Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Derby, Australia

Name: Derby
Address: Derby, AU

For one person, living is cheaper in Derby: $2,353 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 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
122

Cost of Living Index in Derby
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Derby Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Derby

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,353

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Derby

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,267 in Sydney versus $2,353 in Derby.

Sydney $3,267
Derby $2,353

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,847 in Sydney versus $3,668 in Derby.

Sydney $4,847
Derby $3,668

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,428 in Sydney versus $4,983 in Derby.

Sydney $6,428
Derby $4,983

Living in Sydney is roughly 39% more expensive than in Derby, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sydney 140% above, Derby 73% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.87

$19.57 A$27.81

-10.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.4 A$128

$83.3 A$118

8.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$16.99

$11.06 A$15.71

8.14%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.68

$4.55 A$6.47

-12.09%

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

$2.81 A$4.00

$2.82 A$4.01

-0.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 A$3.16

$2.51 A$3.56

-11.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 A$11.56

$6.62 A$9.40

22.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 A$10.23

$8.46 A$12.02

-14.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 A$2.42

$1.33 A$1.89

27.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.17

$2.90 A$4.12

1.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.57

$2.22 A$3.16

13.06%

Eggs

$5.66 A$8.04

$4.96 A$7.04

14.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 A$17.36

$8.02 A$11.40

52.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 A$13.24

$10.45 A$14.85

-10.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 A$23.97

$13.37 A$19.00

26.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.90 A$5.54

$3.94 A$5.60

-1.02%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.58

$3.50 A$4.98

-8.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 A$4.88

$3.11 A$4.42

10.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 A$6.16

$4.32 A$6.14

0.23%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.75

$2.59 A$3.68

29.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.41

$2.74 A$3.89

-12.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.32

$2.22 A$3.16

5.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 A$1.65

$1.53 A$2.18

-24.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.47 A$64.6

$38.60 A$54.9

17.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 A$19.88

$12.18 A$17.30

14.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.11 A$5.84

$4.95 A$7.04

-16.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 A$5.94

$4.67 A$6.63

-10.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.12 A$4.44

$2.66 A$3.78

17.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 A$216

$72.0 A$102

110.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 A$4.92

$4.03 A$5.72

-14.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.22

$1.60 A$2.27

-2.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.54 A$56.2

$36.43 A$51.8

8.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.05

$1.37 A$1.94

5.84%

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

$29.9K A$42.5K

$25.6K A$36.3K

16.91%

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

$27.5K A$39.1K

$28.8K A$41.0K

-4.60%

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

$251 A$356

$184 A$262

36.24%

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

$27.76 A$39.44

$23.63 A$33.58

17.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.0 A$82.4

$53.0 A$75.3

9.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.7 A$100

$64.3 A$91.4

9.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.25 A$33.04

$16.35 A$23.24

42.20%

Cinema Ticket

$17.83 A$25.33

$14.87 A$21.13

19.91%

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

$2,358 A$3,351

$2,188 A$3,109

7.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.2K A$38.6K

$21.5K A$30.5K

26.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 A$114

$85.0 A$121

-5.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.3 A$98.5

$49.33 A$70.1

40.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$157

$121 A$171

-8.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 A$181

$130 A$185

-2.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,566 A$3,646

$1,410 A$2,003

82.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 A$2,547

$1,054 A$1,497

70.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,202 A$7,391

$1,991 A$2,829

161.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,156 A$4,485

$2,040 A$2,898

54.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.0K

$6,153 A$8,742

117.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,727 A$12.4K

$5,074 A$7,210

72.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,118 A$5,851

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 Derby: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9%

Derby

$1.1K 44.8% 41.2% $739

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$382 11.7%

Derby

$361 15.4% 5.5% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$337 10.3%

Derby

$261 11.1% 22.5% $76

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.2%

Derby

$316 13.4% 5.6% $17

Getting Around

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Derby

$95 4% 46.1% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$175 5.3%

Derby

$173 7.4% 0.7% $1.2

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$106 3.3%

Derby

$94 4% 11.6% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,566 in Sydney and $1,410 in Derby. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $90 in Sydney vs $83 in Derby for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $382 vs $361 per month, with Derby cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇦🇺 Derby

🕒 Local time

05:47 5:47 AM

02:47 2:47 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

3,300

💱 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 Derby 3,310 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Derby

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 Derby: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sydney and Derby differ by about 39% in total monthly costs ($3,267 vs $2,353 including rent). Derby 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 $3,530 in Derby 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 $1,410 in Derby. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Sydney. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Derby – a meal for two runs $83 versus $90 in Sydney. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,353 in Derby versus $3,267 in Sydney, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Derby but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Derby 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 Derby 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 Derby gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.