Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Dargaville

For one person, living is cheaper in Dargaville: $2,134 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 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
96

Cost of Living Index in Dargaville
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Dargaville Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Dargaville

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,134

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Dargaville

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,267 in Sydney versus $2,134 in Dargaville.

Sydney $3,267
Dargaville $2,134

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,847 in Sydney versus $3,019 in Dargaville.

Sydney $4,847
Dargaville $3,019

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,428 in Sydney versus $3,904 in Dargaville.

Sydney $6,428
Dargaville $3,904

Living in Sydney is roughly 53% more expensive than in Dargaville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sydney 140% above, Dargaville 57% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.87

$14.54 NZ$25.92

20.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.4 A$128

$68.9 NZ$123

31.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$16.99

$9.05 NZ$16.13

32.15%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.68

$3.69 NZ$6.58

8.40%

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

$2.81 A$4.00

$2.18 NZ$3.89

28.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 A$3.16

$2.09 NZ$3.73

6.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 A$11.56

$6.31 NZ$11.24

28.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 A$10.23

$5.63 NZ$10.04

27.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 A$2.42

$2.05 NZ$3.65

-17.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.17

$1.96 NZ$3.49

50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.57

$1.52 NZ$2.71

65.13%

Eggs

$5.66 A$8.04

$6.70 NZ$11.94

-15.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 A$17.36

$8.49 NZ$15.14

43.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 A$13.24

$10.47 NZ$18.66

-11.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 A$23.97

$12.69 NZ$22.62

32.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.90 A$5.54

$2.65 NZ$4.72

47.17%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.58

$2.14 NZ$3.81

50.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 A$4.88

$2.92 NZ$5.20

17.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 A$6.16

$5.86 NZ$10.45

-26.11%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.75

$1.73 NZ$3.08

93.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.41

$1.38 NZ$2.46

73.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.32

$2.49 NZ$4.43

-6.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 A$1.65

$1.18 NZ$2.10

-1.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.47 A$64.6

$26.67 NZ$47.54

70.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 A$19.88

$10.24 NZ$18.26

36.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.11 A$5.84

$3.02 NZ$5.38

36.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 A$5.94

$3.13 NZ$5.57

33.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.12 A$4.44

$1.89 NZ$3.37

65.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 A$216

$115 NZ$205

31.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 A$4.92

$2.42 NZ$4.31

42.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.22

$1.81 NZ$3.22

-13.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.54 A$56.2

$26.35 NZ$46.96

50.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.05

$1.49 NZ$2.66

-2.68%

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

$29.9K A$42.5K

$25.5K NZ$45.4K

17.38%

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

$27.5K A$39.1K

$23.7K NZ$42.2K

16.09%

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

$251 A$356

$128 NZ$228

95.86%

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

$27.76 A$39.44

$29.15 NZ$52.0

-4.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.0 A$82.4

$51.3 NZ$91.4

13.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.7 A$100

$38.91 NZ$69.4

81.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.25 A$33.04

Cinema Ticket

$17.83 A$25.33

$11.48 NZ$20.45

55.31%

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

$2,358 A$3,351

$659 NZ$1,174

258.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.2K A$38.6K

$14.6K NZ$26.1K

85.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 A$114

$67.3 NZ$120

19.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.3 A$98.5

$39.09 NZ$69.7

77.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$157

$90.9 NZ$162

21.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 A$181

$115 NZ$205

10.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,566 A$3,646

$1,125 NZ$2,006

127.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 A$2,547

$1,011 NZ$1,802

77.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,202 A$7,391

$1,404 NZ$2,503

270.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,156 A$4,485

$1,352 NZ$2,409

133.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.0K

$4,216 NZ$7,514

217.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,727 A$12.4K

$3,111 NZ$5,544

180.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,118 A$5,851

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

5.83

1.54%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 24, 2026

Last update for Dargaville: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9%

Dargaville

$1K 47.4% 43.6% $781

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$382 11.7%

Dargaville

$330 15.5% 13.7% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$337 10.3%

Dargaville

$209 9.8% 38.1% $128

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.2%

Dargaville

$248 11.6% 17.2% $51

Getting Around

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Dargaville

$134 6.3% 23.5% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$175 5.3%

Dargaville

$141 6.6% 19.4% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$106 3.3%

Dargaville

$62 2.9% 41.8% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,566 in Sydney and $1,125 in Dargaville. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $90 in Sydney vs $69 in Dargaville for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $382 vs $330 per month, with Dargaville cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇳🇿 Dargaville

🕒 Local time

05:35 5:35 AM

07:35 7:35 AM

2 h ahead of Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

4,600

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Sydney Dargaville 2,070 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Dargaville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sydney and Dargaville differ by about 53% in total monthly costs ($3,267 vs $2,134 including rent). Dargaville 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 $3,201 in Dargaville 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 $1,125 in Dargaville. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,358 in Sydney versus $659 in Dargaville. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Sydney. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,134 in Dargaville versus $3,267 in Sydney, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Dargaville but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Dargaville the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Dargaville is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Sydney, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Sydney and Dargaville 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 Dargaville gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.