Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Launceston, Australia and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Launceston: $2,039 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Launceston
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Launceston Living Index
157

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index

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Launceston

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,039

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,039 in Launceston versus $3,267 in Sydney.

Launceston $2,039
Sydney $3,267

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,913 in Launceston versus $4,847 in Sydney.

Launceston $2,913
Sydney $4,847

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,786 in Launceston versus $6,428 in Sydney.

Launceston $3,786
Sydney $6,428

Living in Launceston costs roughly 38% less than in Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Launceston 50% above, Sydney 140% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.35 A$24.58

$17.50 A$24.79

-0.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.2 A$105

$90.4 A$128

-17.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.23 A$11.66

$11.96 A$16.94

-31.19%

Cappuccino

$3.37 A$4.78

$4.00 A$5.67

-15.75%

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

$1.38 A$1.96

$2.81 A$3.98

-50.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 A$3.21

$2.22 A$3.15

2.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.47 A$9.17

$8.13 A$11.52

-20.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.14 A$10.11

$7.20 A$10.20

-0.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 A$2.67

$1.70 A$2.41

10.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 A$3.60

$2.94 A$4.16

-13.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.23 A$1.74

$2.51 A$3.56

-51.00%

Eggs

$3.70 A$5.25

$5.66 A$8.02

-34.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.02 A$14.19

$12.22 A$17.30

-18.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.33 A$11.80

$9.31 A$13.20

-10.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.31 A$14.60

$16.87 A$23.90

-38.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 A$4.05

$3.90 A$5.53

-26.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.87 A$4.06

$3.22 A$4.57

-10.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.74 A$3.88

$3.43 A$4.86

-20.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.74 A$6.72

$4.33 A$6.14

9.47%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 A$2.89

$3.35 A$4.74

-39.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 A$1.97

$2.40 A$3.40

-42.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.56 A$3.62

$2.34 A$3.31

9.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 A$0.76

$1.16 A$1.64

-53.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$36.28 A$51.4

$45.47 A$64.4

-20.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.47 A$20.50

$13.99 A$19.82

3.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.10 A$7.22

$4.11 A$5.82

24.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.43 A$7.69

$4.18 A$5.92

29.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.52 A$4.99

$3.12 A$4.43

12.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.7 A$78.9

$152 A$215

-63.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.48 A$6.35

$3.46 A$4.90

29.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 A$2.93

$1.56 A$2.21

32.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.53 A$58.8

$39.54 A$56.0

5.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 A$1.81

$1.45 A$2.05

-11.72%

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

$28.1K A$39.8K

$29.9K A$42.4K

-6.08%

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

$33.4K A$47.3K

$27.5K A$39.0K

21.42%

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

$226 A$320

$251 A$355

-9.87%

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

$29.09 A$41.21

$27.76 A$39.32

4.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.8 A$76.3

$58.0 A$82.2

-7.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.45 A$70.1

$70.7 A$100

-30.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.25 A$32.94

Cinema Ticket

$16.96 A$24.02

$17.83 A$25.25

-4.88%

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

$1,996 A$2,828

$2,358 A$3,341

-15.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.0K A$29.7K

$27.2K A$38.5K

-22.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.1 A$109

$80.5 A$114

-4.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.8 A$76.2

$69.3 A$98.2

-22.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 A$148

$111 A$157

-5.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 A$177

$127 A$181

-1.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,156 A$1,638

$2,566 A$3,635

-54.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$811 A$1,149

$1,792 A$2,539

-54.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,616 A$2,289

$5,202 A$7,369

-68.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,112 A$1,575

$3,156 A$4,471

-64.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,727 A$12.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,644 A$9,413

$4,118 A$5,834

61.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

1.35%

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

Last update for Launceston: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sydney: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Launceston

$811 39.8%

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9% 121% $981

Groceries & Markets

Launceston

$324 15.9%

Sydney

$382 11.7% 18.1% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Launceston

$309 15.2%

Sydney

$337 10.3% 8.9% $28

Eating Out

Launceston

$265 13%

Sydney

$299 9.2% 12.8% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Launceston

$162 7.9%

Sydney

$175 5.3% 7.8% $13

Getting Around

Launceston

$85 4.2%

Sydney

$176 5.4% 108% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Launceston

$83 4.1%

Sydney

$106 3.3% 27.5% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,156 in Launceston and $2,566 in Sydney. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Launceston pays 61% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $74 in Launceston vs $90 in Sydney for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $382 per month, with Launceston cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Launceston

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

13:13 1:13 PM

Same time as Launceston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

80,943

4,840,600

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.634 EUR

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.634 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Launceston Sydney 910 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Launceston
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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

Launceston vs Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Launceston wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Sydney. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Launceston the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 61% higher in Launceston, 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: $1,156 in Launceston versus $2,566 in Sydney. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Launceston – a meal for two runs $74 versus $90 in Sydney. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,039 per month in Launceston versus $3,267 in Sydney – Launceston is about 38% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

Expats usually find Launceston gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.