Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Ulan Ude

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulan Ude: $1,098 a month against $3,182 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $25,000 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Ulan Ude
Learn more

Ulan Ude Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,182

/mo nomad

Ulan Ude

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,098

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Ulan Ude

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

A single person spends $3,182 per month in Sydney vs $1,098 in Ulan Ude, rent included.

Sydney $3,182
Ulan Ude $1,098

A couple spends around $4,696 per month in Sydney vs $1,685 in Ulan Ude, rent included.

Sydney $4,696
Ulan Ude $1,685

A family of three spends $6,210 per month in Sydney vs $2,272 in Ulan Ude, rent included.

Sydney $6,210
Ulan Ude $2,272

Sydney costs about 190% more than Ulan Ude, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sydney sits 137% above the global median, while Ulan Ude is 18% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 A$25.28

$6.81 ₽579

159.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.1 A$139

$46.65 ₽3,969

108.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.94 A$17.09

$6.95 ₽591

71.80%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.72

$3.47 ₽296

15.27%

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

$2.84 A$4.06

$1.80 ₽154

57.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 A$3.25

$1.73 ₽147

31.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 A$11.29

$3.65 ₽310

116.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 A$10.20

$5.74 ₽488

24.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.26 ₽107

31.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 A$4.00

$0.84 ₽71.7

232.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.33

$0.45 ₽38.68

415.56%

Eggs

$5.53 A$7.92

$1.88 ₽160

194.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 A$17.28

$11.60 ₽987

4.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.84 A$14.09

$5.90 ₽502

66.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.61 A$23.78

$10.40 ₽885

59.71%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 A$5.76

$1.21 ₽103

232.23%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.51

$1.79 ₽152

75.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 A$5.01

$1.17 ₽99.3

199.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.47 A$6.39

$2.32 ₽198

92.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.32 A$4.76

$0.58 ₽48.94

472.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$0.84 ₽71.5

173.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.35

$3.47 ₽295

-32.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 A$1.65

$0.73 ₽62.0

57.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.02 A$64.4

$2.85 ₽243

1479.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.96 A$19.97

$8.17 ₽695

70.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.98 A$5.70

$0.58 ₽49.24

586.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.07 A$5.82

$1.19 ₽101

242.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.16 A$4.52

$0.46 ₽38.80

586.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$215

$23.18 ₽1,972

546.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.45 A$4.94

$1.21 ₽103

185.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.33

$0.17 ₽14.61

858.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.98 A$57.2

$7.10 ₽605

463.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.78 ₽66.1

79.49%

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

$28.4K A$40.7K

$47.6K ₽4.0M

-40.28%

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

$29.4K A$42.1K

$35.1K ₽3.0M

-16.17%

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

$220 A$315

$118 ₽10.1K

85.80%

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

$27.70 A$39.64

$3.50 ₽298

691.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 A$79.5

$8.20 ₽698

577.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.3 A$106

$23.55 ₽2,004

215.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.95 A$34.28

$48.08 ₽4,091

-50.19%

Cinema Ticket

$17.73 A$25.37

$6.87 ₽585

158.08%

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

$2,157 A$3,087

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K A$40.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$112

$70.4 ₽5,992

11.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.5 A$101

$29.41 ₽2,503

139.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$159

$117 ₽9,919

-4.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$189

$119 ₽10.1K

10.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,514 A$3,598

$501 ₽42.6K

402.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,732 A$2,478

$371 ₽31.5K

367.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,889 A$6,996

$773 ₽65.7K

532.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,039 A$4,349

$580 ₽49.3K

424.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$1,977 ₽168.2K

568.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,117 A$11.6K

$1,538 ₽130.9K

427.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,082 A$5,842

$884 ₽75.2K

361.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

21.67

-73.05%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 5, 2026

Last update for Ulan Ude: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.5%

Ulan Ude

$371 34.2% 78.6% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$380 12%

Ulan Ude

$207 19.1% 45.7% $174

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$303 9.6%

Ulan Ude

$130 12% 57.1% $173

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.4%

Ulan Ude

$161 14.8% 46.3% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$176 5.6%

Ulan Ude

$151 13.9% 14.4% $25

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Ulan Ude

$27 2.5% 84.5% $147

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Ulan Ude

$37 3.4% 66% $72

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,514 in Sydney versus $501 in Ulan Ude. 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 362% 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 $97.0 in Sydney versus $47.00 in Ulan Ude. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $380 vs $207 – making Ulan Ude the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇷🇺 Ulan Ude

🕒 Local time

19:49 7:49 PM

16:49 4:49 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

436,138

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

100 RUB = 1.18 USD

100 RUB = 1.05 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 85.09 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.44 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Between locations

Sydney Ulan Ude 10,430 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Ulan Ude: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,182 in Sydney, $1,098 in Ulan Ude – roughly 190% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,774 per month in Sydney and $1,647 in Ulan Ude. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ulan Ude, 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 $3,182 in Sydney and $1,098 in Ulan Ude. That's a gap of about 190%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $97.0 in Sydney and $47.00 in Ulan Ude. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ulan Ude, where all-in costs run around $1,098, than in Sydney at $3,182. In Ulan Ude it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ulan Ude – 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 Ulan Ude. 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.