Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surfers Paradise and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Surfers Paradise: $2,832 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

135

Cost of Living Index in Surfers Paradise
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Surfers Paradise Living Index
157

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index

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Surfers Paradise

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,832

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,832 per month in Surfers Paradise vs $3,267 in Sydney, rent included.

Surfers Paradise $2,832
Sydney $3,267

A couple spends around $4,395 per month in Surfers Paradise vs $4,847 in Sydney, rent included.

Surfers Paradise $4,395
Sydney $4,847

A family of three spends $5,958 per month in Surfers Paradise vs $6,428 in Sydney, rent included.

Surfers Paradise $5,958
Sydney $6,428

Surfers Paradise is about 13% cheaper than Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Surfers Paradise and Sydney sit above the global median – Surfers Paradise by 108%, Sydney by 140%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.37 A$24.70

$17.50 A$24.89

-0.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$103 A$147

$90.4 A$129

14.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 A$15.62

$11.96 A$17.01

-8.19%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.85

$4.00 A$5.69

2.75%

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

$2.80 A$3.98

$2.81 A$4.00

-0.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 A$3.45

$2.22 A$3.16

9.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.74 A$11.00

$8.13 A$11.57

-4.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.73 A$10.99

$7.20 A$10.24

7.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 A$2.33

$1.70 A$2.42

-3.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 A$3.77

$2.94 A$4.18

-9.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 A$3.43

$2.51 A$3.58

-3.98%

Eggs

$5.00 A$7.10

$5.66 A$8.05

-11.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.93 A$12.71

$12.22 A$17.37

-26.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.39 A$13.35

$9.31 A$13.25

0.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.52 A$20.65

$16.87 A$24.00

-13.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.80 A$5.40

$3.90 A$5.55

-2.56%

Banana (1kg)

$3.01 A$4.28

$3.22 A$4.59

-6.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.40 A$4.84

$3.43 A$4.88

-0.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.77 A$6.78

$4.33 A$6.16

10.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 A$4.03

$3.35 A$4.76

-15.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.51

$2.40 A$3.41

2.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.27

$2.34 A$3.33

-1.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 A$2.87

$1.16 A$1.65

74.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$39.26 A$55.8

$45.47 A$64.7

-13.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.09 A$20.05

$13.99 A$19.90

0.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$6.01 A$8.55

$4.11 A$5.84

46.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.95 A$7.04

$4.18 A$5.94

18.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 A$0.52

$3.12 A$4.44

-88.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 A$216

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.12 A$3.02

$3.46 A$4.92

-38.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 A$2.26

$1.56 A$2.22

1.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.52 A$51.9

$39.54 A$56.2

-7.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 A$1.95

$1.45 A$2.06

-5.52%

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

$29.3K A$41.6K

$29.9K A$42.5K

-2.16%

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

$25.6K A$36.5K

$27.5K A$39.1K

-6.85%

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

$214 A$305

$251 A$357

-14.65%

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

$30.45 A$43.31

$27.76 A$39.48

9.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$81.1

$58.0 A$82.5

-1.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 A$97.1

$70.7 A$101

-3.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.88 A$21.16

$23.25 A$33.07

-36.00%

Cinema Ticket

$13.86 A$19.71

$17.83 A$25.35

-22.27%

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

$1,999 A$2,843

$2,358 A$3,354

-15.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K A$18.1K

$27.2K A$38.7K

-53.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.9 A$118

$80.5 A$114

2.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.7 A$77.7

$69.3 A$98.6

-21.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 A$156

$111 A$157

-0.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 A$174

$127 A$181

-3.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,935 A$2,752

$2,566 A$3,649

-24.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,581 A$2,248

$1,792 A$2,549

-11.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,857 A$5,486

$5,202 A$7,399

-25.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,066 A$4,361

$3,156 A$4,489

-2.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,860 A$8,335

$13.4K A$19.0K

-56.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,823 A$6,859

$8,727 A$12.4K

-44.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,221 A$4,581

$4,118 A$5,857

-21.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.81

5.92

-1.86%

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

Last update for Surfers Paradise: October 27, 2026

Last update for Sydney: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Surfers Paradise

$1.6K 55.8%

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9% 13.4% $212

Groceries & Markets

Surfers Paradise

$379 13.4%

Sydney

$382 11.7% 0.7% $2.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surfers Paradise

$302 10.7%

Sydney

$337 10.3% 11.6% $35

Eating Out

Surfers Paradise

$296 10.5%

Sydney

$299 9.2% 0.9% $2.8

Clothing & Footwear

Surfers Paradise

$167 5.9%

Sydney

$175 5.3% 4.8% $8

Sport & Entertainment

Surfers Paradise

$96 3.4%

Sydney

$106 3.3% 10.8% $10

Getting Around

Surfers Paradise

$12 * 0.4%

Sydney

$176 5.4% 1425% $164

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,935 in Surfers Paradise versus $2,566 in Sydney. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 28% higher in Sydney. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $103 in Surfers Paradise versus $90 in Sydney. Groceries tell a different story – $379 in Surfers Paradise vs $382 in Sydney – so Surfers Paradise wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Surfers Paradise

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

12:48 12:48 PM

13:48 1:48 PM

1 h ahead of Surfers Paradise

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,668

4,840,600

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Surfers Paradise Sydney 690 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Surfers Paradise
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

Surfers Paradise vs Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sydney is pricier by about 15%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,248 per month in Surfers Paradise and $4,900 in Sydney. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Surfers Paradise, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,935 there versus $2,566 in Sydney.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $103 in Surfers Paradise and $90 in Sydney. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,999 per month in Surfers Paradise and $2,358 in Sydney. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,832 in Surfers Paradise and $3,267 in Sydney. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Surfers Paradise – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Surfers Paradise. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sydney makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.