Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Tuguegarao

For one person, living is cheaper in Tuguegarao: $579 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $30,900 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Tuguegarao
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Tuguegarao Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Tuguegarao

🇵🇭 Philippines

$579

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Tuguegarao

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

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $579 in Tuguegarao, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Tuguegarao $579

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $926 in Tuguegarao, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Tuguegarao $926

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $1,273 in Tuguegarao, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Tuguegarao $1,273

Sydney costs about 445% more than Tuguegarao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 133% above the global median, while Tuguegarao is 57% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$1.62 ₱102

984.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$16.49 ₱1,038

454.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$2.86 ₱180

318.18%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$1.86 ₱117

118.82%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.44 ₱27.56

547.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.28 ₱17.48

703.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$0.98 ₱61.9

675.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$1.64 ₱103

353.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.68 ₱106

-1.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.15 ₱72.5

141.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$0.75 ₱47.44

222.67%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$2.02 ₱127

179.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$5.08 ₱320

130.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$3.46 ₱218

179.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$7.69 ₱484

117.82%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.31 ₱145

76.19%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$1.61 ₱101

101.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$2.34 ₱148

47.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$1.07 ₱67.3

300.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$1.75 ₱110

87.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$1.73 ₱109

32.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$0.62 ₱38.79

270.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.53 ₱33.17

128.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$1.94 ₱122

2153.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$8.77 ₱552

58.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$0.97 ₱61.2

302.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$2.09 ₱132

87.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$0.26 ₱16.09

1069.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$10.09 ₱635

1388.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$0.78 ₱48.85

333.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$0.23 ₱14.42

578.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$1.96 ₱123

1941.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.08 ₱68.2

29.63%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

37.12%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$19.6K ₱1.2M

53.82%

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

$223 A$320

$31.55 ₱1,987

605.55%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$17.41 ₱1,096

56.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$23.02 ₱1,449

142.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$32.30 ₱2,033

130.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

$4.57 ₱288

424.95%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$5.30 ₱334

231.32%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$134 ₱8,446

1536.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$10.6K ₱669.6K

165.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$28.57 ₱1,799

174.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$19.36 ₱1,219

253.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$39.20 ₱2,468

183.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$23.67 ₱1,490

467.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$265 ₱16.7K

844.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$171 ₱10.8K

899.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$522 ₱32.9K

847.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$359 ₱22.6K

742.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$2,452 ₱154.4K

436.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$1,035 ₱65.2K

708.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

$207 ₱13.0K

1886.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

6.75

-13.48%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Tuguegarao: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Tuguegarao

$171 29.5% 90% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Tuguegarao

$175 30.2% 53.8% $204

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Tuguegarao

$72 12.4% 76.4% $234

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Tuguegarao

$55 9.5% 81.6% $244

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Tuguegarao

$50 8.6% 71.8% $127

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Tuguegarao

$13 2.3% 92.5% $161

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Tuguegarao

$43 7.4% 60.9% $67

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney versus $265 in Tuguegarao. 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 1887% 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 $16.00 in Tuguegarao. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $175 – making Tuguegarao the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇵🇭 Tuguegarao

🕒 Local time

07:03 7:03 AM

04:03 4:03 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

166,334

💱 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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sydney Tuguegarao 6,520 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Tuguegarao

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 Tuguegarao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,152 in Sydney, $579 in Tuguegarao – roughly 445% 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 $868 in Tuguegarao. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tuguegarao, 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 $16.00 in Tuguegarao. 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 $579 in Tuguegarao. That's a gap of about 445%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tuguegarao, where all-in costs run around $579, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Tuguegarao it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tuguegarao – 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 Tuguegarao. 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.