Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Cranbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Cranbourne: $2,446 a month against $3,245 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

156

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
Learn more

Sydney Living Index
118

Cost of Living Index in Cranbourne
Learn more

Cranbourne Living Index

Jump to prices

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,245

/mo nomad

Cranbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,446

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Cranbourne

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,245 in Sydney versus $2,446 in Cranbourne.

Sydney $3,245
Cranbourne $2,446

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,803 in Sydney versus $3,501 in Cranbourne.

Sydney $4,803
Cranbourne $3,501

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,362 in Sydney versus $4,556 in Cranbourne.

Sydney $6,362
Cranbourne $4,556

Living in Sydney is roughly 33% more expensive than in Cranbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sydney 139% above, Cranbourne 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.41 A$25.05

$8.55 A$12.30

103.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.3 A$130

$83.7 A$121

7.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 A$17.15

$12.31 A$17.71

-3.17%

Cappuccino

$4.03 A$5.80

$2.70 A$3.88

49.26%

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

$2.88 A$4.15

$2.74 A$3.94

5.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 A$3.20

$1.65 A$2.37

35.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 A$11.36

$6.77 A$9.74

16.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 A$9.76

$7.54 A$10.85

-10.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 A$2.45

$2.61 A$3.76

-34.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$3.28 A$4.72

-10.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.61

$3.75 A$5.40

-33.07%

Eggs

$5.55 A$7.99

$4.89 A$7.03

13.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 A$16.94

$10.00 A$14.39

17.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 A$13.35

$10.82 A$15.57

-14.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.70 A$24.03

$12.15 A$17.49

37.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.92 A$5.64

$3.21 A$4.62

22.12%

Banana (1kg)

$3.16 A$4.55

$3.40 A$4.89

-7.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.48 A$5.00

$4.04 A$5.82

-13.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.38 A$6.31

$3.53 A$5.08

24.08%

Potato (1kg)

$3.33 A$4.79

$3.42 A$4.92

-2.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.46

$2.19 A$3.15

9.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 A$3.32

$1.54 A$2.21

50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 A$1.65

$1.58 A$2.28

-27.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.34 A$63.8

$50.6 A$72.8

-12.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.71 A$19.72

$22.29 A$32.08

-38.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.00 A$5.75

$8.63 A$12.42

-53.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 A$5.80

$5.16 A$7.42

-21.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.22 A$4.63

$1.37 A$1.97

135.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$154 A$222

$80.9 A$116

90.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 A$5.14

$6.46 A$9.29

-44.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 A$2.27

$1.44 A$2.07

9.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.44 A$56.8

$24.03 A$34.57

64.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.13

$1.32 A$1.90

12.12%

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

$29.6K A$42.5K

$26.5K A$38.2K

11.36%

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

$27.7K A$39.8K

$29.5K A$42.4K

-6.12%

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

$241 A$347

$261 A$375

-7.48%

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

$27.57 A$39.67

$27.69 A$39.85

-0.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.3 A$81.0

$22.99 A$33.08

144.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.1 A$112

$39.04 A$56.2

100.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.26 A$33.47

$17.35 A$24.97

34.06%

Cinema Ticket

$17.55 A$25.26

$8.66 A$12.46

102.66%

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

$2,185 A$3,144

$2,170 A$3,122

0.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.8K A$40.0K

$19.9K A$28.7K

39.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$77.1 A$111

3.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.7 A$102

$27.96 A$40.23

152.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$159

$108 A$156

1.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 A$186

$120 A$173

7.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,477 A$3,564

$1,386 A$1,995

78.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,777 A$2,557

$1,201 A$1,728

47.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,885 A$7,030

$2,134 A$3,071

128.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,093 A$4,451

$1,819 A$2,617

70.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.3K

$5,758 A$8,286

132.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,375 A$12.1K

$4,846 A$6,973

72.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,074 A$5,862

$1,753 A$2,522

132.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

5.84

1.37%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 20, 2026

Last update for Cranbourne: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.8%

Cranbourne

$1.2K 49.1% 32.4% $576

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$378 11.7%

Cranbourne

$422 17.3% 11.6% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$325 10%

Cranbourne

$312 12.7% 4.2% $14

Eating Out

Sydney

$297 9.2%

Cranbourne

$204 8.4% 31.2% $93

Getting Around

Sydney

$178 5.5%

Cranbourne

$100 4.1% 44% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Cranbourne

$150 6.1% 14.6% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$113 3.5%

Cranbourne

$56 2.3% 50.2% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,477 in Sydney and $1,386 in Cranbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 132% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $90.0 in Sydney vs $84.0 in Cranbourne. Groceries flip the comparison at $378 vs $422, with Sydney cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇦🇺 Cranbourne

🕒 Local time

23:29 11:29 PM

Same time as Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

21,281

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sydney Cranbourne 710 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Cranbourne

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 Cranbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sydney and Cranbourne differ by about 33% in total monthly costs ($3,245 vs $2,446 including rent). Cranbourne is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 132% higher in Sydney, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,477 in Sydney versus $1,386 in Cranbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,185 in Sydney versus $2,170 in Cranbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Sydney pay roughly 12% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,446 in Cranbourne versus $3,245 in Sydney, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Cranbourne but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Cranbourne 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 Cranbourne 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 Cranbourne gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.