Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cranbourne and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Cranbourne: $2,446 a month against $3,245 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

118

Cost of Living Index in Cranbourne
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Cranbourne Living Index
156

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index

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Cranbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,446

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,245

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,446 in Cranbourne versus $3,245 in Sydney.

Cranbourne $2,446
Sydney $3,245

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,501 in Cranbourne versus $4,803 in Sydney.

Cranbourne $3,501
Sydney $4,803

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,556 in Cranbourne versus $6,362 in Sydney.

Cranbourne $4,556
Sydney $6,362

Living in Cranbourne costs roughly 25% less than in Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cranbourne 80% above, Sydney 139% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.55 A$12.30

$17.41 A$25.05

-50.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.7 A$121

$90.3 A$130

-7.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.31 A$17.71

$11.92 A$17.15

3.27%

Cappuccino

$2.70 A$3.88

$4.03 A$5.80

-33.00%

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

$2.74 A$3.94

$2.88 A$4.15

-4.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 A$2.37

$2.23 A$3.20

-26.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.77 A$9.74

$7.89 A$11.36

-14.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.54 A$10.85

$6.78 A$9.76

11.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.61 A$3.76

$1.71 A$2.45

52.63%

White Bread (500g)

$3.28 A$4.72

$2.94 A$4.23

11.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.75 A$5.40

$2.51 A$3.61

49.40%

Eggs

$4.89 A$7.03

$5.55 A$7.99

-11.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.00 A$14.39

$11.77 A$16.94

-15.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.82 A$15.57

$9.28 A$13.35

16.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.15 A$17.49

$16.70 A$24.03

-27.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.21 A$4.62

$3.92 A$5.64

-18.11%

Banana (1kg)

$3.40 A$4.89

$3.16 A$4.55

7.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.04 A$5.82

$3.48 A$5.00

16.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.53 A$5.08

$4.38 A$6.31

-19.41%

Potato (1kg)

$3.42 A$4.92

$3.33 A$4.79

2.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 A$3.15

$2.40 A$3.46

-8.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 A$2.21

$2.31 A$3.32

-33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 A$2.28

$1.15 A$1.65

37.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$50.6 A$72.8

$44.34 A$63.8

14.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.29 A$32.08

$13.71 A$19.72

62.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$8.63 A$12.42

$4.00 A$5.75

115.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.42

$4.03 A$5.80

28.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 A$1.97

$3.22 A$4.63

-57.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.9 A$116

$154 A$222

-47.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.46 A$9.29

$3.57 A$5.14

80.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 A$2.07

$1.58 A$2.27

-8.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.03 A$34.57

$39.44 A$56.8

-39.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 A$1.90

$1.48 A$2.13

-10.81%

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

$26.5K A$38.2K

$29.6K A$42.5K

-10.20%

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

$29.5K A$42.4K

$27.7K A$39.8K

6.52%

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

$261 A$375

$241 A$347

8.09%

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

$27.69 A$39.85

$27.57 A$39.67

0.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.99 A$33.08

$56.3 A$81.0

-59.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.04 A$56.2

$78.1 A$112

-50.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.35 A$24.97

$23.26 A$33.47

-25.41%

Cinema Ticket

$8.66 A$12.46

$17.55 A$25.26

-50.66%

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

$2,170 A$3,122

$2,185 A$3,144

-0.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K A$28.7K

$27.8K A$40.0K

-28.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.1 A$111

$80.0 A$115

-3.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.96 A$40.23

$70.7 A$102

-60.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 A$156

$111 A$159

-1.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 A$173

$129 A$186

-7.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,386 A$1,995

$2,477 A$3,564

-44.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 A$1,728

$1,777 A$2,557

-32.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,134 A$3,071

$4,885 A$7,030

-56.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,819 A$2,617

$3,093 A$4,451

-41.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,758 A$8,286

$13.4K A$19.3K

-57.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,846 A$6,973

$8,375 A$12.1K

-42.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,753 A$2,522

$4,074 A$5,862

-56.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

5.92

-1.35%

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

Last update for Cranbourne: October 20, 2026

Last update for Sydney: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cranbourne

$1.2K 49.1%

Sydney

$1.8K 54.8% 47.9% $576

Groceries & Markets

Cranbourne

$422 17.3%

Sydney

$378 11.7% 10.4% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cranbourne

$312 12.7%

Sydney

$325 10% 4.4% $14

Eating Out

Cranbourne

$204 8.4%

Sydney

$297 9.2% 45.4% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Cranbourne

$150 6.1%

Sydney

$176 5.4% 17.1% $26

Getting Around

Cranbourne

$100 4.1%

Sydney

$178 5.5% 78.4% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Cranbourne

$56 2.3%

Sydney

$113 3.5% 101% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,386 in Cranbourne and $2,477 in Sydney. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 132% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $84.0 in Cranbourne vs $90.0 in Sydney. Groceries flip the comparison at $422 vs $378, with Sydney cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Cranbourne

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

21:48 9:48 PM

Same time as Cranbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,281

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

Cranbourne Sydney 710 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cranbourne
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

Cranbourne vs Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cranbourne and Sydney differ by about 33% in total monthly costs ($2,446 vs $3,245 including rent). Cranbourne is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 132% lower in Sydney. 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: $1,386 in Cranbourne versus $2,477 in Sydney. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,170 in Cranbourne versus $2,185 in Sydney. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Sydney pay roughly 12% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,446 in Cranbourne versus $3,245 in Sydney, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Cranbourne but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Cranbourne 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, Cranbourne 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 Cranbourne gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.