Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Richmond, Australia and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Richmond: $2,620 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in Richmond
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Richmond Living Index
157

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index

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Richmond

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,620

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,620 in Richmond versus $3,267 in Sydney.

Richmond $2,620
Sydney $3,267

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,446 in Richmond versus $4,847 in Sydney.

Richmond $3,446
Sydney $4,847

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,271 in Richmond versus $6,428 in Sydney.

Richmond $4,271
Sydney $6,428

Living in Richmond 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: Richmond 93% above, Sydney 140% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.53 A$15.03

$17.50 A$24.98

-39.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.9 A$121

$90.4 A$129

-6.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.30 A$17.56

$11.96 A$17.07

2.84%

Cappuccino

$3.49 A$4.98

$4.00 A$5.71

-12.75%

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

$3.13 A$4.47

$2.81 A$4.01

11.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 A$3.69

$2.22 A$3.17

16.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.53 A$5.04

$8.13 A$11.61

-56.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.23

$7.20 A$10.28

19.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 A$2.23

$1.70 A$2.43

-7.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.88 A$4.11

$2.94 A$4.19

-2.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.83

$2.51 A$3.59

6.77%

Eggs

$5.57 A$7.96

$5.66 A$8.08

-1.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.95 A$9.92

$12.22 A$17.44

-43.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.95 A$9.93

$9.31 A$13.29

-25.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.04 A$10.05

$16.87 A$24.08

-58.27%

Apples (1kg)

$4.04 A$5.76

$3.90 A$5.57

3.59%

Banana (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.32

$3.22 A$4.60

-5.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 A$4.53

$3.43 A$4.90

-7.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.63 A$6.60

$4.33 A$6.18

6.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.25

$3.35 A$4.78

-11.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 A$3.67

$2.40 A$3.43

7.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 A$3.53

$2.34 A$3.34

5.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 A$2.26

$1.16 A$1.65

36.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$35.11 A$50.1

$45.47 A$64.9

-22.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.86 A$9.80

$13.99 A$19.97

-50.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.60 A$8.00

$4.11 A$5.86

36.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.20 A$7.42

$4.18 A$5.96

24.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.50 A$3.57

$3.12 A$4.46

-19.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.4 A$103

$152 A$217

-52.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 A$6.24

$3.46 A$4.94

26.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.03

$1.56 A$2.23

-8.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.92 A$42.70

$39.54 A$56.4

-24.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.07

$1.45 A$2.06

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

$29.8K A$42.5K

$29.9K A$42.7K

-0.45%

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

$26.2K A$37.4K

$27.5K A$39.3K

-4.66%

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

$236 A$337

$251 A$358

-5.95%

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

$28.28 A$40.36

$27.76 A$39.61

1.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$80.1

$58.0 A$82.8

-3.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.82 A$68.3

$70.7 A$101

-32.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.63 A$23.74

$23.25 A$33.19

-28.47%

Cinema Ticket

$17.41 A$24.85

$17.83 A$25.44

-2.36%

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

$2,452 A$3,499

$2,358 A$3,366

3.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.6K A$43.6K

$27.2K A$38.8K

12.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.5 A$116

$80.5 A$115

1.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.65 A$70.9

$69.3 A$98.9

-28.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$172

$111 A$158

8.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$189

$127 A$182

3.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,238 A$1,768

$2,566 A$3,662

-51.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 A$2,008

$1,792 A$2,558

-21.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,937 A$2,764

$5,202 A$7,425

-62.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,577 A$2,251

$3,156 A$4,505

-50.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,307 A$7,575

$13.4K A$19.1K

-60.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,536 A$7,902

$8,727 A$12.5K

-36.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,118 A$5,878

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 Richmond: 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

Richmond

$1.4K 53.7%

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9% 27.4% $386

Groceries & Markets

Richmond

$323 12.3%

Sydney

$382 11.7% 18.1% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Richmond

$320 12.2%

Sydney

$337 10.3% 5.1% $16

Eating Out

Richmond

$221 8.4%

Sydney

$299 9.2% 35.5% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Richmond

$173 6.6%

Sydney

$175 5.3% 1.1% $1.8

Getting Around

Richmond

$94 3.6%

Sydney

$176 5.4% 87.1% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Richmond

$83 3.2%

Sydney

$106 3.3% 28.7% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,238 in Richmond and $2,566 in Sydney. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85 in Richmond vs $90 in Sydney for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $323 vs $382 per month, with Richmond cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Richmond

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

14:00 2:00 PM

Same time as Richmond

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,587

4,840,600

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.701 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

1 AUD = 0.701 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Richmond Sydney 710 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Richmond
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

Richmond vs Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

You’d need roughly $3,931 in Richmond and $4,900 in Sydney to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,238 in Richmond versus $2,566 in Sydney. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,620 per month in Richmond versus $3,267 in Sydney – Richmond is about 20% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Richmond runs roughly 52% less than in Sydney. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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

Expats usually find Richmond gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.