Cost of Living Comparison Between Darwin and Sydney Cost of Living Comparison Between Darwin and Sydney

😐 Solo nomad: Darwin is 8.7% more expensive than Sydney without rent, and 5.9% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Darwin is 15.8% cheaper than Sydney without rent, and 7.5% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Darwin
Sydney
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.59 A$26.95
$16.02 A$24.54
9.80%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$82.3 A$126
$77.1 A$118
6.78%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.55 A$19.22
$9.6 A$14.7
30.73%
Cappuccino
$3.45 A$5.29
$3.33 A$5.11
3.60%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.68 A$4.1
$2.5 A$3.83
7.20%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.18 A$4.88
$2 A$3.06
59.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.41 A$9.82
$6.33 A$9.69
1.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.85 A$12.02
$7.09 A$10.86
10.72%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Darwin
Sydney
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 A$1.77
$1.69 A$2.59
-31.36%
White Bread (500g)
$2.83 A$4.33
$2.7 A$4.13
4.81%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.11 A$3.23
$2.34 A$3.59
-9.83%
Eggs
$3.96 A$6.06
$5.05 A$7.74
-21.58%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.7 A$14.86
$8.65 A$13.25
12.14%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.2 A$12.56
$8.45 A$12.95
-2.96%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.68 A$13.29
$13.8 A$21.14
-37.10%
Apples (1kg)
$3.64 A$5.57
$3.18 A$4.88
14.47%
Banana (1kg)
$2.81 A$4.31
$2.67 A$4.09
5.24%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.73 A$5.72
$3.13 A$4.8
19.17%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.35 A$6.67
$4.36 A$6.67
-0.23%
Potato (1kg)
$3.15 A$4.83
$2.56 A$3.92
23.05%
Onion (1kg)
$2.26 A$3.46
$2.36 A$3.62
-4.24%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.12 A$3.24
$2.16 A$3.31
-1.85%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.38 A$3.65
$1.24 A$1.91
91.94%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$25.27 A$38.72
$31.93 A$48.92
-20.86%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.67 A$17.87
$13.43 A$20.58
-13.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$9.48 A$14.52
$4.8 A$7.35
97.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.09 A$10.86
$5.26 A$8.06
34.79%
🚌 Getting Around
Darwin
Sydney
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.32 A$3.56
$3.19 A$4.88
-27.27%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.45 A$68.1
$139 A$212
-67.94%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.44 A$5.28
$3.79 A$5.81
-9.23%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.14 A$1.74
$2.96 A$4.54
-61.49%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$45.82 A$70.2
$51.4 A$78.7
-10.82%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.11 A$1.7
$1.2 A$1.84
-7.50%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.1K A$44.6K
$29.3K A$44.9K
-0.58%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.2K A$49.4K
$22.2K A$34K
45.17%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Darwin
Sydney
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$232 A$356
$201 A$308
15.50%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$34.39 A$52.7
$23.73 A$36.35
44.92%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$59.2 A$90.8
$53.1 A$81.3
11.61%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Darwin
Sydney
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$74.2 A$114
$61.5 A$94.2
20.71%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.96 A$24.45
$20.64 A$31.62
-22.67%
Cinema Ticket
$15.87 A$24.31
$15.47 A$23.7
2.59%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Darwin
Sydney
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,535 A$2,352
$2,109 A$3,231
-27.21%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,749 A$11.9K
$18.8K A$28.8K
-58.84%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Darwin
Sydney
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$78.9 A$121
$74.8 A$115
5.46%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45 A$68.9
$58.4 A$89.5
-22.95%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$104 A$159
$107 A$165
-3.69%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$132 A$203
$132 A$203
-0.11%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Darwin
Sydney
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,603 A$2,456
$2,205 A$3,378
-27.30%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,305 A$1,999
$1,462 A$2,239
-10.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,723 A$4,172
$4,389 A$6,724
-37.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,282 A$3,496
$2,669 A$4,090
-14.52%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,542 A$3,895
$12.7K A$19.5K
-80.06%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,377 A$6,706
$7,165 A$11K
-38.90%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Darwin
Sydney
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,240 A$4,963
$3,965 A$6,074
-18.29%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.4
6.34
0.95%

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

Last update for Darwin: October 28, 2025

Last update for Sydney: October 28, 2025

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