Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brookvale and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Brookvale: $2,565 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Brookvale
Learn more

Brookvale Living Index
157

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
Learn more

Sydney Living Index

Jump to prices

Brookvale

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,565

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,565 in Brookvale versus $3,267 in Sydney.

Brookvale $2,565
Sydney $3,267

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,679 in Brookvale versus $4,847 in Sydney.

Brookvale $3,679
Sydney $4,847

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,794 in Brookvale versus $6,428 in Sydney.

Brookvale $4,794
Sydney $6,428

Living in Brookvale costs roughly 21% less than in Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brookvale 88% above, Sydney 140% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.79 A$25.41

$17.50 A$24.99

1.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.0 A$127

$90.4 A$129

-1.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.41 A$14.87

$11.96 A$17.07

-12.96%

Cappuccino

$4.04 A$5.77

$4.00 A$5.71

1.00%

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

$2.92 A$4.18

$2.81 A$4.02

3.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 A$3.24

$2.22 A$3.17

2.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.23 A$11.76

$8.13 A$11.62

1.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.32 A$10.45

$7.20 A$10.28

1.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 A$2.25

$1.70 A$2.43

-7.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.24

$2.94 A$4.19

1.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.38 A$3.40

$2.51 A$3.59

-5.18%

Eggs

$5.16 A$7.36

$5.66 A$8.08

-8.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.84 A$16.91

$12.22 A$17.44

-3.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.56 A$13.65

$9.31 A$13.30

2.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.61 A$22.30

$16.87 A$24.09

-7.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.94 A$5.62

$3.90 A$5.57

1.03%

Banana (1kg)

$3.17 A$4.52

$3.22 A$4.60

-1.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 A$4.82

$3.43 A$4.90

-1.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.13 A$7.33

$4.33 A$6.19

18.48%

Potato (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.60

$3.35 A$4.78

-3.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.87 A$4.10

$2.40 A$3.43

19.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.32 A$3.32

$2.34 A$3.34

-0.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 A$2.00

$1.16 A$1.65

20.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.39 A$63.4

$45.47 A$64.9

-2.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 A$20.35

$13.99 A$19.98

1.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.02 A$5.74

$4.11 A$5.87

-2.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.05 A$5.78

$4.18 A$5.97

-3.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.11 A$4.44

$3.12 A$4.46

-0.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.3 A$125

$152 A$217

-42.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 A$4.99

$3.46 A$4.94

0.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 A$2.28

$1.56 A$2.23

1.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.58 A$58.0

$39.54 A$56.5

2.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 A$1.98

$1.45 A$2.06

-4.83%

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

$28.1K A$40.2K

$29.9K A$42.7K

-5.87%

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

$26.6K A$38.0K

$27.5K A$39.3K

-3.42%

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

$183 A$262

$251 A$358

-26.88%

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

$27.11 A$38.71

$27.76 A$39.64

-2.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.5 A$80.7

$58.0 A$82.8

-2.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.6 A$82.3

$70.7 A$101

-18.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.86 A$22.65

$23.25 A$33.20

-31.78%

Cinema Ticket

$15.87 A$22.66

$17.83 A$25.46

-10.99%

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

$2,397 A$3,423

$2,358 A$3,368

1.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.4K A$29.2K

$27.2K A$38.8K

-24.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.3 A$109

$80.5 A$115

-5.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.7 A$82.3

$69.3 A$99.0

-16.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 A$153

$111 A$158

-3.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 A$181

$127 A$182

-0.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$990 A$1,414

$2,566 A$3,664

-61.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,251 A$1,787

$1,792 A$2,560

-30.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,216 A$3,165

$5,202 A$7,429

-57.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,793 A$2,560

$3,156 A$4,508

-43.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,889 A$8,410

$13.4K A$19.1K

-56.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,963 A$7,087

$8,727 A$12.5K

-43.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,423 A$2,033

$4,118 A$5,881

-65.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

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

Last update for Brookvale: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sydney: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brookvale

$1.3K 48.8%

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9% 43.2% $541

Groceries & Markets

Brookvale

$382 14.9%

Sydney

$382 11.7% 0.1% $0.4

Eating Out

Brookvale

$299 11.6%

Sydney

$299 9.2% 0.2% $0.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brookvale

$267 10.4%

Sydney

$337 10.3% 26.1% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Brookvale

$165 6.5%

Sydney

$175 5.3% 5.5% $9.1

Getting Around

Brookvale

$111 4.3%

Sydney

$176 5.4% 57.9% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Brookvale

$89 3.5%

Sydney

$106 3.3% 19% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $990 in Brookvale and $2,566 in Sydney. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays about 2.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $89 in Brookvale vs $90 in Sydney for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $382 vs $382 per month, with Brookvale cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Brookvale

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

11:06 11:06 AM

Same time as Brookvale

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,127

4,840,600

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Brookvale Sydney 13 km

From you

Brookvale
Sydney

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

Brookvale vs Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,565 in Brookvale and $3,267 in Sydney, so Brookvale is about 21% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 65% lower in Brookvale. 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: $990 in Brookvale versus $2,566 in Sydney. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,397 in Brookvale versus $2,358 in Sydney. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $2,565 per month in Brookvale versus $3,267 in Sydney – Brookvale is about 21% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,565 in Brookvale versus $3,267 in Sydney, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Brookvale but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Brookvale the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Brookvale and Sydney are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Brookvale wins on affordability, Sydney on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.