Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Geelong and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Geelong: $2,602 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

127

Cost of Living Index in Geelong
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Geelong Living Index
155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index

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Geelong

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,602

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,602 in Geelong versus $3,152 in Sydney.

Geelong $2,602
Sydney $3,152

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,495 in Geelong versus $4,710 in Sydney.

Geelong $3,495
Sydney $4,710

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,387 in Geelong versus $6,268 in Sydney.

Geelong $4,387
Sydney $6,268

Living in Geelong costs roughly 17% less than in Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Geelong 93% above, Sydney 133% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.56 A$25.27

$17.57 A$25.29

-0.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.2 A$118

$91.5 A$132

-10.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.29 A$14.80

$11.96 A$17.21

-13.96%

Cappuccino

$3.80 A$5.47

$4.07 A$5.85

-6.63%

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

$2.80 A$4.03

$2.85 A$4.10

-1.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 A$3.10

$2.25 A$3.24

-4.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.53 A$9.39

$7.60 A$10.94

-14.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.85 A$11.30

$7.43 A$10.69

5.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.23

$1.66 A$2.38

-6.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 A$3.65

$2.78 A$4.00

-8.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.87 A$2.70

$2.42 A$3.49

-22.73%

Eggs

$4.27 A$6.14

$5.64 A$8.12

-24.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.75 A$11.15

$11.71 A$16.85

-33.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.90

$9.66 A$13.89

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.35 A$22.08

$16.75 A$24.10

-8.36%

Apples (1kg)

$4.12 A$5.92

$4.07 A$5.85

1.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.92 A$4.20

$3.25 A$4.68

-10.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.90 A$4.18

$3.44 A$4.96

-15.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.23 A$4.65

$4.28 A$6.16

-24.53%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.40

$3.28 A$4.72

-6.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 A$3.12

$2.30 A$3.30

-5.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.07 A$2.98

$2.30 A$3.31

-10.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 A$2.24

$1.21 A$1.74

28.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.24 A$65.1

$43.71 A$62.9

3.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.64 A$18.19

$13.88 A$19.97

-8.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.78 A$5.45

$3.90 A$5.62

-3.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 A$4.27

$3.91 A$5.63

-24.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$7.45 A$10.72

$3.04 A$4.38

145.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$128 A$184

$150 A$216

-14.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 A$6.41

$3.38 A$4.86

31.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$1.56 A$2.24

-12.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.97 A$43.12

$40.01 A$57.6

-25.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 A$1.85

$1.40 A$2.01

-7.86%

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

$28.0K A$40.2K

$29.1K A$41.9K

-3.99%

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

$26.3K A$37.9K

$30.1K A$43.4K

-12.64%

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

$155 A$222

$223 A$320

-30.55%

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

$25.90 A$37.28

$27.16 A$39.08

-4.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.5 A$81.3

$55.8 A$80.3

1.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.7 A$80.1

$74.6 A$107

-25.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.25 A$21.95

$23.99 A$34.52

-36.43%

Cinema Ticket

$12.72 A$18.30

$17.56 A$25.27

-27.56%

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

$2,138 A$3,076

$2,196 A$3,160

-2.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.6K A$42.6K

$28.2K A$40.6K

5.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.5 A$114

$78.4 A$113

1.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.93 A$70.4

$68.4 A$98.5

-28.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.0 A$135

$111 A$160

-15.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 A$151

$134 A$193

-22.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,264 A$1,818

$2,500 A$3,598

-49.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,343 A$1,933

$1,709 A$2,460

-21.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,717 A$2,471

$4,946 A$7,117

-65.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 A$2,167

$3,022 A$4,349

-50.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,557 A$9,436

$13.2K A$18.9K

-50.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,281 A$7,600

$8,370 A$12.0K

-36.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,086 A$4,441

$4,113 A$5,919

-24.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.84

1.03%

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

Last update for Geelong: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Geelong

$1.3K 51.6%

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2% 27.2% $366

Groceries & Markets

Geelong

$340 13.1%

Sydney

$379 12% 11.5% $39

Eating Out

Geelong

$285 11%

Sydney

$299 9.5% 4.7% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Geelong

$237 9.1%

Sydney

$306 9.7% 28.9% $69

Getting Around

Geelong

$169 6.5%

Sydney

$174 5.5% 2.7% $4.6

Clothing & Footwear

Geelong

$147 5.7%

Sydney

$177 5.6% 20% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Geelong

$81 3.1%

Sydney

$110 3.5% 35.3% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,264 in Geelong and $2,500 in Sydney. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 33% 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: $82.0 in Geelong vs $91.0 in Sydney for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $340 vs $379 per month, with Geelong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Geelong

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

09:42 9:42 AM

Same time as Geelong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

180,239

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

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Between locations

Geelong Sydney 780 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Geelong
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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

Geelong vs Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Geelong and Sydney differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($2,602 vs $3,152 including rent). Geelong is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 33% 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: $1,264 in Geelong versus $2,500 in Sydney. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,602 per month in Geelong versus $3,152 in Sydney – a 21% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Geelong runs roughly 17% less than in Sydney. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,602 in Geelong versus $3,152 in Sydney, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Geelong but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Geelong 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, Geelong 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 Geelong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.