Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Dandenong

For one person, living is cheaper in Dandenong: $1,068 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $26,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

157

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
Learn more

Sydney Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Dandenong
Learn more

Dandenong Living Index

Jump to prices

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Dandenong

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,068

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Dandenong

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

A single person spends $3,267 per month in Sydney vs $1,068 in Dandenong, rent included.

Sydney $3,267
Dandenong $1,068

A couple spends around $4,847 per month in Sydney vs $2,360 in Dandenong, rent included.

Sydney $4,847
Dandenong $2,360

A family of three spends $6,428 per month in Sydney vs $3,651 in Dandenong, rent included.

Sydney $6,428
Dandenong $3,651

Sydney costs about 206% more than Dandenong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Sydney sits 140% above the global median, while Dandenong is 22% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.87

$17.69 A$25.14

-1.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.4 A$128

$51.7 A$73.5

74.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$16.99

$12.18 A$17.31

-1.81%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.68

$4.11 A$5.84

-2.68%

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

$2.81 A$4.00

$2.31 A$3.29

21.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 A$3.16

$2.32 A$3.29

-4.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 A$11.56

$5.64 A$8.02

44.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 A$10.23

$3.53 A$5.02

103.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 A$2.42

$1.51 A$2.14

12.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.17

$2.48 A$3.53

18.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.57

$2.47 A$3.51

1.62%

Eggs

$5.66 A$8.04

$5.57 A$7.92

1.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 A$17.36

$8.37 A$11.89

46.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 A$13.24

$7.75 A$11.02

20.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 A$23.97

$11.87 A$16.87

42.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.90 A$5.54

$3.45 A$4.91

13.04%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.58

$2.74 A$3.89

17.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 A$4.88

$2.14 A$3.05

60.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 A$6.16

$2.08 A$2.95

108.17%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.75

$2.05 A$2.91

63.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.41

$2.51 A$3.56

-4.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.32

$0.67 A$0.95

249.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 A$1.65

$1.58 A$2.24

-26.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.47 A$64.6

$45.38 A$64.5

0.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 A$19.88

$10.43 A$14.81

34.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.11 A$5.84

$5.76 A$8.19

-28.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 A$5.94

$3.57 A$5.07

17.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.12 A$4.44

$4.98 A$7.07

-37.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 A$216

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 A$4.92

$4.35 A$6.18

-20.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.22

$1.42 A$2.02

9.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.54 A$56.2

$30.49 A$43.32

29.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.05

$1.36 A$1.94

6.62%

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

$29.9K A$42.5K

$29.9K A$42.6K

-0.17%

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

$27.5K A$39.1K

$24.2K A$34.3K

13.92%

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

$251 A$356

$228 A$324

9.89%

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

$27.76 A$39.44

$15.81 A$22.46

75.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.0 A$82.4

$42.75 A$60.8

35.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.7 A$100

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.25 A$33.04

Cinema Ticket

$17.83 A$25.33

$17.48 A$24.84

2.00%

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

$2,358 A$3,351

$2,493 A$3,543

-5.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.2K A$38.6K

$30.6K A$43.5K

-11.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 A$114

$31.84 A$45.24

152.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.3 A$98.5

$17.19 A$24.42

303.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$157

$104 A$147

6.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 A$181

$114 A$162

12.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,566 A$3,646

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 A$2,547

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,202 A$7,391

$2,109 A$2,997

146.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,156 A$4,485

$1,406 A$1,998

124.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,727 A$12.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,118 A$5,851

$4,124 A$5,860

-0.14%

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 Dandenong: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9%

Dandenong

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$382 11.7%

Dandenong

$314 29.4% 17.9% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$337 10.3%

Dandenong

$287 26.9% 14.8% $50

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.2%

Dandenong

$281 26.3% 6% $18

Getting Around

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Dandenong

$31 * 2.9% 82.1% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$175 5.3%

Dandenong

$120 11.2% 31.3% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$106 3.3%

Dandenong

$35 * 3.3% 67.1% $71

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Sydney versus $52 in Dandenong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $382 vs $314 – making Dandenong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇦🇺 Dandenong

🕒 Local time

10:12 10:12 AM

Same time as Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

30,127

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sydney Dandenong 710 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Dandenong

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 Dandenong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sydney is pricier by about 206%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,900 per month in Sydney and $1,602 in Dandenong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,267 in Sydney and $1,068 in Dandenong. That makes Dandenong about 67% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $2,358 per month in Sydney and $2,493 in Dandenong. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Dandenong, where all-in costs run around $1,068, than in Sydney at $3,267. In Dandenong it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Sydney has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,068 in Dandenong to $3,267 in Sydney. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.