Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Katoomba and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Katoomba: $2,409 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Katoomba
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Katoomba Living Index
157

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index

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Katoomba

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,409

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,409 per month in Katoomba vs $3,267 in Sydney, rent included.

Katoomba $2,409
Sydney $3,267

A couple spends around $3,467 per month in Katoomba vs $4,847 in Sydney, rent included.

Katoomba $3,467
Sydney $4,847

A family of three spends $4,526 per month in Katoomba vs $6,428 in Sydney, rent included.

Katoomba $4,526
Sydney $6,428

Katoomba is about 26% cheaper than Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Katoomba and Sydney sit above the global median – Katoomba by 77%, Sydney by 140%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.30 A$24.60

$17.50 A$24.88

-1.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.8 A$122

$90.4 A$128

-5.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.49 A$14.92

$11.96 A$17.00

-12.29%

Cappuccino

$3.15 A$4.47

$4.00 A$5.69

-21.25%

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

$2.72 A$3.87

$2.81 A$4.00

-3.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 A$2.93

$2.22 A$3.16

-7.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.44 A$9.15

$8.13 A$11.57

-20.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.65 A$12.30

$7.20 A$10.24

20.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.21

$1.70 A$2.42

-8.24%

White Bread (500g)

$3.26 A$4.64

$2.94 A$4.18

10.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.54 A$3.61

$2.51 A$3.58

1.20%

Eggs

$5.26 A$7.47

$5.66 A$8.05

-7.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.18 A$18.74

$12.22 A$17.37

7.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.72

$9.31 A$13.24

3.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.42 A$21.93

$16.87 A$23.99

-8.60%

Apples (1kg)

$4.09 A$5.82

$3.90 A$5.55

4.87%

Banana (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.40

$3.22 A$4.58

-3.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.53 A$5.03

$3.43 A$4.88

2.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.13 A$7.29

$4.33 A$6.16

18.48%

Potato (1kg)

$3.21 A$4.56

$3.35 A$4.76

-4.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.87 A$4.08

$2.40 A$3.41

19.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.54 A$3.61

$2.34 A$3.32

8.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 A$1.93

$1.16 A$1.65

16.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.57 A$64.8

$45.47 A$64.7

0.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.79 A$19.60

$13.99 A$19.89

-1.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.65 A$6.61

$4.11 A$5.84

13.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.63 A$8.01

$4.18 A$5.94

34.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 A$3.51

$3.12 A$4.44

-20.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.8 A$111

$152 A$216

-48.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.00 A$5.69

$3.46 A$4.92

15.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 A$2.35

$1.56 A$2.22

6.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.48 A$60.4

$39.54 A$56.2

7.44%

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)

$28.6K A$40.7K

$29.9K A$42.5K

-4.36%

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

$26.4K A$37.5K

$27.5K A$39.1K

-4.19%

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

$186 A$265

$251 A$357

-25.72%

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

$26.42 A$37.57

$27.76 A$39.46

-4.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.3 A$80.1

$58.0 A$82.5

-2.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.7 A$87.7

$70.7 A$100

-12.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.36 A$24.69

$23.25 A$33.06

-25.33%

Cinema Ticket

$15.98 A$22.72

$17.83 A$25.35

-10.38%

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

$2,503 A$3,559

$2,358 A$3,353

6.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.3K A$28.9K

$27.2K A$38.7K

-25.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.1 A$108

$80.5 A$114

-5.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 A$79.3

$69.3 A$98.5

-19.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 A$154

$111 A$157

-1.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$189

$127 A$181

4.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,604 A$2,280

$2,566 A$3,648

-37.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 A$1,572

$1,792 A$2,548

-38.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,208 A$3,139

$5,202 A$7,396

-57.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,560 A$2,218

$3,156 A$4,488

-50.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,535 A$7,869

$13.4K A$19.0K

-58.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,242 A$7,453

$8,727 A$12.4K

-39.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,118 A$5,855

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 Katoomba: October 24, 2026

Last update for Sydney: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Katoomba

$1.1K 45.9%

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9% 62.1% $687

Groceries & Markets

Katoomba

$396 16.5%

Sydney

$382 11.7% 3.5% $14

Eating Out

Katoomba

$276 11.5%

Sydney

$299 9.2% 8.3% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Katoomba

$269 11.2%

Sydney

$337 10.3% 25.1% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Katoomba

$168 7%

Sydney

$175 5.3% 3.9% $6.5

Getting Around

Katoomba

$100 4.2%

Sydney

$176 5.4% 75.7% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Katoomba

$94 3.9%

Sydney

$106 3.3% 13.6% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,604 in Katoomba versus $2,566 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 $86 in Katoomba versus $90 in Sydney. Groceries tell a different story – $396 in Katoomba vs $382 in Sydney – so Sydney wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Katoomba

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

01:54 1:54 AM

Same time as Katoomba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

4,840,600

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Katoomba Sydney 85 km

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Katoomba
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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

Katoomba vs Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,409 in Katoomba, $3,267 in Sydney – Katoomba comes out roughly 26% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,613 per month in Katoomba and $4,900 in Sydney. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Katoomba, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,604 there versus $2,566 in Sydney.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,409 in Katoomba and $3,267 in Sydney. That makes Katoomba about 26% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 49% less in Katoomba. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Katoomba, where all-in costs run around $2,409, than in Sydney at $3,267. In Katoomba 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 $2,409 in Katoomba to $3,267 in Sydney. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.