Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Orange, NSW and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Orange, NSW: $1,775 a month against $3,245 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $17,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Orange, NSW
Learn more

Orange, NSW Living Index
156

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
Learn more

Sydney Living Index

Jump to prices

Orange, NSW

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,775

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,245

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Orange, NSW versus $3,152 in Sydney.

Orange, NSW $1,775
Sydney $3,152

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,955 in Orange, NSW versus $4,710 in Sydney.

Orange, NSW $2,955
Sydney $4,710

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,136 in Orange, NSW versus $6,268 in Sydney.

Orange, NSW $4,136
Sydney $6,268

Living in Orange, NSW costs roughly 44% less than in Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Orange, NSW 31% above, Sydney 133% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.45 A$20.79

$17.41 A$25.05

-17.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.8 A$111

$90.3 A$130

-14.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.29 A$14.81

$11.92 A$17.15

-13.67%

Cappuccino

$3.39 A$4.87

$4.03 A$5.80

-15.88%

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

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.88 A$4.15

7.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 A$3.29

$2.23 A$3.20

2.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.16 A$10.30

$7.89 A$11.36

-9.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.89 A$9.92

$6.78 A$9.76

1.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 A$1.64

$1.71 A$2.45

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.88 A$4.15

$2.94 A$4.23

-2.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.10 A$3.03

$2.51 A$3.61

-16.33%

Eggs

$3.83 A$5.51

$5.55 A$7.99

-30.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.51 A$12.24

$11.77 A$16.94

-27.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.90 A$12.80

$9.28 A$13.35

-4.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.65 A$19.64

$16.70 A$24.03

-18.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 A$4.30

$3.92 A$5.64

-23.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.48 A$3.57

$3.16 A$4.55

-21.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 A$4.86

$3.48 A$5.00

-2.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.79 A$5.46

$4.38 A$6.31

-13.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 A$2.56

$3.33 A$4.79

-46.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 A$3.57

$2.40 A$3.46

3.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.98 A$2.85

$2.31 A$3.32

-14.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 A$2.63

$1.15 A$1.65

59.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$34.64 A$49.85

$44.34 A$63.8

-21.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.19 A$16.10

$13.71 A$19.72

-18.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.76 A$3.97

$4.00 A$5.75

-31.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.88 A$7.02

$4.03 A$5.80

21.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.83 A$4.07

$3.22 A$4.63

-12.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.0 A$117

$154 A$222

-47.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 A$3.63

$3.57 A$5.14

-29.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.25

$1.58 A$2.27

-1.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.35 A$58.1

$39.44 A$56.8

2.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 A$1.89

$1.48 A$2.13

-11.49%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$29.6K A$42.5K

-2.01%

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

$41.7K A$60.0K

$27.7K A$39.8K

50.74%

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

$163 A$235

$241 A$347

-32.32%

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

$17.45 A$25.11

$27.57 A$39.67

-36.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.83 A$71.7

$56.3 A$81.0

-11.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.2 A$80.9

$78.1 A$112

-28.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.36 A$24.98

$23.26 A$33.47

-25.37%

Cinema Ticket

$13.19 A$18.98

$17.55 A$25.26

-24.84%

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

$2,130 A$3,065

$2,185 A$3,144

-2.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K A$28.6K

$27.8K A$40.0K

-28.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.1 A$77.9

$80.0 A$115

-32.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.5 A$88.6

$70.7 A$102

-12.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$145 A$209

$111 A$159

31.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 A$158

$129 A$186

-15.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$823 A$1,184

$2,477 A$3,564

-66.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$611 A$879

$1,777 A$2,557

-65.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,399 A$2,014

$4,885 A$7,030

-71.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,491 A$2,145

$3,093 A$4,451

-51.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,878 A$8,458

$13.4K A$19.3K

-56.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 A$7,209

$8,375 A$12.1K

-40.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,783 A$6,882

$4,074 A$5,862

17.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.23

5.92

-11.66%

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

Last update for Orange, NSW: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sydney: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Orange, NSW

$611 34.4%

Sydney

$1.8K 54.8% 191% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Orange, NSW

$323 18.2%

Sydney

$378 11.7% 17% $55

Eating Out

Orange, NSW

$258 14.6%

Sydney

$297 9.2% 14.9% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Orange, NSW

$231 13%

Sydney

$325 10% 41% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Orange, NSW

$167 9.4%

Sydney

$176 5.4% 5.5% $9.1

Getting Around

Orange, NSW

$103 5.8%

Sydney

$178 5.5% 73.8% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Orange, NSW

$83 4.7%

Sydney

$113 3.5% 37.1% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $823 in Orange, NSW and $2,500 in Sydney. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Orange, NSW pays 16% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $77.0 in Orange, NSW vs $91.0 in Sydney for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $323 vs $379 per month, with Orange, NSW cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Orange, NSW

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

20:59 8:59 PM

Same time as Orange, NSW

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,127

4,840,600

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Orange, NSW Sydney 210 km

From you

Orange, NSW
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

Orange, NSW vs Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Orange, NSW and Sydney differ by about 78% in total monthly costs ($1,775 vs $3,152 including rent). Orange, NSW is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 16% higher in Orange, NSW, 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: $823 in Orange, NSW versus $2,500 in Sydney. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,130 in Orange, NSW versus $2,196 in Sydney. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Sydney. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,775 in Orange, NSW versus $3,152 in Sydney, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Orange, NSW but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Orange, NSW 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, Orange, NSW 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 Orange, NSW gentler on the wallet – expenses run 78% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.