Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Ashburton

For one person, living is cheaper in Ashburton: $1,806 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Ashburton
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Ashburton Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Ashburton

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Ashburton

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 Ashburton actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $1,806 in Ashburton, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Ashburton $1,806

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $2,897 in Ashburton, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Ashburton $2,897

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $3,987 in Ashburton, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Ashburton $3,987

Sydney costs about 74% more than Ashburton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Sydney and Ashburton sit above the global median – Sydney by 133%, Ashburton by 34%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$13.93 NZ$24.63

26.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$67.8 NZ$120

34.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$8.85 NZ$15.65

35.14%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$3.26 NZ$5.77

24.85%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$2.32 NZ$4.10

22.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$1.81 NZ$3.21

24.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$6.89 NZ$12.19

10.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$6.77 NZ$11.97

9.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.67 NZ$2.95

-0.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.88 NZ$3.32

47.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$1.50 NZ$2.64

61.33%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$5.80 NZ$10.26

-2.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$7.48 NZ$13.23

56.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$9.35 NZ$16.53

3.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$13.55 NZ$23.96

23.62%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.46 NZ$4.35

65.45%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$1.98 NZ$3.51

64.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$2.73 NZ$4.82

26.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$3.04 NZ$5.37

40.79%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$1.50 NZ$2.65

118.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$1.46 NZ$2.59

57.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$2.17 NZ$3.83

5.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$1.32 NZ$2.33

-8.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$24.15 NZ$42.70

80.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$8.45 NZ$14.94

64.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$3.52 NZ$6.23

10.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$4.26 NZ$7.53

-8.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$1.62 NZ$2.86

87.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$74.4 NZ$132

101.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$2.48 NZ$4.38

36.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$1.66 NZ$2.93

-6.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$27.91 NZ$49.35

43.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.93 NZ$3.41

-27.46%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$24.7K NZ$43.7K

17.84%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$23.9K NZ$42.3K

25.99%

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

$223 A$320

$156 NZ$276

42.88%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$22.75 NZ$40.23

19.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$44.32 NZ$78.4

25.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$40.15 NZ$71.0

85.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$11.12 NZ$19.66

57.91%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$659 NZ$1,165

233.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$21.9K NZ$38.8K

28.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$57.9 NZ$102

35.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$39.80 NZ$70.4

71.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$99.6 NZ$176

11.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$121 NZ$214

10.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$1,013 NZ$1,792

146.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$745 NZ$1,317

129.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$1,417 NZ$2,506

249.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$1,600 NZ$2,830

88.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$4,546 NZ$8,039

189.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$3,098 NZ$5,479

170.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

5.91

-1.18%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ashburton: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Ashburton

$745 41.2% 56.4% $964

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Ashburton

$300 16.6% 20.8% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Ashburton

$223 12.3% 27.1% $83

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Ashburton

$242 13.4% 19.1% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Ashburton

$143 7.9% 18.9% $33

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Ashburton

$92 5.1% 47.2% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Ashburton

$62 3.5% 43.2% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney versus $1,013 in Ashburton. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Sydney versus $68.0 in Ashburton. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $300 – making Ashburton the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇳🇿 Ashburton

🕒 Local time

16:57 4:57 PM

18:57 6:57 PM

2 h ahead of Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

20,500

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sydney Ashburton 2,090 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Ashburton

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 Ashburton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,152 in Sydney, $1,806 in Ashburton – roughly 74% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,728 per month in Sydney and $2,710 in Ashburton. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ashburton, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 26% more in Sydney, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Sydney and $68.0 in Ashburton. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Ashburton, where all-in costs run around $1,806, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Ashburton it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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