Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mount Isa and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Mount Isa: $2,629 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Mount Isa
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Mount Isa Living Index
157

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index

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Mount Isa

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,629

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,629 in Mount Isa versus $3,267 in Sydney.

Mount Isa $2,629
Sydney $3,267

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,759 in Mount Isa versus $4,847 in Sydney.

Mount Isa $3,759
Sydney $4,847

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,890 in Mount Isa versus $6,428 in Sydney.

Mount Isa $4,890
Sydney $6,428

Living in Mount Isa costs roughly 20% less than in Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mount Isa 93% above, Sydney 140% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.94 A$28.33

$17.50 A$24.87

13.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.2 A$127

$90.4 A$128

-1.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.28 A$14.61

$11.96 A$16.99

-14.05%

Cappuccino

$3.96 A$5.62

$4.00 A$5.68

-1.00%

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

$2.91 A$4.14

$2.81 A$4.00

3.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.20

$2.22 A$3.16

1.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.33 A$11.84

$8.13 A$11.56

2.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.18

$7.20 A$10.23

19.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 A$2.31

$1.70 A$2.42

-4.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 A$3.91

$2.94 A$4.17

-6.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.30

$2.51 A$3.57

-7.57%

Eggs

$5.02 A$7.13

$5.66 A$8.04

-11.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.66 A$12.31

$12.22 A$17.36

-29.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.60 A$15.06

$9.31 A$13.24

13.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.02 A$19.93

$16.87 A$23.97

-16.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 A$5.26

$3.90 A$5.54

-5.13%

Banana (1kg)

$3.09 A$4.39

$3.22 A$4.58

-4.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.33 A$4.73

$3.43 A$4.88

-2.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.14 A$7.30

$4.33 A$6.16

18.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 A$3.86

$3.35 A$4.75

-18.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.50 A$3.55

$2.40 A$3.41

4.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.32 A$3.30

$2.34 A$3.32

-0.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 A$2.17

$1.16 A$1.65

31.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.25 A$61.5

$45.47 A$64.6

-4.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.05 A$18.55

$13.99 A$19.88

-6.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.80 A$6.82

$4.11 A$5.84

16.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.10 A$7.24

$4.18 A$5.94

22.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.09 A$4.39

$3.12 A$4.44

-0.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.6 A$134

$152 A$216

-37.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.16 A$4.49

$3.46 A$4.92

-8.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 A$2.32

$1.56 A$2.22

5.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.14 A$62.7

$39.54 A$56.2

11.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 A$1.95

$1.45 A$2.05

-5.52%

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

$32.0K A$45.5K

$29.9K A$42.5K

7.16%

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

$23.0K A$32.7K

$27.5K A$39.1K

-16.32%

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

$208 A$296

$251 A$356

-17.07%

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

$27.46 A$39.01

$27.76 A$39.44

-1.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$79.7

$58.0 A$82.4

-3.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.4 A$84.4

$70.7 A$100

-15.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.78 A$23.84

$23.25 A$33.04

-27.83%

Cinema Ticket

$11.97 A$17.01

$17.83 A$25.33

-32.87%

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

$1,856 A$2,638

$2,358 A$3,351

-21.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.7K A$32.3K

$27.2K A$38.6K

-16.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.1 A$119

$80.5 A$114

4.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.6 A$84.7

$69.3 A$98.5

-13.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 A$173

$111 A$157

10.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 A$151

$127 A$181

-16.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,304 A$1,852

$2,566 A$3,646

-49.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,279 A$1,818

$1,792 A$2,547

-28.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,545 A$3,616

$5,202 A$7,391

-51.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,845 A$2,622

$3,156 A$4,485

-41.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,578 A$7,926

$13.4K A$19.0K

-58.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,767 A$6,773

$8,727 A$12.4K

-45.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,462 A$6,340

$4,118 A$5,851

8.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.92

-0.34%

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

Last update for Mount Isa: 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

Mount Isa

$1.3K 48.7%

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9% 40.1% $513

Groceries & Markets

Mount Isa

$371 14.1%

Sydney

$382 11.7% 2.9% $11

Eating Out

Mount Isa

$317 12.1%

Sydney

$299 9.2% 5.7% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mount Isa

$292 11.1%

Sydney

$337 10.3% 15.4% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Mount Isa

$167 6.4%

Sydney

$175 5.3% 4.2% $7.1

Getting Around

Mount Isa

$118 4.5%

Sydney

$176 5.4% 48.5% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Mount Isa

$83 3.2%

Sydney

$106 3.3% 27.5% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,304 in Mount Isa and $2,566 in Sydney. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mount Isa pays 8% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $89 in Mount Isa vs $90 in Sydney for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $371 vs $382 per month, with Mount Isa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Mount Isa

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

07:50 7:50 AM

08:50 8:50 AM

1 h ahead of Mount Isa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,936

4,840,600

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Mount Isa Sydney 1,860 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Mount Isa
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

Mount Isa vs Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mount Isa wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Sydney. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Mount Isa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 8% higher in Mount Isa, 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: $1,304 in Mount Isa versus $2,566 in Sydney. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,856 in Mount Isa versus $2,358 in Sydney. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Mount Isa runs roughly 38% less than in Sydney. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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