Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Balga

For one person, living is cheaper in Balga: $2,762 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 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
126

Cost of Living Index in Balga
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Balga Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Balga

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,762

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Balga

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,267 in Sydney versus $2,762 in Balga.

Sydney $3,267
Balga $2,762

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,847 in Sydney versus $3,828 in Balga.

Sydney $4,847
Balga $3,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,428 in Sydney versus $4,893 in Balga.

Sydney $6,428
Balga $4,893

Living in Sydney is roughly 18% more expensive than in Balga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sydney 140% above, Balga 103% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.79

$20.97 A$29.71

-16.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.4 A$128

$83.2 A$118

8.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$16.94

$11.13 A$15.77

7.46%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.67

$4.62 A$6.54

-13.42%

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

$2.81 A$3.98

$2.80 A$3.96

0.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 A$3.15

$2.30 A$3.26

-3.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 A$11.52

$8.39 A$11.89

-3.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 A$10.20

$8.25 A$11.69

-12.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 A$2.41

$1.74 A$2.46

-2.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.16

$3.14 A$4.45

-6.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.56

$1.97 A$2.79

27.41%

Eggs

$5.66 A$8.02

$5.09 A$7.22

11.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 A$17.30

$9.27 A$13.13

31.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 A$13.20

$9.46 A$13.40

-1.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 A$23.90

$13.74 A$19.46

22.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.90 A$5.53

$4.56 A$6.46

-14.47%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.57

$3.21 A$4.55

0.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 A$4.86

$3.56 A$5.05

-3.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 A$6.14

$4.85 A$6.87

-10.72%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.74

$2.85 A$4.03

17.54%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.40

$1.93 A$2.73

24.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.31

$2.26 A$3.21

3.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 A$1.64

$1.34 A$1.90

-13.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.47 A$64.4

$42.17 A$59.7

7.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 A$19.82

$12.46 A$17.65

12.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.11 A$5.82

$4.35 A$6.16

-5.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 A$5.92

$3.52 A$4.98

18.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.12 A$4.43

$2.67 A$3.78

16.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 A$215

$78.5 A$111

93.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 A$4.90

$3.61 A$5.12

-4.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.21

$1.39 A$1.97

12.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.54 A$56.0

$41.13 A$58.3

-3.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.05

$1.35 A$1.91

7.41%

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

$29.9K A$42.4K

-0.05%

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

$27.5K A$39.0K

$27.8K A$39.5K

-1.19%

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

$251 A$355

$207 A$293

21.45%

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

$27.76 A$39.32

$33.27 A$47.13

-16.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.0 A$82.2

$63.5 A$90.0

-8.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.7 A$100

$62.6 A$88.7

12.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.25 A$32.94

$19.26 A$27.29

20.72%

Cinema Ticket

$17.83 A$25.25

$17.26 A$24.45

3.30%

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

$2,358 A$3,341

$2,271 A$3,217

3.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.2K A$38.5K

$23.7K A$33.6K

14.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 A$114

$78.3 A$111

2.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.3 A$98.2

$63.5 A$89.9

9.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$157

$123 A$175

-10.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 A$181

$165 A$233

-22.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,566 A$3,635

$1,467 A$2,078

74.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 A$2,539

$1,368 A$1,938

31.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,202 A$7,369

$2,000 A$2,833

160.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,156 A$4,471

$1,781 A$2,523

77.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.0K

$6,422 A$9,097

108.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,727 A$12.4K

$4,389 A$6,217

98.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,118 A$5,834

$3,358 A$4,757

22.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

5.96

-0.67%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 24, 2026

Last update for Balga: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9%

Balga

$1.4K 49.5% 23.7% $424

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$382 11.7%

Balga

$365 13.2% 4.4% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$337 10.3%

Balga

$303 11% 9.9% $33

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.2%

Balga

$335 12.1% 12.2% $36

Getting Around

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Balga

$100 3.6% 43.2% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$175 5.3%

Balga

$193 7% 10.8% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$106 3.3%

Balga

$97 3.5% 8.7% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,566 in Sydney and $1,467 in Balga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 23% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $90 in Sydney vs $83 in Balga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $382 vs $365 per month, with Balga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇦🇺 Balga

🕒 Local time

23:41 11:41 PM

20:41 8:41 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

12,685

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.633 EUR

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.633 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Sydney Balga 3,290 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Balga

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 Balga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,267 in Sydney and $2,762 in Balga, so Balga is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 23% 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: $2,566 in Sydney versus $1,467 in Balga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Balga – a meal for two runs $83 versus $90 in Sydney. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $3,267 per month in Sydney versus $2,762 in Balga – Balga is about 15% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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 Balga are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Balga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.