Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Canberra Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Canberra

😐 Solo nomad: Sydney is 2.4% more expensive than Canberra without rent, and 12.9% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Sydney is 2.1% cheaper than Canberra without rent, and 18.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sydney
Canberra
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.02 A$24.54
$16.19 A$24.8
-1.05%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$77.1 A$118
$88.8 A$136
-13.17%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.6 A$14.7
$9.72 A$14.89
-1.23%
Cappuccino
$3.33 A$5.11
$3.46 A$5.3
-3.76%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.5 A$3.83
$2.61 A$4
-4.21%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2 A$3.06
$2.31 A$3.53
-13.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.33 A$9.69
$6.39 A$9.78
-0.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.09 A$10.86
$7.66 A$11.74
-7.44%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sydney
Canberra
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.69 A$2.59
$1.38 A$2.11
22.46%
White Bread (500g)
$2.7 A$4.13
$2.65 A$4.06
1.89%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.34 A$3.59
$1.82 A$2.79
28.57%
Eggs
$5.05 A$7.74
$4.24 A$6.49
19.10%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.65 A$13.25
$9.7 A$14.86
-10.82%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.45 A$12.95
$9.28 A$14.22
-8.94%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.8 A$21.14
$14.54 A$22.27
-5.09%
Apples (1kg)
$3.18 A$4.88
$3.24 A$4.96
-1.85%
Banana (1kg)
$2.67 A$4.09
$2.97 A$4.55
-10.10%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.13 A$4.8
$3.05 A$4.67
2.62%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.36 A$6.67
$4.66 A$7.13
-6.44%
Potato (1kg)
$2.56 A$3.92
$2.3 A$3.52
11.30%
Onion (1kg)
$2.36 A$3.62
$2.17 A$3.32
8.76%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.16 A$3.31
$2.35 A$3.6
-8.09%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 A$1.91
$1.28 A$1.95
-3.13%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$31.93 A$48.92
$31.15 A$47.73
2.50%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.43 A$20.58
$12.94 A$19.82
3.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.8 A$7.35
$5.03 A$7.71
-4.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.26 A$8.06
$5.82 A$8.91
-9.62%
🚌 Getting Around
Sydney
Canberra
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.19 A$4.88
$3.2 A$4.9
-0.31%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$139 A$212
$120 A$184
15.52%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.79 A$5.81
$3.89 A$5.96
-2.57%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.96 A$4.54
$1.72 A$2.64
72.09%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$51.4 A$78.7
$41.45 A$63.5
23.96%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.2 A$1.84
$1.18 A$1.8
1.69%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.3K A$44.9K
$29.3K A$44.8K
0.10%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.2K A$34K
$22.6K A$34.6K
-1.64%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sydney
Canberra
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$201 A$308
$219 A$336
-8.23%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.73 A$36.35
$29.78 A$45.63
-20.32%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.1 A$81.3
$51.7 A$79.2
2.65%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sydney
Canberra
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$61.5 A$94.2
$60.5 A$92.7
1.59%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.64 A$31.62
$20.35 A$31.17
1.43%
Cinema Ticket
$15.47 A$23.7
$13.79 A$21.13
12.18%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sydney
Canberra
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,109 A$3,231
$1,765 A$2,704
19.46%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.8K A$28.8K
$13.4K A$20.5K
40.95%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sydney
Canberra
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$74.8 A$115
$72 A$110
3.97%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.4 A$89.5
$56.4 A$86.3
3.62%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$107 A$165
$99.9 A$153
7.56%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$132 A$203
$115 A$177
14.71%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sydney
Canberra
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,205 A$3,378
$1,587 A$2,431
38.96%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,462 A$2,239
$1,167 A$1,788
25.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,389 A$6,724
$2,777 A$4,255
58.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,669 A$4,090
$1,737 A$2,660
53.72%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$12.7K A$19.5K
$7,525 A$11.5K
69.41%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,165 A$11K
$4,945 A$7,575
44.90%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sydney
Canberra
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,965 A$6,074
$3,636 A$5,570
9.04%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.34
6.29
0.79%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 28, 2025

Last update for Canberra: October 27, 2025

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