Cost of Living Comparison Between Canberra and Sydney Cost of Living Comparison Between Canberra and Sydney

🙂 Solo nomad: Canberra is 2.3% cheaper than Sydney without rent, and 11.4% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Canberra is 2.2% more expensive than Sydney without rent, and 15.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Canberra
Sydney
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.19 A$24.8
$16.02 A$24.54
1.06%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$88.8 A$136
$77.1 A$118
15.17%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.72 A$14.89
$9.6 A$14.7
1.25%
Cappuccino
$3.46 A$5.3
$3.33 A$5.11
3.90%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 A$4
$2.5 A$3.83
4.40%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.31 A$3.53
$2 A$3.06
15.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.39 A$9.78
$6.33 A$9.69
0.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.66 A$11.74
$7.09 A$10.86
8.04%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Canberra
Sydney
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 A$2.11
$1.69 A$2.59
-18.34%
White Bread (500g)
$2.65 A$4.06
$2.7 A$4.13
-1.85%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.82 A$2.79
$2.34 A$3.59
-22.22%
Eggs
$4.24 A$6.49
$5.05 A$7.74
-16.04%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.7 A$14.86
$8.65 A$13.25
12.14%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.28 A$14.22
$8.45 A$12.95
9.82%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.54 A$22.27
$13.8 A$21.14
5.36%
Apples (1kg)
$3.24 A$4.96
$3.18 A$4.88
1.89%
Banana (1kg)
$2.97 A$4.55
$2.67 A$4.09
11.24%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.05 A$4.67
$3.13 A$4.8
-2.56%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.66 A$7.13
$4.36 A$6.67
6.88%
Potato (1kg)
$2.3 A$3.52
$2.56 A$3.92
-10.16%
Onion (1kg)
$2.17 A$3.32
$2.36 A$3.62
-8.05%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.35 A$3.6
$2.16 A$3.31
8.80%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 A$1.95
$1.24 A$1.91
3.23%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$31.15 A$47.73
$31.93 A$48.92
-2.44%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.94 A$19.82
$13.43 A$20.58
-3.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$5.03 A$7.71
$4.8 A$7.35
4.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.82 A$8.91
$5.26 A$8.06
10.65%
🚌 Getting Around
Canberra
Sydney
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.2 A$4.9
$3.19 A$4.88
0.31%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$120 A$184
$139 A$212
-13.43%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.89 A$5.96
$3.79 A$5.81
2.64%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.72 A$2.64
$2.96 A$4.54
-41.89%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$41.45 A$63.5
$51.4 A$78.7
-19.33%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.18 A$1.8
$1.2 A$1.84
-1.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.3K A$44.8K
$29.3K A$44.9K
-0.10%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.6K A$34.6K
$22.2K A$34K
1.67%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Canberra
Sydney
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$219 A$336
$201 A$308
8.97%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$29.78 A$45.63
$23.73 A$36.35
25.50%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$51.7 A$79.2
$53.1 A$81.3
-2.58%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Canberra
Sydney
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.5 A$92.7
$61.5 A$94.2
-1.56%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.35 A$31.17
$20.64 A$31.62
-1.41%
Cinema Ticket
$13.79 A$21.13
$15.47 A$23.7
-10.86%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Canberra
Sydney
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,765 A$2,704
$2,109 A$3,231
-16.29%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.4K A$20.5K
$18.8K A$28.8K
-29.05%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Canberra
Sydney
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$72 A$110
$74.8 A$115
-3.82%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$56.4 A$86.3
$58.4 A$89.5
-3.49%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.9 A$153
$107 A$165
-7.03%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$115 A$177
$132 A$203
-12.83%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Canberra
Sydney
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,587 A$2,431
$2,205 A$3,378
-28.04%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,167 A$1,788
$1,462 A$2,239
-20.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,777 A$4,255
$4,389 A$6,724
-36.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,737 A$2,660
$2,669 A$4,090
-34.94%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,525 A$11.5K
$12.7K A$19.5K
-40.97%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,945 A$7,575
$7,165 A$11K
-30.99%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Canberra
Sydney
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,636 A$5,570
$3,965 A$6,074
-8.29%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.29
6.34
-0.79%

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

Last update for Canberra: October 27, 2025

Last update for Sydney: October 28, 2025

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.