Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Ballina Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Ballina

😐 Solo nomad: Sydney is 26% more expensive than Ballina without rent, and 23% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Sydney is 6.2% more expensive than Ballina without rent, and 26.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sydney
Ballina
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.43 A$23.16
$16.46 A$23.21
-0.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$77.8 A$110
$77.4 A$109
0.53%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.74 A$13.73
$9.77 A$13.78
-0.31%
Cappuccino
$3.43 A$4.84
$3.33 A$4.70
3.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.52 A$3.55
$2.52 A$3.56
-
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.00 A$2.82
$2.17 A$3.07
-7.83%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.42 A$9.05
$6.54 A$9.22
-1.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.25 A$10.23
$7.16 A$10.09
1.26%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sydney
Ballina
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.62 A$2.28
$2.41 A$3.40
-32.78%
White Bread (500g)
$2.68 A$3.77
$3.18 A$4.48
-15.72%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.28 A$3.22
$1.96 A$2.77
16.33%
Eggs
$4.92 A$6.93
$5.25 A$7.40
-6.29%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.68 A$12.24
$5.89 A$8.31
47.37%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.32 A$11.73
$8.61 A$12.14
-3.37%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.11 A$19.90
$13.60 A$19.17
3.75%
Apples (1kg)
$3.25 A$4.59
$3.19 A$4.50
1.88%
Banana (1kg)
$2.75 A$3.87
$2.83 A$4.00
-2.83%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.02 A$4.26
$2.91 A$4.11
3.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.41 A$6.21
$3.15 A$4.45
40.00%
Potato (1kg)
$2.53 A$3.56
$2.50 A$3.52
1.20%
Onion (1kg)
$2.32 A$3.28
$2.18 A$3.08
6.42%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.12 A$2.99
$3.19 A$4.50
-33.54%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.29 A$1.82
$1.52 A$2.14
-15.13%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$32.61 A$45.97
$30.40 A$42.87
7.27%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.12 A$21.32
$13.75 A$19.38
9.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.89 A$6.89
$4.63 A$6.53
5.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.41 A$7.62
$5.19 A$7.32
4.24%
🚌 Getting Around
Sydney
Ballina
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.30 A$4.65
$2.67 A$3.77
23.60%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$141 A$198
$65.2 A$92.0
115.46%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.87 A$5.45
$3.64 A$5.13
6.32%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.91 A$4.11
$1.62 A$2.28
79.63%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$51.1 A$72.0
$33.14 A$46.73
54.07%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.20 A$1.69
$1.15 A$1.62
4.35%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.9K A$40.7K
$28.9K A$40.8K
-0.09%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.4K A$31.6K
$22.5K A$31.7K
-0.48%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sydney
Ballina
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$200 A$282
$183 A$258
9.23%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.88 A$33.68
$27.31 A$38.50
-12.56%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.9 A$74.6
$52.4 A$73.9
0.92%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sydney
Ballina
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.7 A$85.6
$47.90 A$67.6
26.68%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.39 A$30.16
$15.45 A$21.79
38.45%
Cinema Ticket
$15.72 A$22.17
$12.94 A$18.25
21.48%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sydney
Ballina
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,052 A$2,893
$1,617 A$2,280
26.91%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.4K A$25.9K
$12.1K A$17.1K
51.61%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sydney
Ballina
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$75.3 A$106
$67.9 A$95.7
10.95%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.3 A$80.7
$50.2 A$70.8
14.04%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$105 A$148
$99.2 A$140
5.69%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$133 A$188
$107 A$150
24.77%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sydney
Ballina
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,157 A$3,042
$1,241 A$1,750
73.77%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,504 A$2,121
$1,076 A$1,518
39.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,399 A$6,202
$2,044 A$2,882
115.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,645 A$3,729
$1,658 A$2,337
59.55%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$12.0K A$16.9K
$5,489 A$7,740
117.99%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,679 A$10.8K
$4,574 A$6,449
67.89%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sydney
Ballina
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,256 A$6,002
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.34
6.34
-

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

Last update for Sydney: March 2, 2026

Last update for Ballina: 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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