Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karratha and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Karratha: $2,473 a month against $3,245 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

120

Cost of Living Index in Karratha
Learn more

Karratha Living Index
156

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
Learn more

Sydney Living Index

Jump to prices

Karratha

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,473

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,245

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,473 per month in Karratha vs $3,245 in Sydney, rent included.

Karratha $2,473
Sydney $3,245

A couple spends around $3,581 per month in Karratha vs $4,803 in Sydney, rent included.

Karratha $3,581
Sydney $4,803

A family of three spends $4,690 per month in Karratha vs $6,362 in Sydney, rent included.

Karratha $4,690
Sydney $6,362

Karratha is about 24% cheaper than Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Karratha and Sydney sit above the global median – Karratha by 83%, Sydney by 139%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 A$24.99

$17.41 A$24.73

1.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.6 A$117

$90.3 A$128

-8.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.31 A$14.66

$11.92 A$16.94

-13.51%

Cappuccino

$3.88 A$5.52

$4.03 A$5.72

-3.72%

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

$2.83 A$4.02

$2.88 A$4.10

-1.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 A$3.11

$2.23 A$3.16

-1.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.54 A$10.72

$7.89 A$11.22

-4.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.58 A$10.77

$6.78 A$9.64

11.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 A$2.16

$1.71 A$2.42

-11.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.72 A$3.86

$2.94 A$4.18

-7.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 A$3.21

$2.51 A$3.56

-9.96%

Eggs

$4.83 A$6.86

$5.55 A$7.89

-12.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 A$13.39

$11.77 A$16.73

-19.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.43 A$13.39

$9.28 A$13.18

1.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.89 A$21.15

$16.70 A$23.72

-10.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 A$5.65

$3.92 A$5.56

1.28%

Banana (1kg)

$3.11 A$4.42

$3.16 A$4.50

-1.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.29 A$4.68

$3.48 A$4.94

-5.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.75 A$6.75

$4.38 A$6.23

8.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 A$3.99

$3.33 A$4.73

-15.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 A$3.40

$2.40 A$3.42

-0.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 A$3.31

$2.31 A$3.28

0.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 A$2.09

$1.15 A$1.63

27.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$41.46 A$58.9

$44.34 A$63.0

-6.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.65 A$19.39

$13.71 A$19.47

-0.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.76 A$6.76

$4.00 A$5.68

19.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.35 A$7.60

$4.03 A$5.72

32.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.89 A$4.11

$3.22 A$4.57

-10.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.2 A$117

$154 A$219

-46.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.81

$3.57 A$5.08

-5.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 A$2.24

$1.58 A$2.25

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.46 A$56.1

$39.44 A$56.0

0.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 A$1.94

$1.48 A$2.11

-8.11%

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

$27.0K A$38.3K

$29.6K A$42.0K

-8.72%

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

$29.6K A$42.1K

$27.7K A$39.3K

7.07%

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

$202 A$286

$241 A$343

-16.49%

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

$27.87 A$39.60

$27.57 A$39.18

1.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.4 A$78.7

$56.3 A$80.0

-1.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.7 A$80.6

$78.1 A$111

-27.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.66 A$25.10

$23.26 A$33.05

-24.08%

Cinema Ticket

$14.78 A$21.00

$17.55 A$24.94

-15.78%

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

$2,176 A$3,091

$2,185 A$3,105

-0.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.4K A$29.0K

$27.8K A$39.5K

-26.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.6 A$110

$80.0 A$114

-2.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.7 A$77.7

$70.7 A$100

-22.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 A$153

$111 A$157

-2.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 A$171

$129 A$184

-7.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 A$1,976

$2,477 A$3,519

-43.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,176 A$1,671

$1,777 A$2,525

-33.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,113 A$3,003

$4,885 A$6,941

-56.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,779 A$2,527

$3,093 A$4,395

-42.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,861 A$8,328

$13.4K A$19.0K

-56.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,940 A$7,020

$8,375 A$11.9K

-41.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,074 A$5,788

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

5.92

-1.35%

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

Last update for Karratha: October 17, 2026

Last update for Sydney: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Karratha

$1.2K 47.5%

Sydney

$1.8K 54.8% 51.1% $601

Groceries & Markets

Karratha

$368 14.9%

Sydney

$378 11.7% 2.7% $10

Eating Out

Karratha

$291 11.8%

Sydney

$297 9.2% 1.9% $5.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karratha

$285 11.5%

Sydney

$325 10% 14.2% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Karratha

$162 6.6%

Sydney

$176 5.4% 8.4% $14

Getting Around

Karratha

$105 4.3%

Sydney

$178 5.5% 69.9% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Karratha

$86 3.5%

Sydney

$113 3.5% 31.3% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,391 in Karratha versus $2,477 in Sydney. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83 in Karratha versus $90 in Sydney. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $368 vs $378 – making Karratha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Karratha

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

05:34 5:34 AM

08:34 8:34 AM

3 h ahead of Karratha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,013

4,840,600

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.628 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.628 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Karratha Sydney 3,670 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Karratha
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

Karratha vs Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,473 in Karratha, $3,245 in Sydney – roughly 31% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,710 per month in Karratha and $4,867 in Sydney. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Karratha, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,391 there versus $2,477 in Sydney.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,473 in Karratha and $3,245 in Sydney. That’s a gap of about 31%.

Public transport costs about 47% less in Karratha. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Karratha, where all-in costs run around $2,473, than in Sydney at $3,245. In Karratha it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Sydney has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,473 in Karratha to $3,245 in Sydney. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

For expats, Karratha is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 31% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.