Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Carlton and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Carlton: $2,328 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

112

Cost of Living Index in Carlton
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Carlton Living Index
157

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index

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Carlton

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,328

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,328 in Carlton versus $3,267 in Sydney.

Carlton $2,328
Sydney $3,267

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,353 in Carlton versus $4,847 in Sydney.

Carlton $3,353
Sydney $4,847

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,379 in Carlton versus $6,428 in Sydney.

Carlton $4,379
Sydney $6,428

Living in Carlton costs roughly 29% less than in Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Carlton 71% above, Sydney 140% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.33 A$24.63

$17.50 A$24.87

-0.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.1 A$98.2

$90.4 A$128

-23.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.28 A$14.61

$11.96 A$16.99

-14.05%

Cappuccino

$3.03 A$4.31

$4.00 A$5.68

-24.25%

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

$2.70 A$3.84

$2.81 A$4.00

-3.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 A$2.91

$2.22 A$3.16

-7.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.69 A$9.50

$8.13 A$11.56

-17.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.60 A$9.38

$7.20 A$10.23

-8.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 A$1.84

$1.70 A$2.42

-23.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.08 A$2.95

$2.94 A$4.17

-29.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 A$1.98

$2.51 A$3.57

-44.62%

Eggs

$3.41 A$4.84

$5.66 A$8.04

-39.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.40 A$14.77

$12.22 A$17.36

-14.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.96 A$14.16

$9.31 A$13.24

6.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.94 A$21.23

$16.87 A$23.97

-11.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 A$4.70

$3.90 A$5.54

-15.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.76 A$3.92

$3.22 A$4.58

-14.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 A$4.65

$3.43 A$4.88

-4.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.77 A$6.78

$4.33 A$6.16

10.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.41 A$3.42

$3.35 A$4.75

-28.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 A$3.09

$2.40 A$3.41

-9.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 A$3.20

$2.34 A$3.32

-3.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 A$1.28

$1.16 A$1.65

-22.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.30 A$35.94

$45.47 A$64.6

-44.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.61 A$15.08

$13.99 A$19.88

-24.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.57 A$7.91

$4.11 A$5.84

35.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.28 A$7.50

$4.18 A$5.94

26.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.08 A$4.38

$3.12 A$4.44

-1.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.7 A$117

$152 A$216

-45.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.67 A$5.21

$3.46 A$4.92

6.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 A$1.76

$1.56 A$2.22

-20.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.46 A$37.60

$39.54 A$56.2

-33.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 A$1.84

$1.45 A$2.05

-11.03%

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

$18.2K A$25.9K

$29.9K A$42.5K

-39.00%

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

$14.0K A$20.0K

$27.5K A$39.1K

-48.95%

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

$93.2 A$132

$251 A$356

-62.86%

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

$28.34 A$40.26

$27.76 A$39.44

2.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.79 A$66.5

$58.0 A$82.4

-19.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.85 A$45.26

$70.7 A$100

-54.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.90 A$25.44

$23.25 A$33.04

-23.01%

Cinema Ticket

$13.46 A$19.12

$17.83 A$25.33

-24.51%

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

$2,108 A$2,995

$2,358 A$3,351

-10.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K A$17.6K

$27.2K A$38.6K

-54.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$114

$80.5 A$114

-0.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.0 A$72.4

$69.3 A$98.5

-26.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.7 A$99.0

$111 A$157

-37.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$187

$127 A$181

3.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,003

$2,566 A$3,646

-45.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,235 A$1,754

$1,792 A$2,547

-31.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,220 A$3,155

$5,202 A$7,391

-57.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,837 A$2,610

$3,156 A$4,485

-41.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,665 A$8,049

$13.4K A$19.0K

-57.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,619 A$6,562

$8,727 A$12.4K

-47.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,904 A$8,389

$4,118 A$5,851

43.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.92

-0.34%

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

Last update for Carlton: 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

Carlton

$1.2K 53.1%

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9% 45.2% $558

Groceries & Markets

Carlton

$340 14.6%

Sydney

$382 11.7% 12.4% $42

Eating Out

Carlton

$272 11.7%

Sydney

$299 9.2% 10.2% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Carlton

$168 7.2%

Sydney

$337 10.3% 100% $168

Clothing & Footwear

Carlton

$150 6.4%

Sydney

$175 5.3% 16.8% $25

Getting Around

Carlton

$105 4.5%

Sydney

$176 5.4% 67.4% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Carlton

$59 2.5%

Sydney

$106 3.3% 80.9% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,409 in Carlton and $2,566 in Sydney. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Carlton pays 43% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $69 in Carlton vs $90 in Sydney for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $340 vs $382 per month, with Carlton cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Carlton

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

00:38 12:38 AM

Same time as Carlton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,001

4,840,600

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Carlton Sydney 710 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Carlton
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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

Carlton vs Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Carlton and Sydney differ by about 40% in total monthly costs ($2,328 vs $3,267 including rent). Carlton is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 43% higher in Carlton, 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: $1,409 in Carlton versus $2,566 in Sydney. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,108 in Carlton versus $2,358 in Sydney. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Sydney. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,328 in Carlton versus $3,267 in Sydney, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Carlton but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Carlton 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, Carlton 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 Carlton gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.