Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Sibu

For one person, living is cheaper in Sibu: $866 a month against $3,245 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $28,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

156

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Sibu
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Sibu Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,245

/mo nomad

Sibu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$866

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Sibu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,245 in Sydney versus $866 in Sibu.

Sydney $3,245
Sibu $866

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,803 in Sydney versus $1,293 in Sibu.

Sydney $4,803
Sibu $1,293

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,362 in Sydney versus $1,720 in Sibu.

Sydney $6,362
Sibu $1,720

Living in Sydney is roughly 275% more expensive than in Sibu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sydney is 139% above, Sibu is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.41 A$25.05

$2.16 MYR 8.82

706.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.3 A$130

$19.47 MYR 79.4

363.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 A$17.15

$4.21 MYR 17.18

183.14%

Cappuccino

$4.03 A$5.80

$2.38 MYR 9.70

69.33%

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

$2.88 A$4.15

$0.67 MYR 2.74

329.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 A$3.20

$0.23 MYR 0.93

869.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 A$11.36

$2.92 MYR 11.92

170.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 A$9.76

$4.40 MYR 17.96

54.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 A$2.45

$1.80 MYR 7.33

-5.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$0.89 MYR 3.65

230.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.61

$1.67 MYR 6.80

50.30%

Eggs

$5.55 A$7.99

$2.24 MYR 9.16

147.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 A$16.94

$11.65 MYR 47.53

1.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 A$13.35

$3.84 MYR 15.66

141.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.70 A$24.03

$9.69 MYR 39.55

72.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.92 A$5.64

$3.72 MYR 15.16

5.38%

Banana (1kg)

$3.16 A$4.55

$1.53 MYR 6.26

106.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.48 A$5.00

$2.34 MYR 9.55

48.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.38 A$6.31

$1.38 MYR 5.62

217.39%

Potato (1kg)

$3.33 A$4.79

$1.12 MYR 4.58

197.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.46

$1.30 MYR 5.29

84.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 A$3.32

$1.17 MYR 4.76

97.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 A$1.65

$0.54 MYR 2.22

112.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.34 A$63.8

$4.53 MYR 18.48

878.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.71 A$19.72

$18.28 MYR 74.6

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.00 A$5.75

$2.85 MYR 11.64

40.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 A$5.80

$4.51 MYR 18.38

-10.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.22 A$4.63

$0.83 MYR 3.40

287.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$154 A$222

$13.85 MYR 56.5

1012.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 A$5.14

$1.40 MYR 5.70

155.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 A$2.27

$0.54 MYR 2.18

192.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.44 A$56.8

$8.01 MYR 32.68

392.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.13

$0.80 MYR 3.28

85.00%

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

$29.6K A$42.5K

$49.1K MYR 200.3K

-39.82%

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

$27.7K A$39.8K

$35.6K MYR 145.4K

-22.40%

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

$241 A$347

$49.59 MYR 202

386.75%

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

$27.57 A$39.67

$7.14 MYR 29.14

286.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.3 A$81.0

$26.47 MYR 108

112.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.1 A$112

$26.94 MYR 110

190.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.26 A$33.47

$6.44 MYR 26.26

261.18%

Cinema Ticket

$17.55 A$25.26

$3.74 MYR 15.24

369.25%

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

$2,185 A$3,144

$181 MYR 739

1105.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.8K A$40.0K

$6,906 MYR 28.2K

302.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$55.4 MYR 226

44.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.7 A$102

$30.48 MYR 124

131.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$159

$89.2 MYR 364

24.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 A$186

$75.2 MYR 307

72.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,477 A$3,564

$340 MYR 1,386

628.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,777 A$2,557

$282 MYR 1,150

530.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,885 A$7,030

$597 MYR 2,437

717.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,093 A$4,451

$451 MYR 1,841

585.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.3K

$1,782 MYR 7,272

652.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,375 A$12.1K

$966 MYR 3,941

766.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,074 A$5,862

$496 MYR 2,021

722.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

4.06

45.81%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 20, 2026

Last update for Sibu: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.8%

Sibu

$282 32.6% 84.1% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$378 11.7%

Sibu

$247 28.5% 34.7% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$325 10%

Sibu

$83 9.6% 74.4% $242

Eating Out

Sydney

$297 9.2%

Sibu

$85 9.9% 71.2% $211

Getting Around

Sydney

$178 5.5%

Sibu

$21 2.5% 88.1% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Sibu

$113 13% 35.9% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$113 3.5%

Sibu

$34 4% 69.6% $79

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,477 in Sydney and $340 in Sibu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 722% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $90.0 in Sydney vs $19.00 in Sibu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $378 vs $247 per month, with Sibu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇲🇾 Sibu

🕒 Local time

06:59 6:59 AM

03:59 3:59 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

198,239

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Sibu 5,750 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
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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 Sibu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sibu wins on cost – living expenses run 275% lower than in Sydney. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sibu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 722% higher in Sydney, 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: $2,477 in Sydney versus $340 in Sibu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $3,245 per month in Sydney versus $866 in Sibu – a 275% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Sibu runs roughly 1013% less than in Sydney. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $866 in Sibu versus $3,245 in Sydney, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sibu but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Sibu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Sydney and Sibu 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 Sibu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 275% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.