Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dargaville and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Dargaville: $2,134 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Dargaville
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Dargaville Living Index
157

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index

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Dargaville

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,134

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,134 in Dargaville versus $3,267 in Sydney.

Dargaville $2,134
Sydney $3,267

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,019 in Dargaville versus $4,847 in Sydney.

Dargaville $3,019
Sydney $4,847

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,904 in Dargaville versus $6,428 in Sydney.

Dargaville $3,904
Sydney $6,428

Living in Dargaville costs roughly 35% less than in Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dargaville 57% above, Sydney 140% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.54 NZ$25.92

$17.50 A$24.87

-16.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.9 NZ$123

$90.4 A$128

-23.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.05 NZ$16.13

$11.96 A$16.99

-24.33%

Cappuccino

$3.69 NZ$6.58

$4.00 A$5.68

-7.75%

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

$2.18 NZ$3.89

$2.81 A$4.00

-22.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 NZ$3.73

$2.22 A$3.16

-5.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.31 NZ$11.24

$8.13 A$11.56

-22.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.63 NZ$10.04

$7.20 A$10.23

-21.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 NZ$3.65

$1.70 A$2.42

20.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 NZ$3.49

$2.94 A$4.17

-33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 NZ$2.71

$2.51 A$3.57

-39.44%

Eggs

$6.70 NZ$11.94

$5.66 A$8.04

18.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.49 NZ$15.14

$12.22 A$17.36

-30.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.47 NZ$18.66

$9.31 A$13.24

12.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 NZ$22.62

$16.87 A$23.97

-24.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 NZ$4.72

$3.90 A$5.54

-32.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 NZ$3.81

$3.22 A$4.58

-33.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.92 NZ$5.20

$3.43 A$4.88

-14.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.86 NZ$10.45

$4.33 A$6.16

35.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 NZ$3.08

$3.35 A$4.75

-48.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 NZ$2.46

$2.40 A$3.41

-42.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.49 NZ$4.43

$2.34 A$3.32

6.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 NZ$2.10

$1.16 A$1.65

1.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$26.67 NZ$47.54

$45.47 A$64.6

-41.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.24 NZ$18.26

$13.99 A$19.88

-26.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 NZ$5.38

$4.11 A$5.84

-26.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 NZ$5.57

$4.18 A$5.94

-25.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.89 NZ$3.37

$3.12 A$4.44

-39.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$115 NZ$205

$152 A$216

-24.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 NZ$4.31

$3.46 A$4.92

-30.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 NZ$3.22

$1.56 A$2.22

16.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.35 NZ$46.96

$39.54 A$56.2

-33.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 NZ$2.66

$1.45 A$2.05

2.76%

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

$25.5K NZ$45.4K

$29.9K A$42.5K

-14.81%

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

$23.7K NZ$42.2K

$27.5K A$39.1K

-13.86%

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

$128 NZ$228

$251 A$356

-48.94%

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

$29.15 NZ$52.0

$27.76 A$39.44

5.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.3 NZ$91.4

$58.0 A$82.4

-11.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.91 NZ$69.4

$70.7 A$100

-44.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.25 A$33.04

Cinema Ticket

$11.48 NZ$20.45

$17.83 A$25.33

-35.61%

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

$659 NZ$1,174

$2,358 A$3,351

-72.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K NZ$26.1K

$27.2K A$38.6K

-46.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.3 NZ$120

$80.5 A$114

-16.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.09 NZ$69.7

$69.3 A$98.5

-43.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 NZ$162

$111 A$157

-17.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 NZ$205

$127 A$181

-9.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 NZ$2,006

$2,566 A$3,646

-56.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,011 NZ$1,802

$1,792 A$2,547

-43.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,404 NZ$2,503

$5,202 A$7,391

-73.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,352 NZ$2,409

$3,156 A$4,485

-57.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,216 NZ$7,514

$13.4K A$19.0K

-68.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,111 NZ$5,544

$8,727 A$12.4K

-64.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,118 A$5,851

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.83

5.92

-1.52%

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

Last update for Dargaville: 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

Dargaville

$1K 47.4%

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9% 77.3% $781

Groceries & Markets

Dargaville

$330 15.5%

Sydney

$382 11.7% 15.9% $52

Eating Out

Dargaville

$248 11.6%

Sydney

$299 9.2% 20.7% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dargaville

$209 9.8%

Sydney

$337 10.3% 61.4% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Dargaville

$141 6.6%

Sydney

$175 5.3% 24.1% $34

Getting Around

Dargaville

$134 6.3%

Sydney

$176 5.4% 30.8% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Dargaville

$62 2.9%

Sydney

$106 3.3% 71.8% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,125 in Dargaville and $2,566 in Sydney. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $69 in Dargaville vs $90 in Sydney for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $330 vs $382 per month, with Dargaville cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Dargaville

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

07:35 7:35 AM

05:35 5:35 AM

2 h behind Dargaville

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,600

4,840,600

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

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).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dargaville Sydney 2,070 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Dargaville
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

Dargaville vs Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dargaville and Sydney differ by about 53% in total monthly costs ($2,134 vs $3,267 including rent). Dargaville is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,201 in Dargaville 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,125 in Dargaville versus $2,566 in Sydney. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $659 in Dargaville 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 16% higher in Sydney. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,134 in Dargaville versus $3,267 in Sydney, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Dargaville but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Dargaville the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Dargaville is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Sydney, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Dargaville 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 Dargaville gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.