Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Canterbury-Bankstown

For one person, living is cheaper in Canterbury-Bankstown: $2,714 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 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
123

Cost of Living Index in Canterbury-Bankstown
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Canterbury-Bankstown Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Canterbury-Bankstown

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,714

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Canterbury-Bankstown

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 Canterbury-Bankstown actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,267 in Sydney versus $2,714 in Canterbury-Bankstown.

Sydney $3,267
Canterbury-Bankstown $2,714

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,847 in Sydney versus $3,798 in Canterbury-Bankstown.

Sydney $4,847
Canterbury-Bankstown $3,798

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,428 in Sydney versus $4,882 in Canterbury-Bankstown.

Sydney $6,428
Canterbury-Bankstown $4,882

Living in Sydney is roughly 20% more expensive than in Canterbury-Bankstown, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sydney 140% above, Canterbury-Bankstown 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.87

$17.21 A$24.46

1.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.4 A$128

$88.7 A$126

1.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$16.99

$10.32 A$14.66

15.89%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.68

$3.92 A$5.57

2.04%

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

$2.81 A$4.00

$2.79 A$3.97

0.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 A$3.16

$2.19 A$3.11

1.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 A$11.56

$8.25 A$11.73

-1.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 A$10.23

$7.47 A$10.61

-3.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 A$2.42

$1.72 A$2.44

-1.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.17

$3.16 A$4.49

-6.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.57

$2.50 A$3.55

0.40%

Eggs

$5.66 A$8.04

$5.62 A$7.98

0.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 A$17.36

$12.05 A$17.12

1.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 A$13.24

$9.44 A$13.42

-1.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 A$23.97

$16.86 A$23.95

0.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.90 A$5.54

$3.92 A$5.57

-0.51%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.58

$3.14 A$4.46

2.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 A$4.88

$3.51 A$4.99

-2.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 A$6.16

$5.03 A$7.14

-13.92%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.75

$3.06 A$4.35

9.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.41

$2.52 A$3.58

-4.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.32

$2.39 A$3.39

-2.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 A$1.65

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.47 A$64.6

$45.21 A$64.3

0.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 A$19.88

$14.28 A$20.29

-2.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.11 A$5.84

$4.74 A$6.73

-13.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 A$5.94

$5.53 A$7.85

-24.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.12 A$4.44

$3.05 A$4.33

2.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 A$216

$88.7 A$126

71.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 A$4.92

$3.42 A$4.86

1.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.22

$1.63 A$2.31

-4.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.54 A$56.2

$40.96 A$58.2

-3.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.05

$1.44 A$2.04

0.69%

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

$29.9K A$42.5K

$28.5K A$40.5K

4.88%

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

$27.5K A$39.1K

$26.2K A$37.2K

5.22%

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

$251 A$356

$182 A$258

37.98%

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

$27.76 A$39.44

$27.52 A$39.10

0.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.0 A$82.4

$56.1 A$79.7

3.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.7 A$100

$55.9 A$79.4

26.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.25 A$33.04

$17.63 A$25.05

31.88%

Cinema Ticket

$17.83 A$25.33

$17.23 A$24.48

3.48%

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

$2,358 A$3,351

$2,401 A$3,412

-1.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.2K A$38.6K

$20.0K A$28.4K

35.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 A$114

$77.0 A$109

4.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.3 A$98.5

$70.8 A$101

-2.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$157

$111 A$158

-0.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 A$181

$135 A$192

-5.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,566 A$3,646

$1,321 A$1,877

94.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 A$2,547

$1,383 A$1,965

29.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,202 A$7,391

$2,263 A$3,215

129.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,156 A$4,485

$1,840 A$2,614

71.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.0K

$5,114 A$7,267

161.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,727 A$12.4K

$5,147 A$7,314

69.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,118 A$5,851

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

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

Last update for Sydney: October 24, 2026

Last update for Canterbury-Bankstown: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9%

Canterbury-Bankstown

$1.4K 51% 22.9% $410

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$382 11.7%

Canterbury-Bankstown

$394 14.5% 3.1% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$337 10.3%

Canterbury-Bankstown

$265 9.8% 21.2% $71

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.2%

Canterbury-Bankstown

$292 10.8% 2.4% $7.3

Getting Around

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Canterbury-Bankstown

$112 4.1% 36% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$175 5.3%

Canterbury-Bankstown

$177 6.5% 1.6% $2.9

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$106 3.3%

Canterbury-Bankstown

$90 3.3% 15% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,566 in Sydney and $1,321 in Canterbury-Bankstown. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $90 in Sydney vs $89 in Canterbury-Bankstown. Groceries flip the comparison at $382 vs $394, with Sydney cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇦🇺 Canterbury-Bankstown

🕒 Local time

00:56 12:56 AM

Same time as Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

350,983

💱 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

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Sydney Canterbury-Bankstown 14 km

From you

Sydney
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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 Canterbury-Bankstown: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sydney and Canterbury-Bankstown differ by about 20% in total monthly costs ($3,267 vs $2,714 including rent). Canterbury-Bankstown is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $4,900 in Sydney and $4,071 in Canterbury-Bankstown to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,566 in Sydney versus $1,321 in Canterbury-Bankstown. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,358 in Sydney versus $2,401 in Canterbury-Bankstown. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Canterbury-Bankstown runs roughly 42% less than in Sydney. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

At $2,714 in Canterbury-Bankstown versus $3,267 in Sydney, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Canterbury-Bankstown but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Canterbury-Bankstown 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 Canterbury-Bankstown are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.