Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Albany

For one person, living is cheaper in Albany: $2,562 a month against $3,274 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

157

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Albany
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Albany Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,274

/mo nomad

Albany

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,562

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Albany

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sydney and in Albany actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,274 in Sydney versus $2,562 in Albany.

Sydney $3,274
Albany $2,562

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,873 in Sydney versus $3,690 in Albany.

Sydney $4,873
Albany $3,690

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,471 in Sydney versus $4,819 in Albany.

Sydney $6,471
Albany $4,819

Living in Sydney is roughly 28% more expensive than in Albany, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sydney 142% above, Albany 89% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.27 A$24.67

$19.32 A$27.59

-10.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.9 A$130

$85.8 A$123

5.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.87 A$16.96

$10.32 A$14.74

15.02%

Cappuccino

$4.09 A$5.85

$4.52 A$6.45

-9.51%

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

$2.80 A$3.99

$2.52 A$3.59

11.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 A$3.11

$2.14 A$3.06

1.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.25 A$11.77

$8.33 A$11.89

-0.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.99 A$9.98

$7.38 A$10.54

-5.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 A$2.39

$1.56 A$2.22

7.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.88 A$4.12

$2.72 A$3.88

5.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 A$3.36

$2.32 A$3.31

1.29%

Eggs

$5.39 A$7.70

$5.12 A$7.31

5.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.06 A$15.80

$9.55 A$13.63

15.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.92 A$12.74

$9.42 A$13.45

-5.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.48 A$23.54

$14.80 A$21.14

11.35%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 A$5.92

$4.09 A$5.84

1.22%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.60

$3.01 A$4.30

6.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.78

$3.27 A$4.67

2.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 A$6.20

$4.73 A$6.76

-8.25%

Potato (1kg)

$3.38 A$4.83

$2.72 A$3.89

24.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.43 A$3.47

$2.47 A$3.53

-1.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.37 A$3.38

$2.21 A$3.15

7.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 A$1.67

$1.58 A$2.26

-25.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.01 A$62.9

$42.10 A$60.1

4.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.23 A$20.33

$15.09 A$21.55

-5.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.14 A$5.91

$4.66 A$6.65

-11.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 A$6.26

$5.39 A$7.70

-18.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.08 A$4.40

$2.80 A$4.00

10.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 A$217

$83.7 A$120

81.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.72 A$5.31

$3.43 A$4.90

8.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 A$2.55

$1.58 A$2.25

13.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.82 A$59.7

$40.57 A$57.9

3.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 A$2.06

$1.26 A$1.79

14.29%

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

$29.6K A$42.3K

$29.0K A$41.4K

2.25%

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

$27.5K A$39.3K

$26.2K A$37.4K

4.90%

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

$262 A$374

$209 A$298

25.34%

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

$28.69 A$40.98

$28.46 A$40.65

0.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.0 A$82.9

$48.37 A$69.1

19.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.9 A$107

$56.0 A$79.9

33.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.21 A$33.14

$18.11 A$25.86

28.16%

Cinema Ticket

$17.70 A$25.28

$14.15 A$20.21

25.09%

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

$2,424 A$3,461

$2,123 A$3,031

14.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.3K A$47.6K

$20.0K A$28.6K

66.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.3 A$112

$78.5 A$112

-0.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.1 A$98.7

$54.0 A$77.1

28.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 A$160

$107 A$153

4.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 A$180

$124 A$178

1.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,602 A$3,715

$1,424 A$2,033

82.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 A$2,559

$1,234 A$1,762

45.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,247 A$7,493

$2,298 A$3,282

128.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,196 A$4,565

$1,828 A$2,611

74.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K A$19.4K

$5,767 A$8,237

134.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,711 A$12.4K

$4,935 A$7,048

76.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,107 A$5,865

$2,635 A$3,762

55.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.02

5.9

2.03%

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

Last update for Sydney: November 2, 2026

Last update for Albany: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.7%

Albany

$1.2K 48.2% 31.1% $558

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$375 11.5%

Albany

$373 14.6% 0.6% $2.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$348 10.6%

Albany

$286 11.2% 18% $63

Eating Out

Sydney

$298 9.1%

Albany

$315 12.3% 5.6% $17

Getting Around

Sydney

$177 5.4%

Albany

$106 4.2% 39.9% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$174 5.3%

Albany

$164 6.4% 5.7% $9.8

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.4%

Albany

$84 3.3% 23.6% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,602 in Sydney and $1,424 in Albany. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 56% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $91 in Sydney vs $86 in Albany for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $375 vs $373 per month, with Albany cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇦🇺 Albany

🕒 Local time

05:08 5:08 AM

02:08 2:08 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

31,128

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sydney Albany 3,040 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Albany

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

Sydney vs Albany: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Albany wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in Sydney. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Albany the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 56% higher in Sydney, 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: $2,602 in Sydney versus $1,424 in Albany. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,424 in Sydney versus $2,123 in Albany. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Albany – a meal for two runs $86 versus $91 in Sydney. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

It comes down to priorities – Albany wins on affordability, Sydney on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.