Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Darwin

For one person, living is cheaper in Darwin: $3,073 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 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
148

Cost of Living Index in Darwin
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Darwin Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Darwin

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,073

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Darwin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,267 in Sydney versus $3,073 in Darwin.

Sydney $3,267
Darwin $3,073

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,847 in Sydney versus $4,118 in Darwin.

Sydney $4,847
Darwin $4,118

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,428 in Sydney versus $5,163 in Darwin.

Sydney $6,428
Darwin $5,163

Living in Sydney is roughly 6% more expensive than in Darwin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sydney 140% above, Darwin 126% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.87

$22.40 A$31.83

-21.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.4 A$128

$90.7 A$129

-0.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$16.99

$11.36 A$16.14

5.28%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.68

$4.23 A$6.01

-5.44%

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

$2.81 A$4.00

$3.46 A$4.91

-18.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 A$3.16

$3.01 A$4.28

-26.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 A$11.56

$7.57 A$10.75

7.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 A$10.23

$7.57 A$10.76

-4.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 A$2.42

$1.54 A$2.19

10.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.17

$3.04 A$4.32

-3.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.57

$2.20 A$3.13

14.09%

Eggs

$5.66 A$8.04

$4.47 A$6.35

26.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 A$17.36

$8.92 A$12.67

37.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 A$13.24

$8.31 A$11.81

12.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 A$23.97

$8.85 A$12.57

90.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.90 A$5.54

$3.85 A$5.46

1.30%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.58

$2.88 A$4.09

11.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 A$4.88

$2.80 A$3.98

22.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 A$6.16

$5.03 A$7.14

-13.92%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.75

$2.55 A$3.62

31.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.41

$2.30 A$3.27

4.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.32

$2.06 A$2.92

13.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 A$1.65

$2.17 A$3.09

-46.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.47 A$64.6

$45.35 A$64.4

0.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 A$19.88

$12.15 A$17.27

15.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.11 A$5.84

$10.13 A$14.39

-59.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 A$5.94

$7.87 A$11.18

-46.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.12 A$4.44

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 A$216

$48.37 A$68.7

213.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 A$4.92

$3.69 A$5.25

-6.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.22

$1.35 A$1.91

15.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.54 A$56.2

$48.52 A$68.9

-18.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.05

$1.33 A$1.89

9.02%

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

$29.9K A$42.5K

$30.0K A$42.6K

-0.21%

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

$27.5K A$39.1K

$33.4K A$47.4K

-17.57%

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

$251 A$356

$215 A$305

16.93%

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

$27.76 A$39.44

$33.49 A$47.58

-17.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.0 A$82.4

$60.9 A$86.6

-4.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.7 A$100

$73.0 A$104

-3.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.25 A$33.04

$28.22 A$40.10

-17.61%

Cinema Ticket

$17.83 A$25.33

$16.99 A$24.14

4.94%

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

$2,358 A$3,351

$1,939 A$2,755

21.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.2K A$38.6K

$8,442 A$12.0K

222.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 A$114

$85.2 A$121

-5.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.3 A$98.5

$46.52 A$66.1

48.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$157

$106 A$150

4.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 A$181

$138 A$196

-7.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,566 A$3,646

$1,719 A$2,442

49.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 A$2,547

$1,709 A$2,428

4.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,202 A$7,391

$2,803 A$3,982

85.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,156 A$4,485

$2,124 A$3,019

48.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.0K

$3,771 A$5,359

254.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,727 A$12.4K

$3,536 A$5,024

146.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,118 A$5,851

$4,223 A$6,001

-2.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

6.14

-3.58%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 24, 2026

Last update for Darwin: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9%

Darwin

$1.7K 55.6% 4.7% $83

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$382 11.7%

Darwin

$377 12.3% 1.2% $4.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$337 10.3%

Darwin

$309 10.1% 8.2% $28

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.2%

Darwin

$343 11.2% 14.6% $44

Getting Around

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Darwin

$59 * 1.9% 66.5% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$175 5.3%

Darwin

$169 5.5% 3.3% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$106 3.3%

Darwin

$107 3.5% 0.6% $0.6

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,566 in Sydney and $1,719 in Darwin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $90 in Sydney vs $91 in Darwin. Groceries flip the comparison at $382 vs $377, with Darwin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇦🇺 Darwin

🕒 Local time

07:22 7:22 AM

05:52 5:52 AM

1 h 30 min behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

122,207

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Sydney Darwin 3,150 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Darwin

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 Darwin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Darwin is about 6% cheaper overall, especially in transport and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $4,900 in Sydney and $4,609 in Darwin 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 $1,719 in Darwin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Darwin runs roughly 68% less than in Sydney. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $2,358 in Sydney versus $1,939 in Darwin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Darwin is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Darwin are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.