Cost of Living Comparison Between Ballarat and Sydney Cost of Living Comparison Between Ballarat and Sydney

🙂 Solo nomad: Ballarat is 10.1% cheaper than Sydney without rent, and 38.5% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Ballarat is 22.1% cheaper than Sydney without rent, and 33.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ballarat
Sydney
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.19 A$21.74
$16.02 A$24.54
-11.42%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$63.8 A$97.7
$77.1 A$118
-17.31%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.03 A$15.37
$9.6 A$14.7
4.48%
Cappuccino
$3.63 A$5.57
$3.33 A$5.11
9.01%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 A$4
$2.5 A$3.83
4.40%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.11 A$3.24
$2 A$3.06
5.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6 A$9.19
$6.33 A$9.69
-5.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.84 A$10.48
$7.09 A$10.86
-3.53%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ballarat
Sydney
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 A$2.22
$1.69 A$2.59
-14.20%
White Bread (500g)
$2.61 A$3.99
$2.7 A$4.13
-3.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.53 A$2.35
$2.34 A$3.59
-34.62%
Eggs
$4.18 A$6.4
$5.05 A$7.74
-17.23%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.08 A$13.9
$8.65 A$13.25
4.97%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.13 A$13.99
$8.45 A$12.95
8.05%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.85 A$22.75
$13.8 A$21.14
7.61%
Apples (1kg)
$3.27 A$5.01
$3.18 A$4.88
2.83%
Banana (1kg)
$2.8 A$4.28
$2.67 A$4.09
4.87%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.85 A$4.37
$3.13 A$4.8
-8.95%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.72 A$5.7
$4.36 A$6.67
-14.68%
Potato (1kg)
$2.79 A$4.27
$2.56 A$3.92
8.98%
Onion (1kg)
$2.27 A$3.48
$2.36 A$3.62
-3.81%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.2 A$3.37
$2.16 A$3.31
1.85%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1 A$1.53
$1.24 A$1.91
-19.35%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$30.81 A$47.21
$31.93 A$48.92
-3.51%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.4 A$20.52
$13.43 A$20.58
-0.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.13 A$3.26
$4.8 A$7.35
-55.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.86 A$4.38
$5.26 A$8.06
-45.63%
🚌 Getting Around
Ballarat
Sydney
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.7 A$2.61
$3.19 A$4.88
-46.71%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$65.7 A$101
$139 A$212
-52.63%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.35 A$3.61
$3.79 A$5.81
-37.99%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.16 A$1.77
$2.96 A$4.54
-60.81%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$25.06 A$38.39
$51.4 A$78.7
-51.23%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.12 A$1.71
$1.2 A$1.84
-6.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.8K A$42.6K
$29.3K A$44.9K
-5.13%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.9K A$35.1K
$22.2K A$34K
3.17%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ballarat
Sydney
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$149 A$228
$201 A$308
-25.88%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.35 A$32.71
$23.73 A$36.35
-10.03%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$49.96 A$76.5
$53.1 A$81.3
-5.88%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ballarat
Sydney
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.61 A$48.43
$61.5 A$94.2
-48.58%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.54 A$23.8
$20.64 A$31.62
-24.71%
Cinema Ticket
$11.21 A$17.18
$15.47 A$23.7
-27.54%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ballarat
Sydney
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$327 A$501
$2,109 A$3,231
-84.50%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$19.1K A$29.3K
$18.8K A$28.8K
1.52%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ballarat
Sydney
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$64.6 A$98.9
$74.8 A$115
-13.75%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53 A$81.3
$58.4 A$89.5
-9.18%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$86.8 A$133
$107 A$165
-19.28%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$92.6 A$142
$132 A$203
-30.12%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ballarat
Sydney
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$839 A$1,285
$2,205 A$3,378
-61.96%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$620 A$949
$1,462 A$2,239
-57.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,007 A$3,075
$4,389 A$6,724
-54.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,389 A$2,128
$2,669 A$4,090
-47.96%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,443 A$6,807
$12.7K A$19.5K
-65.15%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,312 A$5,074
$7,165 A$11K
-53.77%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ballarat
Sydney
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,169 A$4,855
$3,965 A$6,074
-20.07%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.07
6.34
-4.26%

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

Last update for Ballarat: October 27, 2025

Last update for Sydney: October 28, 2025

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