Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Forbes

For one person, living is cheaper in Forbes: $2,543 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 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 Forbes
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Forbes Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Forbes

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,543

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Forbes

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,267 in Sydney versus $2,543 in Forbes.

Sydney $3,267
Forbes $2,543

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,847 in Sydney versus $3,751 in Forbes.

Sydney $4,847
Forbes $3,751

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,428 in Sydney versus $4,958 in Forbes.

Sydney $6,428
Forbes $4,958

Living in Sydney is roughly 28% more expensive than in Forbes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sydney 140% above, Forbes 87% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.79

$15.91 A$22.54

9.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.4 A$128

$94.9 A$134

-4.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$16.94

$11.31 A$16.02

5.75%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.67

$3.52 A$4.99

13.64%

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

$2.81 A$3.98

$2.99 A$4.23

-6.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 A$3.15

$2.37 A$3.36

-6.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 A$11.52

$6.98 A$9.89

16.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 A$10.20

$7.40 A$10.49

-2.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 A$2.41

$1.69 A$2.40

0.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.16

$2.42 A$3.43

21.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.56

$2.14 A$3.03

17.29%

Eggs

$5.66 A$8.02

$5.00 A$7.08

13.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 A$17.30

$10.16 A$14.40

20.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 A$13.20

$9.52 A$13.49

-2.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 A$23.90

$13.72 A$19.43

22.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.90 A$5.53

$3.78 A$5.35

3.17%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.57

$3.01 A$4.26

6.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 A$4.86

$3.55 A$5.04

-3.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 A$6.14

$4.92 A$6.97

-11.99%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.74

$2.50 A$3.54

34.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.40

$2.55 A$3.62

-5.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.31

$2.28 A$3.23

2.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 A$1.64

$1.45 A$2.06

-20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.47 A$64.4

$46.43 A$65.8

-2.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 A$19.82

$12.36 A$17.51

13.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.11 A$5.82

$4.75 A$6.73

-13.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 A$5.92

$5.80 A$8.21

-27.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.12 A$4.43

$2.66 A$3.76

17.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 A$215

$78.5 A$111

93.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 A$4.90

$3.70 A$5.25

-6.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.21

$1.72 A$2.44

-9.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.54 A$56.0

$45.70 A$64.7

-13.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.05

$1.25 A$1.78

16.00%

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

$29.9K A$42.4K

$33.8K A$47.9K

-11.60%

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

$27.5K A$39.0K

$28.1K A$39.9K

-2.24%

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

$251 A$355

$195 A$276

28.70%

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

$27.76 A$39.32

$23.66 A$33.52

17.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.0 A$82.2

$53.4 A$75.6

8.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.7 A$100

$59.1 A$83.7

19.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.25 A$32.94

$19.72 A$27.93

17.90%

Cinema Ticket

$17.83 A$25.25

$12.05 A$17.07

47.97%

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

$2,358 A$3,341

$2,301 A$3,259

2.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.2K A$38.5K

$21.3K A$30.2K

27.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 A$114

$80.6 A$114

-0.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.3 A$98.2

$56.7 A$80.4

22.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$157

$117 A$165

-5.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 A$181

$124 A$175

2.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,566 A$3,635

$1,558 A$2,207

64.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 A$2,539

$1,278 A$1,810

40.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,202 A$7,369

$2,463 A$3,488

111.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,156 A$4,471

$2,041 A$2,892

54.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.0K

$5,228 A$7,405

156.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,727 A$12.4K

$5,146 A$7,290

69.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,118 A$5,834

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 Forbes: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9%

Forbes

$1.3K 50.3% 28.7% $515

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$382 11.7%

Forbes

$364 14.3% 4.8% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$337 10.3%

Forbes

$272 10.7% 19.2% $65

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.2%

Forbes

$275 10.8% 8.2% $24

Getting Around

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Forbes

$101 4% 42.2% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$175 5.3%

Forbes

$170 6.7% 2.6% $4.6

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$106 3.3%

Forbes

$83 3.3% 21.7% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,566 in Sydney and $1,558 in Forbes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $90 in Sydney vs $95 in Forbes. Groceries flip the comparison at $382 vs $364, with Forbes cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇦🇺 Forbes

🕒 Local time

12:01 12:01 PM

Same time as Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

8,481

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.634 EUR

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.634 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Sydney Forbes 310 km

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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 Forbes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,267 in Sydney and $2,543 in Forbes, so Forbes is about 22% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $4,900 in Sydney and $3,814 in Forbes 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 $1,558 in Forbes. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $3,267 per month in Sydney versus $2,543 in Forbes – Forbes is about 22% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Forbes runs roughly 48% less than in Sydney. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $2,543 in Forbes versus $3,267 in Sydney, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Forbes but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Forbes 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 Forbes are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.