Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Bunbury

For one person, living is cheaper in Bunbury: $2,192 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

157

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
Learn more

Sydney Living Index
105

Cost of Living Index in Bunbury
Learn more

Bunbury Living Index

Jump to prices

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Bunbury

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,192

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Bunbury

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,267 in Sydney versus $2,192 in Bunbury.

Sydney $3,267
Bunbury $2,192

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,847 in Sydney versus $3,364 in Bunbury.

Sydney $4,847
Bunbury $3,364

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,428 in Sydney versus $4,536 in Bunbury.

Sydney $6,428
Bunbury $4,536

Living in Sydney is roughly 49% more expensive than in Bunbury, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sydney 140% above, Bunbury 61% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.87

$20.96 A$29.78

-16.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.4 A$128

$82.6 A$117

9.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$16.99

$11.17 A$15.88

7.07%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.68

$4.15 A$5.89

-3.61%

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

$2.81 A$4.00

$2.77 A$3.94

1.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 A$3.16

$2.20 A$3.12

0.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 A$11.56

$8.49 A$12.07

-4.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 A$10.23

$8.53 A$12.12

-15.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 A$2.42

$1.09 A$1.54

55.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.17

$1.11 A$1.58

164.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.57

$1.96 A$2.78

28.06%

Eggs

$5.66 A$8.04

$5.30 A$7.53

6.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 A$17.36

$9.03 A$12.84

35.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 A$13.24

$8.35 A$11.87

11.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 A$23.97

$8.27 A$11.76

103.99%

Apples (1kg)

$3.90 A$5.54

$3.72 A$5.29

4.84%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.58

$3.15 A$4.48

2.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 A$4.88

$2.86 A$4.06

19.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 A$6.16

$4.59 A$6.52

-5.66%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.75

$2.79 A$3.97

20.07%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.41

$1.98 A$2.81

21.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.32

$1.78 A$2.54

31.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 A$1.65

$0.79 A$1.12

46.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.47 A$64.6

$26.21 A$37.24

73.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 A$19.88

$6.96 A$9.89

101.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.11 A$5.84

$4.39 A$6.23

-6.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 A$5.94

$3.41 A$4.85

22.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.12 A$4.44

$2.84 A$4.04

9.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 A$216

$55.9 A$79.4

171.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 A$4.92

$3.55 A$5.05

-2.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.22

$1.42 A$2.01

9.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.54 A$56.2

$35.44 A$50.4

11.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.05

$1.22 A$1.74

18.85%

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

$29.9K A$42.5K

$20.7K A$29.5K

44.17%

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

$27.5K A$39.1K

$18.7K A$26.6K

47.04%

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

$251 A$356

$157 A$224

59.44%

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

$27.76 A$39.44

$32.85 A$46.67

-15.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.0 A$82.4

$62.9 A$89.4

-7.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.7 A$100

$55.6 A$79.0

27.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.25 A$33.04

$10.48 A$14.88

121.85%

Cinema Ticket

$17.83 A$25.33

$13.92 A$19.78

28.09%

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

$2,358 A$3,351

$2,269 A$3,224

3.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.2K A$38.6K

$22.9K A$32.6K

18.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 A$114

$76.9 A$109

4.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.3 A$98.5

$63.1 A$89.6

9.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$157

$122 A$173

-9.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 A$181

$96.0 A$136

32.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,566 A$3,646

$992 A$1,410

158.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 A$2,547

$998 A$1,418

79.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,202 A$7,391

$1,850 A$2,629

181.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,156 A$4,485

$1,812 A$2,574

74.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.0K

$4,785 A$6,799

179.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,727 A$12.4K

$4,027 A$5,722

116.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,118 A$5,851

$4,606 A$6,545

-10.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

5.96

-0.67%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 24, 2026

Last update for Bunbury: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9%

Bunbury

$998 45.5% 44.3% $795

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$382 11.7%

Bunbury

$288 13.2% 24.6% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$337 10.3%

Bunbury

$253 11.6% 24.8% $84

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.2%

Bunbury

$330 15.1% 10.5% $31

Getting Around

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Bunbury

$78 3.6% 55.6% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$175 5.3%

Bunbury

$161 7.3% 7.8% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$106 3.3%

Bunbury

$83 3.8% 21.5% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,566 in Sydney and $992 in Bunbury. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bunbury pays 12% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $90 in Sydney vs $83 in Bunbury for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $382 vs $288 per month, with Bunbury cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇦🇺 Bunbury

🕒 Local time

05:47 5:47 AM

02:47 2:47 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

75,196

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sydney Bunbury 3,280 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Bunbury

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 Bunbury: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bunbury is cheaper overall, especially in transport, groceries, and leisure. The 49% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 11% lower in Sydney. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,566 in Sydney versus $992 in Bunbury. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,358 in Sydney versus $2,269 in Bunbury. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Sydney. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,192 in Bunbury versus $3,267 in Sydney, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Bunbury but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Bunbury 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 Bunbury are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bunbury gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.