,646

$419 MYR 1,707

512.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 A$2,547

$287 MYR 1,169

524.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,202 A$7,391

$779 MYR 3,175

567.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,156 A$4,485

$162 MYR 659

1850.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.0K

$2,030 MYR 8,271

559.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,727 A$12.4K

$1,168 MYR 4,758

647.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,118 A$5,851

$366 MYR 1,489

1026.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

196.00%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 24, 2026

Last update for Seri Iskandar: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9%

Seri Iskandar

$287 40.6% 84% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$382 11.7%

Seri Iskandar

$158 22.4% 58.6% $224

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$337 10.3%

Seri Iskandar

$89 12.5% 73.7% $248

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.2%

Seri Iskandar

$74 10.4% 75.4% $225

Getting Around

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Seri Iskandar

$24 3.4% 86.4% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$175 5.3%

Seri Iskandar

$55 7.8% 68.2% $119

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$106 3.3%

Seri Iskandar

$21 3% 80.3% $85

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,566 in Sydney and $419 in Seri Iskandar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays about 11 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $90 in Sydney vs $30 in Seri Iskandar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $382 vs $158 per month, with Seri Iskandar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇲🇾 Seri Iskandar

🕒 Local time

05:35 5:35 AM

02:35 2:35 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

14,827

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sydney Seri Iskandar 6,770 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Seri Iskandar

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 Seri Iskandar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sydney and Seri Iskandar differ by about 362% in total monthly costs ($3,267 vs $708 including rent). Seri Iskandar is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Sydney is about 11 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,566 in Sydney versus $419 in Seri Iskandar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Seri Iskandar – a meal for two runs $30 versus $90 in Sydney. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $3,267 per month in Sydney versus $708 in Seri Iskandar – a 362% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $708 in Seri Iskandar versus $3,267 in Sydney, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Seri Iskandar but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Seri Iskandar the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Seri Iskandar is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Sydney, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Sydney and Seri Iskandar are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Seri Iskandar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 78% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.