Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Sungai Petani

For one person, living is cheaper in Sungai Petani: $806 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $28,200 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Sungai Petani
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Sungai Petani Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Sungai Petani

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Sungai Petani

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,152 in Sydney versus $806 in Sungai Petani.

Sydney $3,152
Sungai Petani $806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,710 in Sydney versus $1,201 in Sungai Petani.

Sydney $4,710
Sungai Petani $1,201

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,268 in Sydney versus $1,596 in Sungai Petani.

Sydney $6,268
Sungai Petani $1,596

Living in Sydney is roughly 291% more expensive than in Sungai Petani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sydney is 133% above, Sungai Petani is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.25

$2.43 MYR 9.93

623.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$131

$16.94 MYR 69.1

440.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.18

$4.28 MYR 17.46

179.44%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.84

$2.50 MYR 10.20

62.80%

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

$2.85 A$4.09

$0.73 MYR 2.96

290.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.23

$0.38 MYR 1.56

492.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.92

$3.67 MYR 14.99

107.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.67

$4.46 MYR 18.18

66.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.84 MYR 7.52

-9.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.05 MYR 4.26

164.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.48

$1.70 MYR 6.92

42.35%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.10

$2.21 MYR 9.00

155.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.83

$9.55 MYR 38.96

22.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.87

$4.42 MYR 18.04

118.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.06

$8.60 MYR 35.07

94.77%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.84

$3.04 MYR 12.42

33.88%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.67

$1.63 MYR 6.66

99.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.95

$2.62 MYR 10.68

31.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.15

$1.42 MYR 5.78

201.41%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.71

$1.06 MYR 4.34

209.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$1.07 MYR 4.36

114.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.30

$1.08 MYR 4.41

112.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.73

$0.57 MYR 2.33

112.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.8

$4.30 MYR 17.54

916.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.94

$19.13 MYR 78.0

-27.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.61

$2.93 MYR 11.95

33.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.62

$5.34 MYR 21.78

-26.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.37

$0.75 MYR 3.04

305.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$12.48 MYR 50.9

1103.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.85

$1.67 MYR 6.83

102.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$0.41 MYR 1.66

280.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.5

$7.38 MYR 30.13

442.14%

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$41.8K

$42.1K MYR 171.8K

-30.84%

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

$30.1K A$43.3K

$35.8K MYR 146.1K

-15.88%

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

$223 A$320

$37.72 MYR 154

490.14%

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

$27.16 A$39.02

$9.73 MYR 39.71

179.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.2

$19.90 MYR 81.2

180.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$24.69 MYR 101

202.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.47

$14.83 MYR 60.5

61.77%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.23

$2.88 MYR 11.77

509.72%

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

$2,196 A$3,155

$418 MYR 1,704

425.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.5K

$10.8K MYR 44.1K

160.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$58.8 MYR 240

33.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.3

$35.57 MYR 145

92.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$73.9 MYR 302

50.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$69.7 MYR 284

92.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,592

$186 MYR 760

1242.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,456

$244 MYR 995

600.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,105

$494 MYR 2,015

901.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,342

$365 MYR 1,488

728.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$1,236 MYR 5,042

965.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$480 MYR 1,958

1644.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,910

$492 MYR 2,008

735.61%

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 Sungai Petani: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Sungai Petani

$244 30.3% 85.7% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Sungai Petani

$244 30.2% 35.6% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Sungai Petani

$67 8.4% 78% $238

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Sungai Petani

$94 11.7% 68.5% $205

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Sungai Petani

$107 13.3% 39.4% $70

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Sungai Petani

$19 2.4% 88.9% $154

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Sungai Petani

$30 3.8% 72.2% $79

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,500 in Sydney and $186 in Sungai Petani. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 736% 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: $91.0 in Sydney vs $17.00 in Sungai Petani for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $379 vs $244 per month, with Sungai Petani cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇲🇾 Sungai Petani

🕒 Local time

03:01 3:01 AM

00:01 12:01 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

545,053

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.621 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 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 16, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.621 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.58 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Sydney Sungai Petani 6,900 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

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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 Sungai Petani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sydney and Sungai Petani differ by about 291% in total monthly costs ($3,152 vs $806 including rent). Sungai Petani is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 736% 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: $2,500 in Sydney versus $186 in Sungai Petani. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,196 in Sydney versus $418 in Sungai Petani. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 55% higher in Sydney. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $806 in Sungai Petani versus $3,152 in Sydney, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sungai Petani but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Sungai Petani 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 Sungai Petani 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 Sungai Petani gentler on the wallet – expenses run 291% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.