Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Cairns Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Cairns

😐 Solo nomad: Sydney is 6.7% more expensive than Cairns without rent, and 21.5% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Sydney is 5% cheaper than Cairns without rent, and 23.3% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.02 A$24.54

$11.67 A$17.88

37.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.1 A$118

$81.9 A$125

-5.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.6 A$14.7

$10.66 A$16.33

-9.94%

Cappuccino

$3.33 A$5.11

$3.92 A$6.01

-15.05%

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

$2.5 A$3.83

$2.73 A$4.19

-8.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2 A$3.06

$2.26 A$3.46

-11.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.33 A$9.69

$6.58 A$10.09

-3.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.09 A$10.86

$7.07 A$10.83

0.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 A$2.59

$1.7 A$2.61

-0.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.7 A$4.13

$2.51 A$3.85

7.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.34 A$3.59

$2.71 A$4.15

-13.65%

Eggs

$5.05 A$7.74

$3.93 A$6.02

28.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.65 A$13.25

$7.87 A$12.06

9.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.45 A$12.95

$9.19 A$14.08

-8.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.8 A$21.14

$12.84 A$19.67

7.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.18 A$4.88

$2.99 A$4.58

6.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.67 A$4.09

$2.31 A$3.53

15.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.8

$2.66 A$4.07

17.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.36 A$6.67

$7.39 A$11.32

-41.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 A$3.92

$2.28 A$3.5

12.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 A$3.62

$2.23 A$3.42

5.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 A$3.31

$2.27 A$3.47

-4.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 A$1.91

$2.88 A$4.42

-56.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$31.93 A$48.92

$29.83 A$45.69

7.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.43 A$20.58

$11.03 A$16.89

21.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.8 A$7.35

$3.39 A$5.2

41.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.26 A$8.06

$3.52 A$5.39

49.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.19 A$4.88

$3.22 A$4.94

-0.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$212

$65.4 A$100

111.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.79 A$5.81

$6.44 A$9.86

-41.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.96 A$4.54

$3.13 A$4.8

-5.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$51.4 A$78.7

$33.86 A$51.9

51.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.2 A$1.84

$1.15 A$1.77

4.35%

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

$29.3K A$44.9K

$22.7K A$34.8K

29.01%

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

$22.2K A$34K

$19.2K A$29.4K

15.84%

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

$201 A$308

$153 A$234

31.52%

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

$23.73 A$36.35

$37.09 A$56.8

-36.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 A$81.3

$59 A$90.3

-9.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.5 A$94.2

$38.89 A$59.6

58.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.64 A$31.62

$15.92 A$24.39

29.65%

Cinema Ticket

$15.47 A$23.7

$12.98 A$19.88

19.18%

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

$2,109 A$3,231

$1,628 A$2,494

29.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K A$28.8K

$12.1K A$18.5K

55.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.8 A$115

$83 A$127

-9.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.4 A$89.5

$66.2 A$101

-11.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 A$165

$98.2 A$150

9.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$203

$135 A$206

-1.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,205 A$3,378

$1,193 A$1,828

84.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,462 A$2,239

$1,110 A$1,701

31.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,389 A$6,724

$2,042 A$3,128

114.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,669 A$4,090

$1,858 A$2,847

43.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.7K A$19.5K

$6,035 A$9,246

111.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,165 A$11K

$4,795 A$7,346

49.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,965 A$6,074

$2,813 A$4,310

40.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.34

6.96

-8.91%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 28, 2025

Last update for Cairns: October 27, 2025

Similar cities

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

Munich

🇩🇪 Germany

Vienna

🇦🇹 Austria