Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Ballarat Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Ballarat

😐 Solo nomad: Sydney is 26.6% more expensive than Ballarat without rent, and 66.4% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Sydney is 21.5% more expensive than Ballarat without rent, and 47.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sydney
Ballarat
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.43 A$23.33
$14.09 A$20.01
16.61%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$77.8 A$111
$66.0 A$93.7
17.94%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.74 A$13.83
$9.99 A$14.18
-2.50%
Cappuccino
$3.43 A$4.87
$3.55 A$5.04
-3.38%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.52 A$3.58
$2.63 A$3.74
-4.18%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.00 A$2.84
$2.00 A$2.84
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.42 A$9.11
$6.23 A$8.84
3.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.25 A$10.30
$7.01 A$9.95
3.42%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sydney
Ballarat
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.62 A$2.30
$1.51 A$2.14
7.28%
White Bread (500g)
$2.68 A$3.80
$2.62 A$3.73
2.29%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.28 A$3.24
$1.55 A$2.20
47.10%
Eggs
$4.92 A$6.98
$4.27 A$6.06
15.22%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.68 A$12.32
$8.99 A$12.76
-3.45%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.32 A$11.82
$9.51 A$13.50
-12.51%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.11 A$20.04
$14.48 A$20.56
-2.56%
Apples (1kg)
$3.25 A$4.62
$3.17 A$4.51
2.52%
Banana (1kg)
$2.75 A$3.90
$2.84 A$4.03
-3.17%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.02 A$4.29
$2.77 A$3.93
9.03%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.41 A$6.26
$3.72 A$5.28
18.55%
Potato (1kg)
$2.53 A$3.59
$2.71 A$3.84
-6.64%
Onion (1kg)
$2.32 A$3.30
$2.27 A$3.22
2.20%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.12 A$3.01
$2.15 A$3.06
-1.40%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.29 A$1.83
$1.00 A$1.43
29.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$32.61 A$46.30
$31.16 A$44.25
4.65%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.12 A$21.47
$14.21 A$20.18
6.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.89 A$6.94
$2.15 A$3.05
127.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.41 A$7.68
$2.85 A$4.04
89.82%
🚌 Getting Around
Sydney
Ballarat
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.30 A$4.68
$1.71 A$2.43
92.98%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$141 A$200
$65.6 A$93.1
114.21%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.87 A$5.49
$2.35 A$3.34
64.68%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.91 A$4.13
$1.21 A$1.71
140.50%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$51.1 A$72.5
$24.87 A$35.31
105.31%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.20 A$1.71
$1.11 A$1.58
8.11%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.9K A$41.0K
$27.4K A$38.9K
5.40%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.4K A$31.8K
$23.0K A$32.7K
-2.70%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sydney
Ballarat
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$200 A$284
$149 A$211
34.15%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.88 A$33.92
$20.85 A$29.61
14.53%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.9 A$75.1
$51.9 A$73.7
2.02%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sydney
Ballarat
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.7 A$86.2
$32.26 A$45.81
88.10%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.39 A$30.37
$15.76 A$22.37
35.72%
Cinema Ticket
$15.72 A$22.32
$11.07 A$15.72
42.01%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sydney
Ballarat
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,052 A$2,914
$325 A$462
531.27%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.4K A$26.1K
$19.1K A$27.1K
-3.80%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sydney
Ballarat
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$75.3 A$107
$66.5 A$94.5
13.21%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.3 A$81.3
$52.5 A$74.6
9.09%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$105 A$149
$87.0 A$124
20.52%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$133 A$189
$92.2 A$131
44.29%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sydney
Ballarat
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,157 A$3,063
$857 A$1,217
151.73%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,504 A$2,136
$628 A$892
139.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,399 A$6,246
$2,019 A$2,867
117.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,645 A$3,755
$1,349 A$1,915
96.06%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$12.0K A$17.0K
$4,767 A$6,769
151.04%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,679 A$10.9K
$3,523 A$5,002
118.00%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sydney
Ballarat
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,256 A$6,044
$3,333 A$4,732
27.72%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.34
6.07
4.45%

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

Last update for Sydney: March 2, 2026

Last update for Ballarat: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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