Cost of Living Comparison Between Lake Macquarie and Sydney Cost of Living Comparison Between Lake Macquarie and Sydney

🙂 Solo nomad: Lake Macquarie is 18.4% cheaper than Sydney without rent, and 28.1% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Lake Macquarie is 5.9% cheaper than Sydney without rent, and 19.5% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.91 A$19.78

$16.02 A$24.54

-19.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.1 A$118

-0.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 A$14.79

$9.6 A$14.7

0.63%

Cappuccino

$3.34 A$5.12

$3.33 A$5.11

0.30%

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

$2.38 A$3.65

$2.5 A$3.83

-4.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2 A$3.07

$2 A$3.06

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.35 A$9.72

$6.33 A$9.69

0.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.96 A$10.66

$7.09 A$10.86

-1.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 A$2.1

$1.69 A$2.59

-18.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 A$2.2

$2.7 A$4.13

-46.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 A$1.82

$2.34 A$3.59

-49.15%

Eggs

$3.14 A$4.81

$5.05 A$7.74

-37.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.51 A$11.5

$8.65 A$13.25

-13.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.07 A$9.3

$8.45 A$12.95

-28.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.78 A$18.05

$13.8 A$21.14

-14.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 A$4.76

$3.18 A$4.88

-2.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.7 A$4.13

$2.67 A$4.09

1.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.16 A$4.84

$3.13 A$4.8

0.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 A$6.64

$4.36 A$6.67

-0.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 A$2.98

$2.56 A$3.92

-23.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 A$2.66

$2.36 A$3.62

-26.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 A$2.07

$2.16 A$3.31

-37.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 A$1.73

$1.24 A$1.91

-8.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$27.52 A$42.16

$31.93 A$48.92

-13.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.24 A$11.09

$13.43 A$20.58

-46.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 A$4.02

$4.8 A$7.35

-45.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 A$3.3

$5.26 A$8.06

-59.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.07 A$3.17

$3.19 A$4.88

-35.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.9 A$136

$139 A$212

-35.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 A$2.86

$3.79 A$5.81

-50.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 A$2.37

$2.96 A$4.54

-47.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$46.5 A$71.2

$51.4 A$78.7

-9.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 A$1.82

$1.2 A$1.84

-0.83%

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

$24.9K A$38.2K

$29.3K A$44.9K

-14.85%

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

$20.2K A$30.9K

$22.2K A$34K

-9.25%

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

$204 A$313

$201 A$308

1.66%

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

$10.26 A$15.72

$23.73 A$36.35

-56.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.08 A$64.5

$53.1 A$81.3

-20.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.44 A$75.7

$61.5 A$94.2

-19.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.88 A$24.33

$20.64 A$31.62

-23.06%

Cinema Ticket

$9.2 A$14.1

$15.47 A$23.7

-40.53%

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

$1,446 A$2,215

$2,109 A$3,231

-31.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,951 A$15.2K

$18.8K A$28.8K

-47.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.4 A$112

$74.8 A$115

-1.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.88 A$51.9

$58.4 A$89.5

-41.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 A$117

$107 A$165

-28.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$202

$132 A$203

-0.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 A$1,900

$2,205 A$3,378

-43.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$976 A$1,495

$1,462 A$2,239

-33.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,007 A$3,074

$4,389 A$6,724

-54.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,055 A$3,148

$2,669 A$4,090

-23.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,582 A$8,552

$12.7K A$19.5K

-56.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,951 A$7,584

$7,165 A$11K

-30.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,783 A$7,327

$3,965 A$6,074

20.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.35

6.34

-31.39%

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

Last update for Lake Macquarie: October 29, 2025

Last update for Sydney: October 28, 2025

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