Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Canberra

For one person, living is cheaper in Canberra: $2,886 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 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
138

Cost of Living Index in Canberra
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Canberra Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Canberra

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,886

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Canberra

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

A single person spends $3,267 per month in Sydney vs $2,886 in Canberra, rent included.

Sydney $3,267
Canberra $2,886

A couple spends around $4,847 per month in Sydney vs $4,020 in Canberra, rent included.

Sydney $4,847
Canberra $4,020

A family of three spends $6,428 per month in Sydney vs $5,153 in Canberra, rent included.

Sydney $6,428
Canberra $5,153

Sydney costs about 13% more than Canberra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Sydney and Canberra sit above the global median – Sydney by 140%, Canberra by 112%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.87

$20.77 A$29.51

-15.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.4 A$128

$89.8 A$128

0.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$16.99

$10.43 A$14.82

14.67%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.68

$3.99 A$5.66

0.25%

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

$2.81 A$4.00

$3.12 A$4.43

-9.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 A$3.16

$2.64 A$3.75

-15.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 A$11.56

$8.32 A$11.82

-2.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 A$10.23

$10.11 A$14.36

-28.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 A$2.42

$1.49 A$2.12

14.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.17

$3.14 A$4.47

-6.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.57

$2.53 A$3.59

-0.79%

Eggs

$5.66 A$8.04

$5.32 A$7.56

6.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 A$17.36

$13.15 A$18.68

-7.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 A$13.24

$9.98 A$14.18

-6.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 A$23.97

$15.08 A$21.43

11.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.90 A$5.54

$4.03 A$5.72

-3.23%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.58

$3.17 A$4.50

1.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 A$4.88

$3.54 A$5.03

-3.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 A$6.16

$5.13 A$7.29

-15.59%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.75

$3.22 A$4.57

4.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.41

$2.83 A$4.02

-15.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.32

$2.48 A$3.52

-5.65%

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$64.6

$44.06 A$62.6

3.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 A$19.88

$14.26 A$20.26

-1.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.11 A$5.84

$4.81 A$6.84

-14.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 A$5.94

$5.68 A$8.07

-26.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.12 A$4.44

$2.53 A$3.60

23.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 A$216

$94.8 A$135

60.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 A$4.92

$3.99 A$5.67

-13.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.22

$1.65 A$2.35

-5.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.54 A$56.2

$42.56 A$60.5

-7.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.05

$1.33 A$1.89

9.02%

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

$29.9K A$42.5K

$28.0K A$39.8K

6.85%

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

$27.5K A$39.1K

$26.3K A$37.4K

4.67%

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

$251 A$356

$184 A$262

36.13%

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

$27.76 A$39.44

$26.57 A$37.75

4.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.0 A$82.4

$55.9 A$79.5

3.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.7 A$100

$79.4 A$113

-11.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.25 A$33.04

$27.81 A$39.52

-16.40%

Cinema Ticket

$17.83 A$25.33

$16.02 A$22.76

11.30%

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

$2,358 A$3,351

$2,460 A$3,496

-4.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.2K A$38.6K

$20.6K A$29.3K

31.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 A$114

$76.1 A$108

5.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.3 A$98.5

$57.4 A$81.6

20.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$157

$107 A$153

3.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 A$181

$133 A$189

-4.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,566 A$3,646

$1,749 A$2,485

46.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 A$2,547

$1,495 A$2,125

19.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,202 A$7,391

$3,065 A$4,355

69.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,156 A$4,485

$1,978 A$2,811

59.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.0K

$11.1K A$15.8K

20.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,727 A$12.4K

$7,790 A$11.1K

12.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,118 A$5,851

$4,317 A$6,134

-4.61%

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 Canberra: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9%

Canberra

$1.5K 51.8% 16.6% $297

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$382 11.7%

Canberra

$397 13.8% 4% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$337 10.3%

Canberra

$267 9.2% 20.7% $70

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.2%

Canberra

$330 11.4% 10.4% $31

Getting Around

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Canberra

$117 4.1% 33.3% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$175 5.3%

Canberra

$168 5.8% 3.6% $6.4

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$106 3.3%

Canberra

$111 3.9% 4.8% $5.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,566 in Sydney versus $1,749 in Canberra. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 5% higher in Canberra, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Sydney versus $90 in Canberra. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $382 vs $397 – making Sydney the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇦🇺 Canberra

🕒 Local time

05:47 5:47 AM

Same time as Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

466,566 Capital

💱 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

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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 Canberra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,267 in Sydney, $2,886 in Canberra – roughly 13% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,900 per month in Sydney and $4,329 in Canberra. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Canberra, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,749 there versus $2,566 in Sydney.

Public transport costs about 38% less in Canberra. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Interestingly, groceries are about 4% cheaper in Sydney – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.