Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Shah Alam

For one person, living is cheaper in Shah Alam: $933 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $26,600 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Shah Alam
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Shah Alam Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Shah Alam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$933

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Shah 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 Shah Alam actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $933 in Shah Alam, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Shah Alam $933

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $1,429 in Shah Alam, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Shah Alam $1,429

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $1,925 in Shah Alam, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Shah Alam $1,925

Sydney costs about 238% more than Shah Alam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 133% above the global median, while Shah Alam is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$3.72 MYR 15.19

372.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$19.34 MYR 78.9

373.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$4.21 MYR 17.16

184.09%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.87 MYR 11.70

41.81%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.78 MYR 3.17

265.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.39 MYR 1.58

476.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$3.40 MYR 13.85

123.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$4.33 MYR 17.65

71.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.79 MYR 7.29

-7.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.06 MYR 4.31

162.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$1.47 MYR 6.01

64.63%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$2.17 MYR 8.85

159.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$13.59 MYR 55.4

-13.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$4.36 MYR 17.78

121.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$9.51 MYR 38.79

76.13%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$3.53 MYR 14.38

15.30%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$1.62 MYR 6.61

100.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$2.62 MYR 10.67

31.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$1.73 MYR 7.05

147.40%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$1.25 MYR 5.08

162.40%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$2.04 MYR 8.33

12.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$1.43 MYR 5.82

60.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.54 MYR 2.19

124.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$4.33 MYR 17.66

909.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$18.85 MYR 76.9

-26.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$2.76 MYR 11.26

41.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$4.64 MYR 18.94

-15.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$0.75 MYR 3.05

305.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$16.11 MYR 65.7

832.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$1.20 MYR 4.90

181.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$0.41 MYR 1.67

280.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$7.48 MYR 30.52

434.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.81 MYR 3.32

72.84%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$42.1K MYR 171.7K

-30.79%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$34.9K MYR 142.5K

-13.74%

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

$223 A$320

$36.85 MYR 150

504.07%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$9.64 MYR 39.32

181.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$28.94 MYR 118

92.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$40.19 MYR 164

85.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

$4.88 MYR 19.92

391.60%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$6.58 MYR 26.86

166.87%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$199 MYR 812

1003.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$4,548 MYR 18.6K

519.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$57.6 MYR 235

36.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$39.52 MYR 161

73.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$67.8 MYR 277

64.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$70.0 MYR 285

92.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$340 MYR 1,386

635.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$308 MYR 1,255

455.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$564 MYR 2,301

776.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$560 MYR 2,283

439.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$1,502 MYR 6,128

776.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$1,165 MYR 4,753

618.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

$1,264 MYR 5,156

225.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

4.04

44.55%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Shah Alam: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Shah Alam

$308 33% 82% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Shah Alam

$261 28% 31% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Shah Alam

$75 8.1% 75.3% $230

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Shah Alam

$107 11.5% 64.1% $191

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Shah Alam

$106 11.3% 40.2% $71

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Shah Alam

$22 2.4% 87.1% $151

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Shah Alam

$53 5.7% 51.4% $56

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney versus $340 in Shah 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 225% 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 $19.00 in Shah Alam. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $261 – making Shah Alam the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇲🇾 Shah Alam

🕒 Local time

23:17 11:17 PM

20:17 8:17 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

812,327

💱 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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Sydney Shah Alam 6,620 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Shah Alam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sydney is pricier by about 238%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,728 per month in Sydney and $1,399 in Shah Alam. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shah Alam, 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 $91.0 in Sydney and $19.00 in Shah Alam. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,152 in Sydney and $933 in Shah Alam. That's a gap of about 238%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Shah Alam, where all-in costs run around $933, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Shah Alam it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shah 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 Shah 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.