Cost of Living Comparison Between Forbes and Sydney Cost of Living Comparison Between Forbes and Sydney

🙂 Solo nomad: Forbes is 19% cheaper than Sydney without rent, and 20% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Forbes is 5% cheaper than Sydney without rent, and 23.9% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Forbes
Sydney
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.4 A$25.12
$16.02 A$24.54
2.37%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$78.3 A$120
$77.1 A$118
1.49%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.94 A$15.23
$9.6 A$14.7
3.54%
Cappuccino
$3.49 A$5.35
$3.33 A$5.11
4.80%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.53 A$3.88
$2.5 A$3.83
1.20%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.2 A$3.37
$2 A$3.06
10.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.62 A$10.14
$6.33 A$9.69
4.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.95 A$10.65
$7.09 A$10.86
-1.97%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Forbes
Sydney
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.42 A$2.18
$1.69 A$2.59
-15.98%
White Bread (500g)
$2.37 A$3.63
$2.7 A$4.13
-12.22%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.01 A$3.08
$2.34 A$3.59
-14.10%
Eggs
$4.26 A$6.52
$5.05 A$7.74
-15.64%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.71 A$13.34
$8.65 A$13.25
0.69%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.55 A$13.09
$8.45 A$12.95
1.18%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.72 A$21.03
$13.8 A$21.14
-0.58%
Apples (1kg)
$3.34 A$5.11
$3.18 A$4.88
5.03%
Banana (1kg)
$2.73 A$4.18
$2.67 A$4.09
2.25%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.98 A$4.56
$3.13 A$4.8
-4.79%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.17 A$6.38
$4.36 A$6.67
-4.36%
Potato (1kg)
$2.4 A$3.68
$2.56 A$3.92
-6.25%
Onion (1kg)
$2.17 A$3.32
$2.36 A$3.62
-8.05%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.17 A$3.33
$2.16 A$3.31
0.46%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.51 A$2.32
$1.24 A$1.91
21.77%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$30.39 A$46.56
$31.93 A$48.92
-4.82%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.66 A$17.86
$13.43 A$20.58
-13.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.55 A$6.97
$4.8 A$7.35
-5.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.45 A$8.35
$5.26 A$8.06
3.61%
🚌 Getting Around
Forbes
Sydney
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.64 A$4.04
$3.19 A$4.88
-17.24%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$64.9 A$99.4
$139 A$212
-53.21%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.48 A$5.33
$3.79 A$5.81
-8.18%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.56 A$2.39
$2.96 A$4.54
-47.30%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.47 A$51.3
$51.4 A$78.7
-34.86%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.19 A$1.83
$1.2 A$1.84
-0.83%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.4K A$45.1K
$29.3K A$44.9K
0.46%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.6K A$34.6K
$22.2K A$34K
1.78%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Forbes
Sydney
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$187 A$286
$201 A$308
-7.21%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.19 A$41.65
$23.73 A$36.35
14.58%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.1 A$79.8
$53.1 A$81.3
-1.85%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Forbes
Sydney
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.43 A$74.2
$61.5 A$94.2
-21.21%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.76 A$24.15
$20.64 A$31.62
-23.64%
Cinema Ticket
$12.77 A$19.56
$15.47 A$23.7
-17.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Forbes
Sydney
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,637 A$2,509
$2,109 A$3,231
-22.35%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12K A$18.4K
$18.8K A$28.8K
-36.35%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Forbes
Sydney
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68 A$104
$74.8 A$115
-9.14%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$51.4 A$78.8
$58.4 A$89.5
-11.99%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$100 A$154
$107 A$165
-6.66%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$108 A$165
$132 A$203
-18.83%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Forbes
Sydney
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,273 A$1,950
$2,205 A$3,378
-42.26%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,053 A$1,613
$1,462 A$2,239
-27.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,025 A$3,102
$4,389 A$6,724
-53.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,666 A$2,552
$2,669 A$4,090
-37.61%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,779 A$7,321
$12.7K A$19.5K
-62.52%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,104 A$7,819
$7,165 A$11K
-28.76%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Forbes
Sydney
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$3,965 A$6,074
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.34
6.34
-

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

Last update for Forbes: October 29, 2025

Last update for Sydney: October 28, 2025

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