Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Bowral

For one person, living is cheaper in Bowral: $2,461 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 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
119

Cost of Living Index in Bowral
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Bowral Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Bowral

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,461

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Bowral

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,267 in Sydney versus $2,461 in Bowral.

Sydney $3,267
Bowral $2,461

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,847 in Sydney versus $3,627 in Bowral.

Sydney $4,847
Bowral $3,627

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,428 in Sydney versus $4,793 in Bowral.

Sydney $6,428
Bowral $4,793

Living in Sydney is roughly 33% more expensive than in Bowral, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sydney 140% above, Bowral 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.99

$15.60 A$22.28

12.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.4 A$129

$89.6 A$128

0.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.07

$10.59 A$15.12

12.94%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.71

$2.76 A$3.95

44.93%

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

$2.81 A$4.02

$2.08 A$2.97

35.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 A$3.17

$1.44 A$2.05

54.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 A$11.62

$8.52 A$12.17

-4.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 A$10.28

$9.89 A$14.13

-27.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 A$2.43

$1.49 A$2.13

14.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.19

$3.09 A$4.42

-4.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.59

$2.50 A$3.57

0.40%

Eggs

$5.66 A$8.08

$5.36 A$7.66

5.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 A$17.44

$12.74 A$18.20

-4.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 A$13.30

$9.64 A$13.76

-3.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 A$24.09

$15.21 A$21.72

10.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.90 A$5.57

$3.87 A$5.52

0.78%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.60

$3.21 A$4.58

0.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 A$4.90

$3.60 A$5.14

-4.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 A$6.19

$5.18 A$7.40

-16.41%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.78

$3.17 A$4.53

5.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.43

$2.84 A$4.06

-15.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.34

$2.57 A$3.67

-8.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 A$1.65

$1.37 A$1.96

-15.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.47 A$64.9

$45.12 A$64.4

0.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 A$19.98

$14.23 A$20.32

-1.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.11 A$5.87

$4.82 A$6.88

-14.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 A$5.97

$5.62 A$8.03

-25.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.12 A$4.46

$2.97 A$4.23

5.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 A$217

$81.1 A$116

87.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 A$4.94

$3.96 A$5.65

-12.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.23

$1.64 A$2.34

-4.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.54 A$56.5

$43.97 A$62.8

-10.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.06

$1.31 A$1.87

10.69%

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

$29.9K A$42.7K

$27.8K A$39.7K

7.45%

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

$27.5K A$39.3K

$26.0K A$37.1K

6.01%

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

$251 A$358

$182 A$261

37.48%

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

$27.76 A$39.64

$26.81 A$38.29

3.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.0 A$82.8

$56.4 A$80.6

2.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.7 A$101

$55.6 A$79.4

27.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.25 A$33.20

$17.64 A$25.19

31.80%

Cinema Ticket

$17.83 A$25.46

$15.43 A$22.04

15.55%

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

$2,358 A$3,368

$2,372 A$3,387

-0.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.2K A$38.8K

$20.2K A$28.8K

34.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 A$115

$76.4 A$109

5.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.3 A$99.0

$57.1 A$81.5

21.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$158

$108 A$154

2.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 A$182

$130 A$186

-2.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,566 A$3,664

$1,408 A$2,010

82.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 A$2,560

$1,177 A$1,680

52.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,202 A$7,429

$2,171 A$3,101

139.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,156 A$4,508

$1,848 A$2,639

70.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.1K

$5,792 A$8,272

131.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,727 A$12.5K

$4,998 A$7,138

74.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,118 A$5,881

$3,177 A$4,538

29.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

5.95

-0.50%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 24, 2026

Last update for Bowral: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9%

Bowral

$1.2K 47.8% 34.3% $616

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$382 11.7%

Bowral

$394 16% 3.1% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$337 10.3%

Bowral

$266 10.8% 21.1% $71

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.2%

Bowral

$266 10.8% 11% $33

Getting Around

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Bowral

$105 4.3% 40.2% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$175 5.3%

Bowral

$167 6.8% 4.2% $7.4

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$106 3.3%

Bowral

$86 3.5% 18.7% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,566 in Sydney and $1,408 in Bowral. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 30% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $90 in Sydney vs $90 in Bowral for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $382 vs $394 per month, with Sydney cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇦🇺 Bowral

🕒 Local time

18:55 6:55 PM

Same time as Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

10,764

💱 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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Sydney Bowral 100 km

From you

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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 Bowral: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,267 in Sydney and $2,461 in Bowral, so Bowral is about 25% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 30% higher in Sydney, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,566 in Sydney versus $1,408 in Bowral. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Sydney pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $3,267 per month in Sydney versus $2,461 in Bowral – Bowral is about 25% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,461 in Bowral versus $3,267 in Sydney, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Bowral but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Bowral the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

It comes down to priorities – Bowral wins on affordability, Sydney on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.