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

😐 Solo nomad: Sydney is 11.2% more expensive than Ballarat without rent, and 62.6% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Sydney is 28.3% more expensive than Ballarat without rent, and 51.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sydney
Ballarat
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.02 A$24.54
$14.19 A$21.74
12.90%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$77.1 A$118
$63.8 A$97.7
20.94%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.6 A$14.7
$10.03 A$15.37
-4.29%
Cappuccino
$3.33 A$5.11
$3.63 A$5.57
-8.26%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.5 A$3.83
$2.61 A$4
-4.21%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2 A$3.06
$2.11 A$3.24
-5.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.33 A$9.69
$6 A$9.19
5.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.09 A$10.86
$6.84 A$10.48
3.65%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sydney
Ballarat
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.69 A$2.59
$1.45 A$2.22
16.55%
White Bread (500g)
$2.7 A$4.13
$2.61 A$3.99
3.45%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.34 A$3.59
$1.53 A$2.35
52.94%
Eggs
$5.05 A$7.74
$4.18 A$6.4
20.81%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.65 A$13.25
$9.08 A$13.9
-4.74%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.45 A$12.95
$9.13 A$13.99
-7.45%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.8 A$21.14
$14.85 A$22.75
-7.07%
Apples (1kg)
$3.18 A$4.88
$3.27 A$5.01
-2.75%
Banana (1kg)
$2.67 A$4.09
$2.8 A$4.28
-4.64%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.13 A$4.8
$2.85 A$4.37
9.82%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.36 A$6.67
$3.72 A$5.7
17.20%
Potato (1kg)
$2.56 A$3.92
$2.79 A$4.27
-8.24%
Onion (1kg)
$2.36 A$3.62
$2.27 A$3.48
3.96%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.16 A$3.31
$2.2 A$3.37
-1.82%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 A$1.91
$1 A$1.53
24.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$31.93 A$48.92
$30.81 A$47.21
3.64%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.43 A$20.58
$13.4 A$20.52
0.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.8 A$7.35
$2.13 A$3.26
125.35%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.26 A$8.06
$2.86 A$4.38
83.92%
🚌 Getting Around
Sydney
Ballarat
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.19 A$4.88
$1.7 A$2.61
87.65%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$139 A$212
$65.7 A$101
111.10%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.79 A$5.81
$2.35 A$3.61
61.28%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.96 A$4.54
$1.16 A$1.77
155.17%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$51.4 A$78.7
$25.06 A$38.39
105.03%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.2 A$1.84
$1.12 A$1.71
7.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.3K A$44.9K
$27.8K A$42.6K
5.41%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.2K A$34K
$22.9K A$35.1K
-3.08%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sydney
Ballarat
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$201 A$308
$149 A$228
34.91%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.73 A$36.35
$21.35 A$32.71
11.15%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.1 A$81.3
$49.96 A$76.5
6.24%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sydney
Ballarat
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$61.5 A$94.2
$31.61 A$48.43
94.46%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.64 A$31.62
$15.54 A$23.8
32.82%
Cinema Ticket
$15.47 A$23.7
$11.21 A$17.18
38.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sydney
Ballarat
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,109 A$3,231
$327 A$501
545.09%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.8K A$28.8K
$19.1K A$29.3K
-1.50%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sydney
Ballarat
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$74.8 A$115
$64.6 A$98.9
15.94%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.4 A$89.5
$53 A$81.3
10.11%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$107 A$165
$86.8 A$133
23.88%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$132 A$203
$92.6 A$142
43.11%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sydney
Ballarat
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,205 A$3,378
$839 A$1,285
162.85%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,462 A$2,239
$620 A$949
135.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,389 A$6,724
$2,007 A$3,075
118.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,669 A$4,090
$1,389 A$2,128
92.15%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$12.7K A$19.5K
$4,443 A$6,807
186.91%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,165 A$11K
$3,312 A$5,074
116.30%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sydney
Ballarat
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,965 A$6,074
$3,169 A$4,855
25.12%
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: October 28, 2025

Last update for Ballarat: October 27, 2025

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