Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Masterton and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Masterton: $832 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $27,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Masterton
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Masterton Living Index
155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index

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Masterton

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$832

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $832 in Masterton versus $3,152 in Sydney.

Masterton $832
Sydney $3,152

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,432 in Masterton versus $4,710 in Sydney.

Masterton $1,432
Sydney $4,710

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,032 in Masterton versus $6,268 in Sydney.

Masterton $2,032
Sydney $6,268

Living in Masterton costs roughly 74% less than in Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Masterton is 38% below, Sydney is 133% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.54 NZ$16.88

$17.57 A$25.29

-45.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.9 NZ$115

$91.5 A$132

-29.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.56 NZ$15.14

$11.96 A$17.21

-28.43%

Cappuccino

$3.18 NZ$5.62

$4.07 A$5.85

-21.87%

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

$2.02 NZ$3.57

$2.85 A$4.10

-29.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 NZ$1.93

$2.25 A$3.24

-51.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.89 NZ$6.88

$7.60 A$10.94

-48.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 NZ$5.79

$7.43 A$10.69

-55.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 NZ$2.51

$1.66 A$2.38

-14.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 NZ$3.91

$2.78 A$4.00

-20.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 NZ$1.82

$2.42 A$3.49

-57.44%

Eggs

$6.32 NZ$11.17

$5.64 A$8.12

12.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.29 NZ$14.65

$11.71 A$16.85

-29.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 NZ$16.76

$9.66 A$13.89

-1.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.18 NZ$26.85

$16.75 A$24.10

-9.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 NZ$3.85

$4.07 A$5.85

-46.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 NZ$3.02

$3.25 A$4.68

-47.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.98 NZ$5.27

$3.44 A$4.96

-13.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 NZ$8.11

$4.28 A$6.16

7.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 NZ$2.71

$3.28 A$4.72

-53.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 NZ$1.90

$2.30 A$3.30

-53.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 NZ$3.00

$2.30 A$3.31

-26.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 NZ$0.92

$1.21 A$1.74

-57.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.51 NZ$34.50

$43.71 A$62.9

-55.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.21 NZ$19.83

$13.88 A$19.97

-19.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 NZ$1.50

$3.90 A$5.62

-78.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 NZ$2.02

$3.91 A$5.63

-70.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 NZ$3.94

$3.04 A$4.38

-26.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 NZ$3.20

$3.38 A$4.86

-46.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.75 NZ$3.09

$1.56 A$2.24

12.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.16 NZ$60.4

$40.01 A$57.6

-14.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 NZ$3.12

$1.40 A$2.01

26.43%

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

$22.0K NZ$39.0K

$29.1K A$41.9K

-24.31%

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

$24.8K NZ$43.9K

$30.1K A$43.4K

-17.60%

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

$55.0 NZ$97.3

$223 A$320

-75.28%

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

$29.34 NZ$51.9

$27.16 A$39.08

8.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.8 NZ$93.3

$55.8 A$80.3

-5.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.79 NZ$73.9

$74.6 A$107

-43.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.51 NZ$15.06

$23.99 A$34.52

-64.53%

Cinema Ticket

$9.68 NZ$17.12

$17.56 A$25.27

-44.87%

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

$1,056 NZ$1,868

$2,196 A$3,160

-51.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K NZ$22.5K

$28.2K A$40.6K

-54.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 NZ$98.3

$78.4 A$113

-29.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.59 NZ$48.79

$68.4 A$98.5

-59.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 NZ$181

$111 A$160

-7.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 NZ$251

$134 A$193

5.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,002 NZ$1,773

$4,946 A$7,117

-79.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,327 NZ$4,115

$4,113 A$5,919

-43.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

5.84

-7.71%

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

Last update for Masterton: October 13, 2026

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Masterton

$288 34.7%

Sydney

$379 12% 31.3% $90

Eating Out

Masterton

$179 21.5%

Sydney

$299 9.5% 67.2% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Masterton

$147 17.7%

Sydney

$177 5.6% 19.8% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Masterton

$137 16.5%

Sydney

$306 9.7% 123% $168

Sport & Entertainment

Masterton

$61 7.4%

Sydney

$110 3.5% 79.5% $49

Getting Around

Masterton

$19 * 2.3%

Sydney

$174 5.5% 792% $154

Accommodation & Living

Masterton

- * 0%

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Sydney pays 77% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $65.0 in Masterton vs $91.0 in Sydney for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $379 per month, with Masterton cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Masterton

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

14:33 2:33 PM

12:33 12:33 PM

2 h behind Masterton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,800

4,840,600

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Masterton Sydney 2,290 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Masterton
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

Masterton vs Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Masterton is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 279% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 77% lower in Sydney. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Sydney. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $832 per month in Masterton versus $3,152 in Sydney – a 279% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $832 in Masterton versus $3,152 in Sydney, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Masterton but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Masterton the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Masterton and Sydney are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Masterton gentler on the wallet – expenses run 279% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.