Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hawkesbury City and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Hawkesbury City: $2,689 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Hawkesbury City
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Hawkesbury City Living Index
157

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index

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Hawkesbury City

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,689

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,689 in Hawkesbury City versus $3,267 in Sydney.

Hawkesbury City $2,689
Sydney $3,267

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,905 in Hawkesbury City versus $4,847 in Sydney.

Hawkesbury City $3,905
Sydney $4,847

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,122 in Hawkesbury City versus $6,428 in Sydney.

Hawkesbury City $5,122
Sydney $6,428

Living in Hawkesbury City costs roughly 18% less than in Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hawkesbury City 98% above, Sydney 140% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.87 A$29.65

$17.50 A$24.87

19.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.2 A$130

$90.4 A$128

0.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.57 A$15.02

$11.96 A$16.99

-11.62%

Cappuccino

$4.16 A$5.91

$4.00 A$5.68

4.00%

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

$3.03 A$4.31

$2.81 A$4.00

7.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.55

$2.22 A$3.16

12.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.16 A$11.60

$8.13 A$11.56

0.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.87 A$14.02

$7.20 A$10.23

37.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.20

$1.70 A$2.42

-8.82%

White Bread (500g)

$3.28 A$4.65

$2.94 A$4.17

11.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.54

$2.51 A$3.57

-0.80%

Eggs

$5.33 A$7.58

$5.66 A$8.04

-5.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.88 A$18.30

$12.22 A$17.36

5.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.02 A$14.24

$9.31 A$13.24

7.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.43 A$21.93

$16.87 A$23.97

-8.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.98 A$5.65

$3.90 A$5.54

2.05%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.62

$3.22 A$4.58

0.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 A$4.86

$3.43 A$4.88

-0.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.09 A$7.24

$4.33 A$6.16

17.55%

Potato (1kg)

$3.21 A$4.56

$3.35 A$4.75

-4.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.09

$2.40 A$3.41

20.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.59 A$3.67

$2.34 A$3.32

10.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 A$1.91

$1.16 A$1.65

16.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.11 A$64.1

$45.47 A$64.6

-0.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.30 A$20.32

$13.99 A$19.88

2.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.60 A$6.53

$4.11 A$5.84

11.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.88

$4.18 A$5.94

32.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.08 A$4.38

$3.12 A$4.44

-1.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.6 A$119

$152 A$216

-44.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.01 A$5.70

$3.46 A$4.92

15.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 A$2.26

$1.56 A$2.22

1.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.30 A$61.5

$39.54 A$56.2

9.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 A$1.96

$1.45 A$2.05

-4.83%

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

$27.6K A$39.2K

$29.9K A$42.5K

-7.79%

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

$26.1K A$37.0K

$27.5K A$39.1K

-5.32%

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

$183 A$261

$251 A$356

-26.90%

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

$26.52 A$37.68

$27.76 A$39.44

-4.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.7 A$80.6

$58.0 A$82.4

-2.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.31 A$70.1

$70.7 A$100

-30.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.28 A$24.55

$23.25 A$33.04

-25.68%

Cinema Ticket

$15.53 A$22.07

$17.83 A$25.33

-12.90%

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

$2,433 A$3,457

$2,358 A$3,351

3.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.5K A$29.1K

$27.2K A$38.6K

-24.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.6 A$107

$80.5 A$114

-6.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 A$79.7

$69.3 A$98.5

-19.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 A$155

$111 A$157

-1.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$188

$127 A$181

4.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,311 A$1,863

$2,566 A$3,646

-48.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 A$1,900

$1,792 A$2,547

-25.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,207 A$3,135

$5,202 A$7,391

-57.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,025 A$2,877

$3,156 A$4,485

-35.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,113 A$8,686

$13.4K A$19.0K

-54.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,191 A$7,375

$8,727 A$12.4K

-40.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,413 A$6,270

$4,118 A$5,851

7.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.95

5.92

0.51%

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

Last update for Hawkesbury City: 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

Hawkesbury City

$1.3K 49.7%

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9% 34% $455

Groceries & Markets

Hawkesbury City

$398 14.8%

Sydney

$382 11.7% 3.9% $16

Eating Out

Hawkesbury City

$331 12.3%

Sydney

$299 9.2% 9.7% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hawkesbury City

$267 9.9%

Sydney

$337 10.3% 26.2% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Hawkesbury City

$168 6.2%

Sydney

$175 5.3% 4% $6.6

Getting Around

Hawkesbury City

$108 4%

Sydney

$176 5.4% 62.7% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Hawkesbury City

$80 3%

Sydney

$106 3.3% 32.3% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,311 in Hawkesbury City and $2,566 in Sydney. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hawkesbury City pays 7% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $91 in Hawkesbury City vs $90 in Sydney for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $398 vs $382 per month, with Sydney cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Hawkesbury City

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

08:23 8:23 AM

Same time as Hawkesbury City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,353

4,840,600

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Hawkesbury City Sydney 69 km

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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

Hawkesbury City vs Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hawkesbury City wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Sydney. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Hawkesbury City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 7% higher in Hawkesbury City, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,311 in Hawkesbury City versus $2,566 in Sydney. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,433 in Hawkesbury City versus $2,358 in Sydney. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Hawkesbury City runs roughly 45% less than in Sydney. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Hawkesbury City 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, Hawkesbury City and Sydney are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.