Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Darwin and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Darwin: $3,073 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

148

Cost of Living Index in Darwin
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Darwin Living Index
157

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index

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Darwin

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,073

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,073 in Darwin versus $3,267 in Sydney.

Darwin $3,073
Sydney $3,267

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,118 in Darwin versus $4,847 in Sydney.

Darwin $4,118
Sydney $4,847

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,163 in Darwin versus $6,428 in Sydney.

Darwin $5,163
Sydney $6,428

Living in Darwin costs roughly 6% less than in Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Darwin 126% above, Sydney 140% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.40 A$31.85

$17.50 A$24.88

28.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.7 A$129

$90.4 A$128

0.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 A$16.16

$11.96 A$17.00

-5.02%

Cappuccino

$4.23 A$6.01

$4.00 A$5.69

5.75%

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

$3.46 A$4.92

$2.81 A$4.00

23.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 A$4.28

$2.22 A$3.16

35.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.57 A$10.76

$8.13 A$11.57

-6.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.57 A$10.77

$7.20 A$10.24

5.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 A$2.19

$1.70 A$2.42

-9.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 A$4.32

$2.94 A$4.18

3.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 A$3.13

$2.51 A$3.58

-12.35%

Eggs

$4.47 A$6.35

$5.66 A$8.05

-21.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.92 A$12.68

$12.22 A$17.37

-27.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.31 A$11.82

$9.31 A$13.24

-10.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.85 A$12.58

$16.87 A$23.99

-47.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.85 A$5.47

$3.90 A$5.55

-1.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.10

$3.22 A$4.58

-10.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 A$3.98

$3.43 A$4.88

-18.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.03 A$7.15

$4.33 A$6.16

16.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.62

$3.35 A$4.76

-23.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.27

$2.40 A$3.41

-4.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.06 A$2.93

$2.34 A$3.33

-11.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 A$3.09

$1.16 A$1.65

87.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.35 A$64.5

$45.47 A$64.7

-0.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.15 A$17.28

$13.99 A$19.89

-13.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$10.13 A$14.40

$4.11 A$5.84

146.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.87 A$11.19

$4.18 A$5.94

88.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.12 A$4.44

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.37 A$68.8

$152 A$216

-68.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 A$5.25

$3.46 A$4.92

6.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 A$1.91

$1.56 A$2.22

-13.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$48.52 A$69.0

$39.54 A$56.2

22.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 A$1.89

$1.45 A$2.06

-8.28%

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

$30.0K A$42.6K

$29.9K A$42.5K

0.21%

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

$33.4K A$47.5K

$27.5K A$39.1K

21.31%

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

$215 A$305

$251 A$357

-14.48%

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

$33.49 A$47.61

$27.76 A$39.47

20.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.9 A$86.7

$58.0 A$82.5

5.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.0 A$104

$70.7 A$100

3.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.22 A$40.13

$23.25 A$33.06

21.38%

Cinema Ticket

$16.99 A$24.16

$17.83 A$25.35

-4.71%

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

$1,939 A$2,756

$2,358 A$3,353

-17.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,442 A$12.0K

$27.2K A$38.7K

-68.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.2 A$121

$80.5 A$114

5.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.52 A$66.2

$69.3 A$98.5

-32.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 A$150

$111 A$157

-4.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 A$196

$127 A$181

8.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,719 A$2,444

$2,566 A$3,648

-33.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,430

$1,792 A$2,549

-4.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,803 A$3,985

$5,202 A$7,396

-46.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,124 A$3,021

$3,156 A$4,488

-32.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,771 A$5,363

$13.4K A$19.0K

-71.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,536 A$5,028

$8,727 A$12.4K

-59.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,223 A$6,005

$4,118 A$5,856

2.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.14

5.92

3.72%

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

Last update for Darwin: October 27, 2026

Last update for Sydney: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Darwin

$1.7K 55.6%

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9% 4.9% $83

Groceries & Markets

Darwin

$377 12.3%

Sydney

$382 11.7% 1.2% $4.7

Eating Out

Darwin

$343 11.2%

Sydney

$299 9.2% 12.8% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Darwin

$309 10.1%

Sydney

$337 10.3% 8.9% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Darwin

$169 5.5%

Sydney

$175 5.3% 3.4% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

Darwin

$107 3.5%

Sydney

$106 3.3% 0.6% $0.6

Getting Around

Darwin

$59 * 1.9%

Sydney

$176 5.4% 199% $117

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,719 in Darwin and $2,566 in Sydney. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $91 in Darwin vs $90 in Sydney. Groceries flip the comparison at $377 vs $382, with Darwin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Darwin

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

13:44 1:44 PM

15:14 3:14 PM

1 h 30 min ahead of Darwin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

122,207

4,840,600

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.631 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.631 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Darwin Sydney 3,150 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Darwin
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

Darwin vs Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Darwin is cheaper overall, especially in transport and clothing. The 6% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $4,609 in Darwin 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: $1,719 in Darwin versus $2,566 in Sydney. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Darwin runs roughly 68% less than in Sydney. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,939 in Darwin versus $2,358 in Sydney. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Darwin is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Darwin 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.