Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bowral and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Bowral: $2,454 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Bowral
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Bowral Living Index
155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index

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Bowral

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,454

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bowral and in Sydney

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bowral and in Sydney actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,454 in Bowral versus $3,152 in Sydney.

Bowral $2,454
Sydney $3,152

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,617 in Bowral versus $4,710 in Sydney.

Bowral $3,617
Sydney $4,710

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,779 in Bowral versus $6,268 in Sydney.

Bowral $4,779
Sydney $6,268

Living in Bowral costs roughly 22% less than in Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bowral 82% above, Sydney 133% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.56 A$22.39

$17.57 A$25.29

-11.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.9 A$129

$91.5 A$132

-1.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.40 A$14.96

$11.96 A$17.21

-13.04%

Cappuccino

$2.85 A$4.09

$4.07 A$5.85

-29.98%

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

$2.05 A$2.96

$2.85 A$4.10

-28.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 A$1.98

$2.25 A$3.24

-39.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.20 A$11.80

$7.60 A$10.94

7.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.61 A$13.84

$7.43 A$10.69

29.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 A$2.27

$1.66 A$2.38

-5.42%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 A$4.56

$2.78 A$4.00

14.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.62 A$3.77

$2.42 A$3.49

8.26%

Eggs

$5.17 A$7.44

$5.64 A$8.12

-8.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.93 A$18.61

$11.71 A$16.85

10.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.94 A$14.30

$9.66 A$13.89

2.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.59 A$22.44

$16.75 A$24.10

-6.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.86 A$5.55

$4.07 A$5.85

-5.16%

Banana (1kg)

$3.08 A$4.43

$3.25 A$4.68

-5.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 A$4.91

$3.44 A$4.96

-0.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.07 A$7.30

$4.28 A$6.16

18.46%

Potato (1kg)

$3.20 A$4.61

$3.28 A$4.72

-2.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 A$3.95

$2.30 A$3.30

19.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.52

$2.30 A$3.31

6.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 A$2.24

$1.21 A$1.74

28.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.32 A$65.2

$43.71 A$62.9

3.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.91 A$20.01

$13.88 A$19.97

0.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.58 A$6.58

$3.90 A$5.62

17.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.68 A$8.17

$3.91 A$5.63

45.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.96 A$4.26

$3.04 A$4.38

-2.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.3 A$114

$150 A$216

-47.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.06 A$5.84

$3.38 A$4.86

20.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 A$2.27

$1.56 A$2.24

1.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.58 A$61.3

$40.01 A$57.6

6.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 A$1.96

$1.40 A$2.01

-2.86%

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

$27.2K A$39.2K

$29.1K A$41.9K

-6.44%

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

$29.6K A$42.6K

$30.1K A$43.4K

-1.86%

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

$181 A$260

$223 A$320

-18.82%

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

$26.33 A$37.88

$27.16 A$39.08

-3.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.0 A$79.1

$55.8 A$80.3

-1.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.1 A$80.8

$74.6 A$107

-24.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.39 A$25.03

$23.99 A$34.52

-27.51%

Cinema Ticket

$15.99 A$23.00

$17.56 A$25.27

-8.94%

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

$2,361 A$3,397

$2,196 A$3,160

7.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.3K A$29.2K

$28.2K A$40.6K

-28.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.1 A$108

$78.4 A$113

-4.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.5 A$81.2

$68.4 A$98.5

-17.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 A$168

$111 A$160

4.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$191

$134 A$193

-1.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 A$2,017

$2,500 A$3,598

-43.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 A$1,683

$1,709 A$2,460

-31.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,170 A$3,123

$4,946 A$7,117

-56.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,827 A$2,629

$3,022 A$4,349

-39.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,914 A$8,510

$13.2K A$18.9K

-55.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,911 A$7,066

$8,370 A$12.0K

-41.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,201 A$4,606

$4,113 A$5,919

-22.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.95

5.84

1.88%

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

Last update for Bowral: October 10, 2026

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bowral

$1.2K 47.7%

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2% 46.1% $539

Groceries & Markets

Bowral

$396 16.1%

Sydney

$379 12% 4.5% $18

Eating Out

Bowral

$264 10.8%

Sydney

$299 9.5% 13.2% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bowral

$262 10.7%

Sydney

$306 9.7% 16.6% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Bowral

$171 7%

Sydney

$177 5.6% 3.1% $5.4

Getting Around

Bowral

$103 4.2%

Sydney

$174 5.5% 68.4% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Bowral

$88 3.6%

Sydney

$110 3.5% 24.6% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,402 in Bowral and $2,500 in Sydney. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 28% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $90.0 in Bowral vs $91.0 in Sydney. Groceries flip the comparison at $396 vs $379, with Sydney cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Bowral

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

02:15 2:15 AM

Same time as Bowral

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,764

4,840,600

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Bowral Sydney 100 km

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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

Bowral vs Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bowral and Sydney differ by about 28% in total monthly costs ($2,454 vs $3,152 including rent). Bowral is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 28% lower in Sydney. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,402 in Bowral versus $2,500 in Sydney. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,361 in Bowral versus $2,196 in Sydney. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Sydney pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Bowral is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Bowral and Sydney are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bowral gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.