Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Setia Alam

For one person, living is cheaper in Setia Alam: $913 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $26,900 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Setia Alam
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Setia Alam Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Setia Alam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Setia Alam

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

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $913 in Setia Alam, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Setia Alam $913

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $1,358 in Setia Alam, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Setia Alam $1,358

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $1,803 in Setia Alam, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Setia Alam $1,803

Sydney costs about 245% more than Setia Alam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sydney sits 133% above the global median, while Setia Alam is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$4.81 MYR 19.61

265.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$24.57 MYR 100

272.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$4.96 MYR 20.22

141.13%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.76 MYR 11.27

47.46%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.79 MYR 3.23

260.76%

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

$4.32 MYR 17.63

75.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$6.01 MYR 24.50

23.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.49 MYR 6.09

11.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$0.72 MYR 2.92

286.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$0.59 MYR 2.42

310.17%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$1.20 MYR 4.91

370.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$13.82 MYR 56.4

-15.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$2.41 MYR 9.83

300.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$2.41 MYR 9.83

595.02%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$1.24 MYR 5.04

228.23%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$1.83 MYR 7.47

77.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$1.25 MYR 5.11

175.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$1.20 MYR 4.91

256.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$0.71 MYR 2.89

361.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$0.74 MYR 3.03

210.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$0.70 MYR 2.87

228.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.72 MYR 2.95

68.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$4.32 MYR 17.64

911.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$19.60 MYR 80.0

-29.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$3.59 MYR 14.64

8.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$4.86 MYR 19.84

-19.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$0.76 MYR 3.08

300.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$12.31 MYR 50.2

1120.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$1.24 MYR 5.06

172.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$1.20 MYR 4.88

30.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$4.78 MYR 19.49

737.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.48 MYR 1.95

191.67%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$39.2K MYR 159.9K

-25.68%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$33.0K MYR 134.7K

-8.77%

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

$223 A$320

$61.2 MYR 250

263.90%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$8.52 MYR 34.77

218.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$26.04 MYR 106

114.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$49.73 MYR 203

50.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

$6.97 MYR 28.44

244.19%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$5.10 MYR 20.82

244.31%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$135 MYR 551

1526.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$7,885 MYR 32.2K

257.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$72.7 MYR 296

7.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$27.31 MYR 111

150.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$53.8 MYR 220

106.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$36.56 MYR 149

267.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$529 MYR 2,160

372.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$323 MYR 1,319

428.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$873 MYR 3,562

466.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$549 MYR 2,238

450.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$1,992 MYR 8,128

560.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$1,102 MYR 4,498

659.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

$1,143 MYR 4,663

259.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

46.00%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Setia Alam: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Setia Alam

$323 35.4% 81.1% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Setia Alam

$200 21.9% 47.1% $178

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Setia Alam

$96 10.5% 68.7% $210

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Setia Alam

$125 13.7% 58.1% $173

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Setia Alam

$86 9.4% 51.5% $91

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Setia Alam

$23 2.5% 87% $151

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Setia Alam

$60 6.6% 45.4% $50

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney versus $529 in Setia Alam. 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 260% 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 $25.00 in Setia Alam. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $200 – making Setia Alam the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇲🇾 Setia Alam

🕒 Local time

03:42 3:42 AM

00:42 12:42 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

150,000

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Sydney Setia Alam 6,630 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Setia Alam

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 Setia Alam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sydney costs about 245% more than Setia Alam, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,728 per month in Sydney and $1,369 in Setia Alam. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 1120% less in Setia Alam. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,196 per month in Sydney and $135 in Setia Alam. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Setia Alam, where all-in costs run around $913, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Setia Alam it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Setia Alam – 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 Setia Alam. 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.