Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Busselton and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Busselton: $2,622 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Busselton, Australia
Sydney, Australia
Busselton
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,622
/mo nomad
Sydney
🇦🇺 Australia
$3,267
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,622 in Busselton versus $3,267 in Sydney.

  • Busselton $2,622
  • Sydney $3,267

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,738 in Busselton versus $4,847 in Sydney.

  • Busselton $3,738
  • Sydney $4,847

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,853 in Busselton versus $6,428 in Sydney.

  • Busselton $4,853
  • Sydney $6,428

Living in Busselton costs roughly 20% less than in Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Busselton 93% above, Sydney 140% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Busselton
Sydney
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.71 A$25.17
$17.50 A$24.87
1.20%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$85.7 A$122
$90.4 A$128
-5.11%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.46 A$14.86
$11.96 A$16.99
-12.54%
Cappuccino
$4.61 A$6.55
$4.00 A$5.68
15.25%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.06 A$2.92
$2.81 A$4.00
-26.69%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.15 A$3.06
$2.22 A$3.16
-3.15%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.16 A$11.59
$8.13 A$11.56
0.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.65 A$12.29
$7.20 A$10.23
20.14%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Busselton
Sydney
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.69 A$2.40
$1.70 A$2.42
-0.59%
White Bread (500g)
$3.24 A$4.60
$2.94 A$4.17
10.20%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.03 A$2.89
$2.51 A$3.57
-19.12%
Eggs
$5.29 A$7.51
$5.66 A$8.04
-6.54%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.02 A$12.82
$12.22 A$17.36
-26.19%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.45 A$13.43
$9.31 A$13.24
1.50%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.73 A$19.51
$16.87 A$23.97
-18.61%
Apples (1kg)
$4.59 A$6.53
$3.90 A$5.54
17.69%
Banana (1kg)
$3.23 A$4.59
$3.22 A$4.58
0.31%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.55 A$5.05
$3.43 A$4.88
3.50%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.99 A$7.09
$4.33 A$6.16
15.24%
Potato (1kg)
$2.91 A$4.13
$3.35 A$4.75
-13.13%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 A$2.80
$2.40 A$3.41
-17.92%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.22 A$3.16
$2.34 A$3.32
-5.13%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.35 A$1.91
$1.16 A$1.65
16.38%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$41.77 A$59.4
$45.47 A$64.6
-8.14%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.58 A$17.88
$13.99 A$19.88
-10.08%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.34 A$6.16
$4.11 A$5.84
5.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.42 A$4.87
$4.18 A$5.94
-18.18%
🚌 Getting Around
Busselton
Sydney
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.83 A$4.02
$3.12 A$4.44
-9.29%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$75.3 A$107
$152 A$216
-50.42%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.72 A$5.28
$3.46 A$4.92
7.51%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.46 A$2.08
$1.56 A$2.22
-6.41%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$40.47 A$57.5
$39.54 A$56.2
2.35%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.36 A$1.94
$1.45 A$2.05
-6.21%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.6K A$42.1K
$29.9K A$42.5K
-0.91%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.3K A$38.7K
$27.5K A$39.1K
-0.92%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Busselton
Sydney
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$205 A$291
$251 A$356
-18.27%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.45 A$47.53
$27.76 A$39.44
20.50%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$64.7 A$92.0
$58.0 A$82.4
11.61%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Busselton
Sydney
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.5 A$77.5
$70.7 A$100
-22.85%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.77 A$28.10
$23.25 A$33.04
-14.97%
Cinema Ticket
$17.48 A$24.84
$17.83 A$25.33
-1.96%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Busselton
Sydney
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,269 A$3,224
$2,358 A$3,351
-3.79%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.0K A$32.7K
$27.2K A$38.6K
-15.22%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Busselton
Sydney
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$78.1 A$111
$80.5 A$114
-2.93%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$63.0 A$89.6
$69.3 A$98.5
-9.03%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$123 A$175
$111 A$157
11.39%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$161 A$228
$127 A$181
26.03%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Busselton
Sydney
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,288 A$1,830
$2,566 A$3,646
-49.81%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,270 A$1,805
$1,792 A$2,547
-29.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,366 A$3,362
$5,202 A$7,391
-54.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,815 A$2,580
$3,156 A$4,485
-42.48%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,978 A$8,494
$13.4K A$19.0K
-55.35%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,879 A$6,932
$8,727 A$12.4K
-44.10%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Busselton
Sydney
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$4,118 A$5,851
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.96
5.92
0.68%

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

Last update for Busselton: 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
Busselton
$1.3K
Sydney
$1.8K 41.1% $522
Groceries & Markets
Busselton
$367
Sydney
$382 4.1% $15
Eating Out
Busselton
$303
Sydney
$299 1.4% $4.2
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Busselton
$303
Sydney
$337 11% $33
Clothing & Footwear
Busselton
$191
Sydney
$175 8.7% $17
Getting Around
Busselton
$98
Sydney
$176 79.9% $78
Sport & Entertainment
Busselton
$89
Sydney
$106 18.8% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,288 in Busselton and $2,566 in Sydney. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $86 in Busselton vs $90 in Sydney for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $367 vs $382 per month, with Busselton cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇦🇺 Busselton
🇦🇺 Sydney
🕒 Local time
01:43 1:43 AM
04:43 4:43 AM
3 h ahead of Busselton
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
27,233
4,840,600
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Busselton Sydney 3,300 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Busselton
  • 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
Busselton vs Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Busselton and in Sydney?
Busselton and Sydney differ by about 25% in total monthly costs ($2,622 vs $3,267 including rent). Busselton is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Busselton compared to Sydney?
You’d need roughly $3,933 in Busselton and $4,900 in Sydney to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How do apartment prices compare in Busselton and in Sydney?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,288 in Busselton versus $2,566 in Sydney. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Busselton and Sydney?
Childcare runs $2,269 in Busselton versus $2,358 in Sydney. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Sydney. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
At $2,622 in Busselton versus $3,267 in Sydney, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Busselton but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Busselton the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Busselton and Sydney?
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.
Is Busselton or Sydney safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Busselton 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.
Where should expats move: Busselton or Sydney?
Expats usually find Busselton gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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