Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Forster

For one person, living is cheaper in Forster: $2,595 a month against $3,274 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 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
125

Cost of Living Index in Forster
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Forster Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,274

/mo nomad

Forster

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,595

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Forster

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,274 in Sydney versus $2,595 in Forster.

Sydney $3,274
Forster $2,595

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,873 in Sydney versus $3,737 in Forster.

Sydney $4,873
Forster $3,737

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,471 in Sydney versus $4,879 in Forster.

Sydney $6,471
Forster $4,879

Living in Sydney is roughly 26% more expensive than in Forster, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sydney 142% above, Forster 92% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.27 A$24.61

$17.58 A$25.05

-1.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.9 A$129

$92.1 A$131

-1.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.87 A$16.92

$10.66 A$15.19

11.35%

Cappuccino

$4.09 A$5.83

$3.90 A$5.56

4.87%

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

$2.80 A$3.99

$2.82 A$4.02

-0.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 A$3.10

$2.22 A$3.17

-1.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.25 A$11.75

$6.87 A$9.79

20.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.99 A$9.96

$5.45 A$7.76

28.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 A$2.39

$1.64 A$2.34

2.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.88 A$4.11

$2.91 A$4.15

-1.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 A$3.35

$2.38 A$3.39

-1.26%

Eggs

$5.39 A$7.69

$5.62 A$8.01

-4.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.06 A$15.76

$12.01 A$17.11

-7.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.92 A$12.71

$9.38 A$13.37

-4.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.48 A$23.49

$16.88 A$24.05

-2.37%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 A$5.90

$3.90 A$5.56

6.15%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.59

$3.10 A$4.42

3.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.77

$3.40 A$4.85

-1.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 A$6.18

$4.22 A$6.02

2.84%

Potato (1kg)

$3.38 A$4.82

$3.24 A$4.62

4.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.43 A$3.46

$2.48 A$3.54

-2.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.37 A$3.37

$2.38 A$3.39

-0.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 A$1.67

$1.21 A$1.73

-3.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.01 A$62.7

$44.92 A$64.0

-2.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.23 A$20.28

$14.05 A$20.03

1.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.14 A$5.89

$3.96 A$5.65

4.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 A$6.25

$4.07 A$5.80

7.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.08 A$4.39

$2.83 A$4.03

8.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 A$216

$84.7 A$121

79.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.72 A$5.30

$3.50 A$4.98

6.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 A$2.54

$1.65 A$2.35

8.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.82 A$59.6

$40.37 A$57.5

3.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 A$2.06

$1.51 A$2.15

-4.64%

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

$29.6K A$42.2K

$30.0K A$42.7K

-1.10%

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

$27.5K A$39.2K

$27.9K A$39.8K

-1.45%

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

$262 A$373

$252 A$360

3.67%

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

$28.69 A$40.89

$27.69 A$39.46

3.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.0 A$82.7

$56.6 A$80.6

2.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.9 A$107

$57.0 A$81.2

31.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.21 A$33.07

$17.43 A$24.83

33.16%

Cinema Ticket

$17.70 A$25.22

$17.45 A$24.87

1.43%

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

$2,424 A$3,454

$2,354 A$3,354

2.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.3K A$47.5K

$27.9K A$39.7K

19.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.3 A$112

$80.3 A$114

-2.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.1 A$98.5

$71.4 A$102

-3.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 A$160

$113 A$162

-0.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 A$179

$130 A$186

-3.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,602 A$3,707

$1,391 A$1,982

87.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 A$2,554

$1,217 A$1,734

47.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,247 A$7,477

$2,287 A$3,259

129.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,196 A$4,555

$1,794 A$2,556

78.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K A$19.3K

$5,826 A$8,303

132.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,711 A$12.4K

$4,884 A$6,959

78.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,107 A$5,852

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.02

5.92

1.69%

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

Last update for Sydney: November 2, 2026

Last update for Forster: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.7%

Forster

$1.2K 46.9% 32.1% $575

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$375 11.5%

Forster

$379 14.6% 0.9% $3.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$348 10.6%

Forster

$337 13% 3.4% $12

Eating Out

Sydney

$298 9.1%

Forster

$285 11% 4.4% $13

Getting Around

Sydney

$177 5.4%

Forster

$108 4.2% 39% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$174 5.3%

Forster

$178 6.9% 2.5% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.4%

Forster

$92 3.5% 16.7% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,602 in Sydney and $1,391 in Forster. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $91 in Sydney vs $92 in Forster for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $375 vs $379 per month, with Sydney cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇦🇺 Forster

🕒 Local time

06:19 6:19 AM

Same time as Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

20,554

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.702 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

1 AUD = 0.702 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Sydney Forster 220 km

From you

Sydney
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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 Forster: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,274 in Sydney and $2,595 in Forster, so Forster is about 21% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $4,912 in Sydney and $3,893 in Forster 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: $2,602 in Sydney versus $1,391 in Forster. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,424 in Sydney versus $2,354 in Forster. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $3,274 per month in Sydney versus $2,595 in Forster – Forster is about 21% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,595 in Forster versus $3,274 in Sydney, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Forster but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Forster 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 Forster are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.