Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Tagum City

For one person, living is cheaper in Tagum City: $437 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $32,600 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Tagum City
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Tagum City Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Tagum City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$437

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $437 in Tagum City, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Tagum City $437

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $541 in Tagum City, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Tagum City $541

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $645 in Tagum City, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Tagum City $645

Sydney costs about 621% more than Tagum City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sydney sits 133% above the global median, while Tagum City is 68% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$5.50 ₱346

219.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$12.68 ₱799

621.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$5.05 ₱318

136.83%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.29 ₱144

77.73%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$1.87 ₱117

306.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$1.44 ₱90.9

415.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.62 ₱102

2.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$1.88 ₱119

200.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$8.06 ₱507

107.82%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$6.41 ₱404

-36.51%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$1.37 ₱86.0

184.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$0.25 ₱15.76

1116.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.37 ₱86.2

2.19%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

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

$223 A$320

$55.7 ₱3,506

299.71%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$8.09 ₱510

235.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$27.46 ₱1,729

103.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$23.71 ₱1,493

214.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$3.28 ₱206

435.37%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$159 ₱9,992

1475.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$129 ₱8,124

1224.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$323 ₱20.3K

1433.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

$203 ₱12.8K

1926.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Tagum City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Tagum City

$129 29.5% 92.5% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Tagum City

$87 * 19.9% 77.1% $292

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Tagum City

$91 20.9% 70.1% $214

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Tagum City

$99 * 22.6% 66.9% $200

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Tagum City

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Tagum City

$1 * 0.2% 99.4% $173

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Tagum City

$30 6.9% 72.4% $79

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 $159 in Tagum 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 1926% 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 $13.00 in Tagum City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $87.0 – making Tagum City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇵🇭 Tagum City

🕒 Local time

14:50 2:50 PM

11:50 11:50 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

296,202

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Sydney Tagum City 5,320 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Tagum 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 Tagum City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,152 in Sydney, $437 in Tagum City – roughly 621% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,728 per month in Sydney and $656 in Tagum City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tagum City, 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 $13.00 in Tagum City. 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 $437 in Tagum City. That's a gap of about 621%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tagum City, where all-in costs run around $437, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Tagum City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tagum 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 Tagum 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.