Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Bendigo

For one person, living is cheaper in Bendigo: $2,008 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 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
97

Cost of Living Index in Bendigo
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Bendigo Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Bendigo

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,008

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Bendigo

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

A single person spends $3,267 per month in Sydney vs $2,008 in Bendigo, rent included.

Sydney $3,267
Bendigo $2,008

A couple spends around $4,847 per month in Sydney vs $2,978 in Bendigo, rent included.

Sydney $4,847
Bendigo $2,978

A family of three spends $6,428 per month in Sydney vs $3,948 in Bendigo, rent included.

Sydney $6,428
Bendigo $3,948

Sydney costs about 63% more than Bendigo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Sydney and Bendigo sit above the global median – Sydney by 140%, Bendigo by 48%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.79

$17.37 A$24.60

0.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.4 A$128

$77.1 A$109

17.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$16.94

$12.40 A$17.57

-3.55%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.67

$4.08 A$5.78

-1.96%

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

$2.81 A$3.98

$3.10 A$4.39

-9.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 A$3.15

$2.58 A$3.66

-13.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 A$11.52

$9.97 A$14.12

-18.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 A$10.20

$8.66 A$12.27

-16.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 A$2.41

$1.36 A$1.92

25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.16

$2.92 A$4.13

0.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.56

$2.57 A$3.64

-2.33%

Eggs

$5.66 A$8.02

$4.73 A$6.71

19.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 A$17.30

$10.70 A$15.15

14.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 A$13.20

$10.04 A$14.23

-7.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 A$23.90

$10.55 A$14.95

59.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.90 A$5.53

$3.56 A$5.04

9.55%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.57

$3.05 A$4.31

5.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 A$4.86

$3.24 A$4.59

5.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 A$6.14

$4.80 A$6.79

-9.79%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.74

$2.88 A$4.08

16.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.40

$2.47 A$3.50

-2.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.31

$2.46 A$3.49

-4.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 A$1.64

$1.63 A$2.31

-28.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.47 A$64.4

$44.51 A$63.1

2.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 A$19.82

$10.38 A$14.70

34.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.11 A$5.82

$5.46 A$7.73

-24.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 A$5.92

$5.36 A$7.59

-22.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.12 A$4.43

$3.45 A$4.88

-9.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 A$215

$56.9 A$80.6

166.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 A$4.90

$4.12 A$5.84

-16.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.21

$1.41 A$2.00

10.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.54 A$56.0

$13.84 A$19.61

185.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.05

$1.27 A$1.80

14.17%

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

$29.9K A$42.4K

$27.6K A$39.1K

8.37%

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

$27.5K A$39.0K

$19.7K A$27.9K

39.96%

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

$251 A$355

$142 A$202

76.09%

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

$27.76 A$39.32

$27.59 A$39.08

0.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.0 A$82.2

$56.5 A$80.1

2.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.7 A$100

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.25 A$32.94

$19.68 A$27.88

18.14%

Cinema Ticket

$17.83 A$25.25

$12.70 A$17.99

40.39%

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

$2,358 A$3,341

$2,154 A$3,051

9.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.2K A$38.5K

$29.9K A$42.3K

-9.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 A$114

$81.5 A$116

-1.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.3 A$98.2

$49.98 A$70.8

38.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$157

$118 A$167

-6.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 A$181

$136 A$192

-5.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,566 A$3,635

$1,135 A$1,608

126.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 A$2,539

$825 A$1,169

117.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,202 A$7,369

$1,337 A$1,894

289.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,156 A$4,471

$1,248 A$1,767

153.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.0K

$4,400 A$6,232

204.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,727 A$12.4K

$3,892 A$5,514

124.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,118 A$5,834

$2,967 A$4,202

38.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

5.9

0.34%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 24, 2026

Last update for Bendigo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9%

Bendigo

$825 41.1% 54% $967

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$382 11.7%

Bendigo

$361 18% 5.6% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$337 10.3%

Bendigo

$227 11.3% 32.7% $110

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.2%

Bendigo

$315 15.7% 5.3% $16

Getting Around

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Bendigo

$82 4.1% 53.4% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$175 5.3%

Bendigo

$173 8.6% 0.7% $1.2

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$106 3.3%

Bendigo

$25 * 1.3% 76.1% $81

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,566 in Sydney versus $1,135 in Bendigo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 39% higher in Sydney, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Sydney versus $77 in Bendigo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $382 vs $361 – making Bendigo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇦🇺 Bendigo

🕒 Local time

14:08 2:08 PM

Same time as Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

100,649

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.634 EUR

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.634 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Sydney Bendigo 710 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Bendigo

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 Bendigo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sydney is pricier by about 63%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,900 per month in Sydney and $3,012 in Bendigo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bendigo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,135 there versus $2,566 in Sydney.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Sydney and $77 in Bendigo. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,267 in Sydney and $2,008 in Bendigo. That makes Bendigo about 39% cheaper.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Bendigo, where all-in costs run around $2,008, than in Sydney at $3,267. In Bendigo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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