Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Brookvale

For one person, living is cheaper in Brookvale: $2,565 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 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 Brookvale
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Brookvale Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Brookvale

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,565

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Brookvale

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,267 in Sydney versus $2,565 in Brookvale.

Sydney $3,267
Brookvale $2,565

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,847 in Sydney versus $3,679 in Brookvale.

Sydney $4,847
Brookvale $3,679

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,428 in Sydney versus $4,794 in Brookvale.

Sydney $6,428
Brookvale $4,794

Living in Sydney is roughly 27% more expensive than in Brookvale, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.99

$17.79 A$25.41

-1.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.4 A$129

$89.0 A$127

1.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.07

$10.41 A$14.87

14.89%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.71

$4.04 A$5.77

-0.99%

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

$2.81 A$4.02

$2.92 A$4.18

-3.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 A$3.17

$2.27 A$3.24

-2.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 A$11.62

$8.23 A$11.76

-1.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 A$10.28

$7.32 A$10.45

-1.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 A$2.43

$1.58 A$2.25

7.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.19

$2.97 A$4.24

-1.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.59

$2.38 A$3.40

5.46%

Eggs

$5.66 A$8.08

$5.16 A$7.36

9.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 A$17.44

$11.84 A$16.91

3.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 A$13.30

$9.56 A$13.65

-2.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 A$24.09

$15.61 A$22.30

8.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.90 A$5.57

$3.94 A$5.62

-1.02%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.60

$3.17 A$4.52

1.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 A$4.90

$3.38 A$4.82

1.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 A$6.19

$5.13 A$7.33

-15.59%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.78

$3.22 A$4.60

4.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.43

$2.87 A$4.10

-16.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.34

$2.32 A$3.32

0.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 A$1.65

$1.40 A$2.00

-17.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.47 A$64.9

$44.39 A$63.4

2.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 A$19.98

$14.25 A$20.35

-1.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.11 A$5.87

$4.02 A$5.74

2.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 A$5.97

$4.05 A$5.78

3.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.12 A$4.46

$3.11 A$4.44

0.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 A$217

$87.3 A$125

73.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 A$4.94

$3.49 A$4.99

-0.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.23

$1.59 A$2.28

-1.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.54 A$56.5

$40.58 A$58.0

-2.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.06

$1.38 A$1.98

5.07%

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

$29.9K A$42.7K

$28.1K A$40.2K

6.24%

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

$27.5K A$39.3K

$26.6K A$38.0K

3.54%

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

$251 A$358

$183 A$262

36.76%

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

$27.76 A$39.64

$27.11 A$38.71

2.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.0 A$82.8

$56.5 A$80.7

2.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.7 A$101

$57.6 A$82.3

22.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.25 A$33.20

$15.86 A$22.65

46.60%

Cinema Ticket

$17.83 A$25.46

$15.87 A$22.66

12.35%

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

$2,358 A$3,368

$2,397 A$3,423

-1.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.2K A$38.8K

$20.4K A$29.2K

33.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 A$115

$76.3 A$109

5.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.3 A$99.0

$57.7 A$82.3

20.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$158

$107 A$153

3.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 A$182

$127 A$181

0.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,566 A$3,664

$990 A$1,414

159.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 A$2,560

$1,251 A$1,787

43.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,202 A$7,429

$2,216 A$3,165

134.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,156 A$4,508

$1,793 A$2,560

76.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.1K

$5,889 A$8,410

127.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,727 A$12.5K

$4,963 A$7,087

75.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,118 A$5,881

$1,423 A$2,033

189.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

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

Last update for Sydney: October 24, 2026

Last update for Brookvale: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9%

Brookvale

$1.3K 48.8% 30.2% $541

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$382 11.7%

Brookvale

$382 14.9% 0.1% $0.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$337 10.3%

Brookvale

$267 10.4% 20.7% $70

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.2%

Brookvale

$299 11.6% 0.2% $0.4

Getting Around

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Brookvale

$111 4.3% 36.7% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$175 5.3%

Brookvale

$165 6.5% 5.2% $9.1

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$106 3.3%

Brookvale

$89 3.5% 16% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,566 in Sydney and $990 in Brookvale. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays about 2.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $90 in Sydney vs $89 in Brookvale. Groceries flip the comparison at $382 vs $382, with Sydney cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇦🇺 Brookvale

🕒 Local time

20:17 8:17 PM

Same time as Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

3,127

💱 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 Brookvale 13 km

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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 Brookvale: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,267 in Sydney and $2,565 in Brookvale, so Brookvale is about 21% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Sydney is about 2.9 times higher, 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 $990 in Brookvale. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,358 in Sydney versus $2,397 in Brookvale. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $3,267 per month in Sydney versus $2,565 in Brookvale – Brookvale is about 21% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,565 in Brookvale versus $3,267 in Sydney, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Brookvale but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Brookvale 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 Brookvale are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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