Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burnie and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Burnie: $1,646 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $18,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Burnie
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Burnie Living Index
155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index

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Burnie

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,646

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,646 in Burnie versus $3,152 in Sydney.

Burnie $1,646
Sydney $3,152

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,474 in Burnie versus $4,710 in Sydney.

Burnie $2,474
Sydney $4,710

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,301 in Burnie versus $6,268 in Sydney.

Burnie $3,301
Sydney $6,268

Living in Burnie costs roughly 48% less than in Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Burnie 22% above, Sydney 133% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.62 A$26.80

$17.57 A$25.29

5.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$92.2 A$133

$91.5 A$132

0.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 A$8.06

$11.96 A$17.21

-53.18%

Cappuccino

$3.88 A$5.58

$4.07 A$5.85

-4.67%

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

$3.39 A$4.87

$2.85 A$4.10

18.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 A$2.53

$2.25 A$3.24

-21.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.25 A$6.11

$7.60 A$10.94

-44.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.83 A$8.39

$7.43 A$10.69

-21.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 A$2.66

$1.66 A$2.38

11.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.43 A$3.50

$2.78 A$4.00

-12.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.87 A$2.69

$2.42 A$3.49

-22.73%

Eggs

$5.04 A$7.25

$5.64 A$8.12

-10.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.90 A$14.24

$11.71 A$16.85

-15.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.17 A$8.87

$9.66 A$13.89

-36.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.30 A$24.89

$16.75 A$24.10

3.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 A$4.04

$4.07 A$5.85

-30.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.73 A$3.92

$3.25 A$4.68

-16.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 A$3.08

$3.44 A$4.96

-37.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.84 A$4.08

$4.28 A$6.16

-33.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.52 A$3.63

$3.28 A$4.72

-23.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.11 A$3.03

$2.30 A$3.30

-8.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 A$3.08

$2.30 A$3.31

-6.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 A$2.39

$1.21 A$1.74

37.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$36.64 A$52.7

$43.71 A$62.9

-16.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.64 A$21.06

$13.88 A$19.97

5.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.46 A$4.97

$3.90 A$5.62

-11.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.43 A$7.82

$3.91 A$5.63

38.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.89 A$2.72

$3.04 A$4.38

-37.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 A$3.84

$3.38 A$4.86

-21.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 A$2.96

$1.56 A$2.24

31.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.09 A$59.1

$40.01 A$57.6

2.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 A$1.86

$1.40 A$2.01

-7.86%

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

$26.9K A$38.7K

$29.1K A$41.9K

-7.54%

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

$31.2K A$44.8K

$30.1K A$43.4K

3.42%

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

$210 A$302

$223 A$320

-5.84%

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

$21.19 A$30.49

$27.16 A$39.08

-21.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.00 A$69.1

$55.8 A$80.3

-14.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

Cinema Ticket

$14.19 A$20.42

$17.56 A$25.27

-19.19%

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

$2,007 A$2,888

$2,196 A$3,160

-8.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.0K A$30.2K

$28.2K A$40.6K

-25.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.3 A$111

$78.4 A$113

-1.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.96 A$34.48

$68.4 A$98.5

-64.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 A$149

$111 A$160

-7.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.6 A$138

$134 A$193

-28.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$815 A$1,173

$2,500 A$3,598

-67.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$584 A$840

$1,709 A$2,460

-65.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,117 A$1,607

$4,946 A$7,117

-77.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$833 A$1,199

$3,022 A$4,349

-72.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,999 A$7,193

$4,113 A$5,919

21.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.6

5.84

-4.11%

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

Last update for Burnie: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Burnie

$584 35.5%

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2% 193% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Burnie

$334 20.3%

Sydney

$379 12% 13.4% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burnie

$279 16.9%

Sydney

$306 9.7% 9.6% $27

Eating Out

Burnie

$266 16.2%

Sydney

$299 9.5% 12.3% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Burnie

$135 8.2%

Sydney

$177 5.6% 30.8% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Burnie

$28 * 1.7%

Sydney

$110 3.5% 287% $81

Getting Around

Burnie

$21 * 1.3%

Sydney

$174 5.5% 746% $153

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $815 in Burnie and $2,500 in Sydney. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Burnie pays 22% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $92.0 in Burnie vs $91.0 in Sydney. Groceries flip the comparison at $334 vs $379, with Burnie cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Burnie

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

22:12 10:12 PM

Same time as Burnie

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,267

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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Between locations

Burnie Sydney 930 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Burnie
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

Burnie vs Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Burnie is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 91% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 22% higher in Burnie, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $815 in Burnie versus $2,500 in Sydney. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Sydney. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,646 per month in Burnie versus $3,152 in Sydney – a 91% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,646 in Burnie versus $3,152 in Sydney, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Burnie but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Burnie 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, Burnie 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 Burnie gentler on the wallet – expenses run 91% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.