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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sydney
Canberra
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.32 A$22.68
$15.96 A$22.18
2.26%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$78.7 A$109
$88.8 A$123
-11.45%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.88 A$13.74
$9.66 A$13.42
2.28%
Cappuccino
$3.41 A$4.73
$3.42 A$4.76
-0.29%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.50 A$3.48
$2.58 A$3.58
-3.10%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.93 A$2.68
$2.25 A$3.12
-14.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.46 A$8.97
$6.49 A$9.02
-0.46%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.18 A$9.98
$7.68 A$10.68
-6.51%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sydney
Canberra
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.64 A$2.28
$1.38 A$1.91
18.84%
White Bread (500g)
$2.69 A$3.74
$2.58 A$3.59
4.26%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.28 A$3.17
$1.78 A$2.47
28.09%
Eggs
$5.08 A$7.06
$4.06 A$5.64
25.12%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.88 A$12.35
$9.80 A$13.62
-9.39%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.31 A$11.56
$8.77 A$12.19
-5.25%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.94 A$19.37
$14.77 A$20.53
-5.62%
Apples (1kg)
$3.36 A$4.68
$3.21 A$4.46
4.67%
Banana (1kg)
$2.73 A$3.80
$2.87 A$3.99
-4.88%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.08 A$4.28
$3.02 A$4.20
1.99%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.47 A$6.22
$4.65 A$6.46
-3.87%
Potato (1kg)
$2.45 A$3.40
$2.40 A$3.34
2.08%
Onion (1kg)
$2.29 A$3.18
$2.16 A$3.00
6.02%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.16 A$3.00
$2.45 A$3.40
-11.84%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.30 A$1.81
$1.28 A$1.79
1.56%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$32.33 A$44.93
$30.39 A$42.25
6.38%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.11 A$19.61
$14.61 A$20.30
-3.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.79 A$6.65
$4.98 A$6.93
-3.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.22 A$7.26
$6.07 A$8.43
-14.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Sydney
Canberra
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.29 A$4.58
$3.33 A$4.63
-1.20%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$139 A$193
$122 A$169
14.08%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.88 A$5.39
$3.93 A$5.47
-1.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.00 A$4.17
$1.79 A$2.49
67.60%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$52.0 A$72.3
$41.36 A$57.5
25.70%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.25 A$1.73
$1.18 A$1.64
5.93%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.8K A$40.1K
$29.0K A$40.4K
-0.75%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.5K A$31.3K
$22.6K A$31.5K
-0.48%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sydney
Canberra
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$202 A$281
$222 A$308
-8.86%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.11 A$33.51
$30.06 A$41.78
-19.79%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.1 A$72.4
$52.6 A$73.1
-1.03%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sydney
Canberra
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.3 A$83.9
$59.0 A$82.0
2.31%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.09 A$29.31
$20.25 A$28.14
4.15%
Cinema Ticket
$15.90 A$22.10
$13.71 A$19.06
15.97%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sydney
Canberra
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,072 A$2,880
$1,750 A$2,433
18.36%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.4K A$25.6K
$13.0K A$18.1K
41.68%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sydney
Canberra
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$72.9 A$101
$71.3 A$99.2
2.14%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.4 A$79.8
$55.5 A$77.1
3.52%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 A$150
$99.7 A$139
8.00%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$130 A$180
$114 A$158
14.10%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sydney
Canberra
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,145 A$2,982
$1,580 A$2,196
35.79%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,501 A$2,086
$1,163 A$1,616
29.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,487 A$6,237
$2,816 A$3,915
59.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,640 A$3,670
$1,756 A$2,441
50.39%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$12.3K A$17.0K
$10.8K A$15.0K
13.32%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,935 A$11.0K
$6,723 A$9,345
18.03%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sydney
Canberra
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,123 A$5,732
$4,044 A$5,621
1.96%
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: April 13, 2026

Last update for Canberra: April 12, 2026

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

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