Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Berwick

For one person, living is cheaper in Berwick: $2,554 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 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
122

Cost of Living Index in Berwick
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Berwick Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Berwick

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,554

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Berwick

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,267 in Sydney versus $2,554 in Berwick.

Sydney $3,267
Berwick $2,554

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,847 in Sydney versus $3,747 in Berwick.

Sydney $4,847
Berwick $3,747

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,428 in Sydney versus $4,941 in Berwick.

Sydney $6,428
Berwick $4,941

Living in Sydney is roughly 28% more expensive than in Berwick, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sydney 140% above, Berwick 88% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.99

$17.18 A$24.54

1.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.4 A$129

$85.2 A$122

6.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.07

$10.46 A$14.94

14.34%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.71

$4.28 A$6.12

-6.54%

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

$2.81 A$4.02

$2.84 A$4.05

-1.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 A$3.17

$2.31 A$3.30

-3.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 A$11.62

$7.88 A$11.26

3.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 A$10.28

$7.51 A$10.72

-4.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 A$2.43

$1.34 A$1.91

26.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.19

$2.73 A$3.90

7.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.59

$2.25 A$3.22

11.56%

Eggs

$5.66 A$8.08

$4.82 A$6.89

17.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 A$17.44

$10.00 A$14.28

22.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 A$13.30

$9.44 A$13.48

-1.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 A$24.09

$13.09 A$18.70

28.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.90 A$5.57

$3.80 A$5.43

2.63%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.60

$3.38 A$4.83

-4.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 A$4.90

$2.79 A$3.99

22.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 A$6.19

$4.02 A$5.75

7.71%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.78

$2.76 A$3.94

21.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.43

$2.45 A$3.50

-2.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.34

$2.30 A$3.28

1.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 A$1.65

$1.58 A$2.26

-26.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.47 A$64.9

$38.06 A$54.4

19.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 A$19.98

$14.21 A$20.30

-1.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.11 A$5.87

$5.18 A$7.40

-20.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 A$5.97

$5.90 A$8.43

-29.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.12 A$4.46

$2.75 A$3.93

13.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 A$217

$80.0 A$114

89.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 A$4.94

$3.14 A$4.48

10.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.23

$1.70 A$2.42

-8.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.54 A$56.5

$37.45 A$53.5

5.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.06

$1.39 A$1.98

4.32%

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

$29.9K A$42.7K

$25.9K A$37.1K

15.23%

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

$27.5K A$39.3K

$25.0K A$35.7K

10.07%

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

$251 A$358

$179 A$256

39.85%

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

$27.76 A$39.64

$28.59 A$40.83

-2.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.0 A$82.8

$48.84 A$69.8

18.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.7 A$101

$61.2 A$87.4

15.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.25 A$33.20

$19.74 A$28.20

17.78%

Cinema Ticket

$17.83 A$25.46

$12.78 A$18.24

39.51%

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

$2,358 A$3,368

$2,169 A$3,098

8.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.2K A$38.8K

$19.5K A$27.9K

39.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 A$115

$80.7 A$115

-0.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.3 A$99.0

$62.6 A$89.3

10.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$158

$94.6 A$135

17.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 A$182

$112 A$160

13.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,566 A$3,664

$1,319 A$1,883

94.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 A$2,560

$1,291 A$1,844

38.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,202 A$7,429

$2,391 A$3,414

117.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,156 A$4,508

$2,067 A$2,952

52.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.1K

$5,398 A$7,709

148.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,727 A$12.5K

$5,260 A$7,512

65.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,118 A$5,881

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 Berwick: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9%

Berwick

$1.3K 50.6% 28% $501

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$382 11.7%

Berwick

$363 14.2% 4.9% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$337 10.3%

Berwick

$257 10.1% 23.7% $80

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.2%

Berwick

$295 11.6% 1.3% $3.8

Getting Around

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Berwick

$103 4% 41.6% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$175 5.3%

Berwick

$158 6.2% 9.7% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$106 3.3%

Berwick

$87 3.4% 18.4% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,566 in Sydney and $1,319 in Berwick. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $90 in Sydney vs $85 in Berwick for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $382 vs $363 per month, with Berwick cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇦🇺 Berwick

🕒 Local time

20:57 8:57 PM

Same time as Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

47,674

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Sydney Berwick 700 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
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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 Berwick: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Berwick is about 22% cheaper overall, especially in transport, leisure, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $4,900 in Sydney and $3,830 in Berwick to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,566 in Sydney versus $1,319 in Berwick. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Berwick – a meal for two runs $85 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 $2,554 in Berwick – Berwick is about 22% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Berwick is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

Expats usually find Berwick gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.