Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Sydney Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Sydney

🙂 Solo nomad: Melbourne is 0.3% cheaper than Sydney without rent, and 13.3% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Melbourne is 2% cheaper than Sydney without rent, and 14.8% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.2 A$29.41

$16.02 A$24.54

19.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.6 A$120

$77.1 A$118

1.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 A$15.35

$9.6 A$14.7

4.38%

Cappuccino

$3.67 A$5.62

$3.33 A$5.11

10.21%

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

$2.54 A$3.89

$2.5 A$3.83

1.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 A$3.49

$2 A$3.06

14.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.28 A$11.15

$6.33 A$9.69

15.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.3 A$11.18

$7.09 A$10.86

2.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 A$2.2

$1.69 A$2.59

-14.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 A$4.02

$2.7 A$4.13

-2.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.27 A$3.48

$2.34 A$3.59

-2.99%

Eggs

$4.86 A$7.45

$5.05 A$7.74

-3.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.74 A$13.39

$8.65 A$13.25

1.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 A$14.07

$8.45 A$12.95

8.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.95 A$22.9

$13.8 A$21.14

8.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.33 A$5.1

$3.18 A$4.88

4.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.84 A$4.35

$2.67 A$4.09

6.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$3 A$4.6

$3.13 A$4.8

-4.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 A$6.05

$4.36 A$6.67

-9.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.67 A$4.09

$2.56 A$3.92

4.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 A$3.58

$2.36 A$3.62

-0.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.15 A$3.3

$2.16 A$3.31

-0.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 A$2.5

$1.24 A$1.91

32.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$32.11 A$49.19

$31.93 A$48.92

0.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.13 A$20.11

$13.43 A$20.58

-2.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.54 A$6.96

$4.8 A$7.35

-5.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.05 A$7.74

$5.26 A$8.06

-3.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.67 A$5.62

$3.19 A$4.88

15.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$118 A$180

$139 A$212

-15.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.65 A$5.6

$3.79 A$5.81

-3.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 A$2.05

$2.96 A$4.54

-54.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.26 A$41.77

$51.4 A$78.7

-46.94%

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)

$28.6K A$43.9K

$29.3K A$44.9K

-2.22%

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

$23.5K A$36K

$22.2K A$34K

5.77%

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

$150 A$230

$201 A$308

-25.22%

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

$20.8 A$31.86

$23.73 A$36.35

-12.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51 A$78.2

$53.1 A$81.3

-3.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.23 A$73.9

$61.5 A$94.2

-21.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.91 A$24.38

$20.64 A$31.62

-22.92%

Cinema Ticket

$16.53 A$25.32

$15.47 A$23.7

6.85%

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

$1,730 A$2,651

$2,109 A$3,231

-17.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.1K A$29.3K

$18.8K A$28.8K

1.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 A$104

$74.8 A$115

-9.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.7 A$82.2

$58.4 A$89.5

-8.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 A$165

$107 A$165

0.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 A$162

$132 A$203

-19.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,548 A$2,371

$2,205 A$3,378

-29.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,228 A$1,881

$1,462 A$2,239

-15.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,973 A$4,555

$4,389 A$6,724

-32.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,956 A$2,997

$2,669 A$4,090

-26.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,110 A$10.9K

$12.7K A$19.5K

-44.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,790 A$8,871

$7,165 A$11K

-19.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,045 A$6,198

$3,965 A$6,074

2.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.19

6.34

-2.37%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 28, 2025

Last update for Sydney: October 28, 2025

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