Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Tagbilaran City

For one person, living is cheaper in Tagbilaran City: $624 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $30,300 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Tagbilaran City
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Tagbilaran City Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Tagbilaran City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$624

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Tagbilaran City

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

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $624 in Tagbilaran City, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Tagbilaran City $624

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $1,001 in Tagbilaran City, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Tagbilaran City $1,001

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $1,378 in Tagbilaran City, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Tagbilaran City $1,378

Sydney costs about 405% more than Tagbilaran City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 133% above the global median, while Tagbilaran City is 54% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$2.98 ₱187

489.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$17.24 ₱1,085

430.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$2.89 ₱182

313.84%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.47 ₱156

64.78%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.94 ₱58.9

203.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.46 ₱29.04

389.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$0.83 ₱52.1

815.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$2.18 ₱137

240.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.55 ₱97.4

7.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.06 ₱66.9

162.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$0.90 ₱56.7

168.89%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$1.75 ₱110

222.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$9.33 ₱587

25.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$4.37 ₱275

121.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$7.55 ₱475

121.85%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.86 ₱180

42.31%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$1.35 ₱85.2

140.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$2.41 ₱152

42.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$1.52 ₱95.7

181.58%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$2.42 ₱152

35.54%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$1.97 ₱124

16.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$0.65 ₱40.89

253.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.46 ₱29.15

163.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$2.38 ₱150

1736.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$6.11 ₱385

127.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$0.90 ₱56.8

333.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$1.07 ₱67.3

265.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$0.47 ₱29.39

546.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$0.77 ₱48.52

338.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$0.23 ₱14.50

578.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$4.38 ₱276

813.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.04 ₱65.5

34.62%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$21.0K ₱1.3M

38.66%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$19.6K ₱1.2M

53.77%

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

$223 A$320

$80.8 ₱5,085

175.60%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$14.28 ₱899

90.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$25.27 ₱1,591

120.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$11.21 ₱706

565.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

$3.35 ₱211

616.12%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$3.62 ₱228

385.08%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$281 ₱17.7K

682.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$8,018 ₱504.8K

251.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$37.11 ₱2,336

111.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$17.96 ₱1,131

281.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$64.0 ₱4,031

73.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$57.0 ₱3,591

135.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$194 ₱12.2K

1190.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$139 ₱8,774

1126.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$477 ₱30.0K

936.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$339 ₱21.3K

792.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$785 ₱49.4K

1578.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$470 ₱29.6K

1681.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

$178 ₱11.2K

2209.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

7.2

-18.89%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Tagbilaran City: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Tagbilaran City

$139 22.3% 91.8% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Tagbilaran City

$187 30% 50.6% $191

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Tagbilaran City

$120 19.3% 60.6% $185

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Tagbilaran City

$76 12.2% 74.5% $222

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Tagbilaran City

$79 12.7% 55.1% $97

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Tagbilaran City

$3.8 * 0.6% 97.8% $170

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Tagbilaran City

$18 3% 83.2% $91

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney versus $194 in Tagbilaran City. 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 2210% 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 $17.00 in Tagbilaran City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $187 – making Tagbilaran City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇵🇭 Tagbilaran City

🕒 Local time

14:02 2:02 PM

11:02 11:02 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

86,411

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, 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).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sydney Tagbilaran City 5,630 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Tagbilaran City

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 Tagbilaran City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,152 in Sydney, $624 in Tagbilaran City – roughly 405% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,728 per month in Sydney and $937 in Tagbilaran City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,152 in Sydney and $624 in Tagbilaran City. That's a gap of about 405%.

Kindergarten costs $2,196 per month in Sydney and $281 in Tagbilaran City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tagbilaran City, where all-in costs run around $624, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Tagbilaran City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tagbilaran City – 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 Tagbilaran City. 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.