Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Carlton

For one person, living is cheaper in Carlton: $2,328 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 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
112

Cost of Living Index in Carlton
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Carlton Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Carlton

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,328

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Carlton

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,267 in Sydney versus $2,328 in Carlton.

Sydney $3,267
Carlton $2,328

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,847 in Sydney versus $3,353 in Carlton.

Sydney $4,847
Carlton $3,353

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,428 in Sydney versus $4,379 in Carlton.

Sydney $6,428
Carlton $4,379

Living in Sydney is roughly 40% more expensive than in Carlton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sydney 140% above, Carlton 71% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.87

$17.33 A$24.63

0.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.4 A$128

$69.1 A$98.2

30.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$16.99

$10.28 A$14.61

16.34%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.68

$3.03 A$4.31

32.01%

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

$2.81 A$4.00

$2.70 A$3.84

4.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 A$3.16

$2.05 A$2.91

8.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 A$11.56

$6.69 A$9.50

21.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 A$10.23

$6.60 A$9.38

9.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 A$2.42

$1.30 A$1.84

30.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.17

$2.08 A$2.95

41.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.57

$1.39 A$1.98

80.58%

Eggs

$5.66 A$8.04

$3.41 A$4.84

65.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 A$17.36

$10.40 A$14.77

17.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 A$13.24

$9.96 A$14.16

-6.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 A$23.97

$14.94 A$21.23

12.92%

Apples (1kg)

$3.90 A$5.54

$3.31 A$4.70

17.82%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.58

$2.76 A$3.92

16.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 A$4.88

$3.27 A$4.65

4.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 A$6.16

$4.77 A$6.78

-9.22%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.75

$2.41 A$3.42

39.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.41

$2.17 A$3.09

10.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.32

$2.25 A$3.20

4.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 A$1.65

$0.90 A$1.28

28.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.47 A$64.6

$25.30 A$35.94

79.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 A$19.88

$10.61 A$15.08

31.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.11 A$5.84

$5.57 A$7.91

-26.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 A$5.94

$5.28 A$7.50

-20.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.12 A$4.44

$3.08 A$4.38

1.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 A$216

$82.7 A$117

83.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 A$4.92

$3.67 A$5.21

-5.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.22

$1.24 A$1.76

25.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.54 A$56.2

$26.46 A$37.60

49.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.05

$1.29 A$1.84

12.40%

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

$29.9K A$42.5K

$18.2K A$25.9K

63.94%

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

$27.5K A$39.1K

$14.0K A$20.0K

95.90%

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

$251 A$356

$93.2 A$132

169.23%

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

$27.76 A$39.44

$28.34 A$40.26

-2.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.0 A$82.4

$46.79 A$66.5

23.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.7 A$100

$31.85 A$45.26

121.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.25 A$33.04

$17.90 A$25.44

29.89%

Cinema Ticket

$17.83 A$25.33

$13.46 A$19.12

32.47%

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

$2,358 A$3,351

$2,108 A$2,995

11.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.2K A$38.6K

$12.4K A$17.6K

119.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 A$114

$80.0 A$114

0.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.3 A$98.5

$51.0 A$72.4

35.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$157

$69.7 A$99.0

58.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 A$181

$132 A$187

-3.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,566 A$3,646

$1,409 A$2,003

82.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 A$2,547

$1,235 A$1,754

45.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,202 A$7,391

$2,220 A$3,155

134.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,156 A$4,485

$1,837 A$2,610

71.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.0K

$5,665 A$8,049

136.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,727 A$12.4K

$4,619 A$6,562

88.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,118 A$5,851

$5,904 A$8,389

-30.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

5.9

0.34%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 24, 2026

Last update for Carlton: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9%

Carlton

$1.2K 53.1% 31.1% $558

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$382 11.7%

Carlton

$340 14.6% 11.1% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$337 10.3%

Carlton

$168 7.2% 50% $168

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.2%

Carlton

$272 11.7% 9.2% $28

Getting Around

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Carlton

$105 4.5% 40.3% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$175 5.3%

Carlton

$150 6.4% 14.4% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$106 3.3%

Carlton

$59 2.5% 44.7% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,566 in Sydney and $1,409 in Carlton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Carlton pays 43% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $90 in Sydney vs $69 in Carlton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $382 vs $340 per month, with Carlton cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇦🇺 Carlton

🕒 Local time

04:58 4:58 AM

Same time as Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

19,001

💱 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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Between locations

Sydney Carlton 710 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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 Carlton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sydney and Carlton differ by about 40% in total monthly costs ($3,267 vs $2,328 including rent). Carlton is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 30% lower in Sydney. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,566 in Sydney versus $1,409 in Carlton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,358 in Sydney versus $2,108 in Carlton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Sydney. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,328 in Carlton versus $3,267 in Sydney, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Carlton but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Carlton 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 Carlton are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Carlton gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.