Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Frankfurt

For one person, living is cheaper in Frankfurt: $2,510 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 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
121

Cost of Living Index in Frankfurt
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Frankfurt Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,510

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Frankfurt

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,267 in Sydney versus $2,510 in Frankfurt.

Sydney $3,267
Frankfurt $2,510

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,847 in Sydney versus $3,732 in Frankfurt.

Sydney $4,847
Frankfurt $3,732

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,428 in Sydney versus $4,954 in Frankfurt.

Sydney $6,428
Frankfurt $4,954

Living in Sydney is roughly 30% more expensive than in Frankfurt, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sydney 140% above, Frankfurt 84% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.87

$16.83 €15.12

3.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.4 A$128

$88.1 €79.1

2.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$16.99

$13.28 €11.93

-9.94%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.68

$4.54 €4.08

-11.89%

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

$2.81 A$4.00

$3.68 €3.30

-23.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 A$3.16

$3.61 €3.25

-38.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 A$11.56

$5.71 €5.13

42.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 A$10.23

$5.74 €5.15

25.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 A$2.42

$1.31 €1.17

29.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.17

$2.20 €1.98

33.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.57

$3.09 €2.78

-18.77%

Eggs

$5.66 A$8.04

$3.65 €3.28

55.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 A$17.36

$13.55 €12.17

-9.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 A$13.24

$11.86 €10.65

-21.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 A$23.97

$21.79 €19.57

-22.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.90 A$5.54

$3.10 €2.79

25.81%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.58

$2.09 €1.88

54.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 A$4.88

$1.94 €1.74

76.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 A$6.16

$3.83 €3.44

13.05%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.75

$1.78 €1.60

88.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.41

$1.86 €1.67

29.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.32

$1.57 €1.41

49.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 A$1.65

$1.05 €0.94

10.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.47 A$64.6

$9.49 €8.52

379.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 A$19.88

$5.61 €5.04

149.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.11 A$5.84

$1.12 €1.01

266.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 A$5.94

$1.45 €1.31

188.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.12 A$4.44

$4.29 €3.86

-27.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 A$216

$69.3 €62.3

119.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 A$4.92

$4.42 €3.97

-21.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.22

$2.27 €2.04

-31.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.54 A$56.2

$23.89 €21.46

65.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.05

$2.22 €1.99

-34.68%

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

$29.9K A$42.5K

$33.7K €30.2K

-11.20%

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

$27.5K A$39.1K

$39.2K €35.2K

-29.73%

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

$251 A$356

$385 €346

-34.82%

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

$27.76 A$39.44

$19.76 €17.75

40.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.0 A$82.4

$46.58 €41.85

24.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.7 A$100

$63.4 €56.9

11.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.25 A$33.04

$29.55 €26.54

-21.32%

Cinema Ticket

$17.83 A$25.33

$16.84 €15.12

5.88%

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

$2,358 A$3,351

$1,097 €985

115.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.2K A$38.6K

$22.6K €20.3K

20.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 A$114

$86.3 €77.5

-6.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.3 A$98.5

$33.24 €29.86

108.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$157

$82.5 €74.1

34.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 A$181

$108 €96.8

18.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,566 A$3,646

$1,418 €1,274

80.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 A$2,547

$1,092 €981

64.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,202 A$7,391

$2,713 €2,437

91.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,156 A$4,485

$1,920 €1,725

64.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.0K

$7,738 €6,951

73.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,727 A$12.4K

$4,482 €4,026

94.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,118 A$5,851

$4,024 €3,615

2.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

3.64

62.64%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 24, 2026

Last update for Frankfurt: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9%

Frankfurt

$1.1K 43.5% 39.1% $701

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$382 11.7%

Frankfurt

$330 13.2% 13.7% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$337 10.3%

Frankfurt

$451 18% 34% $115

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.2%

Frankfurt

$298 11.9% 0.3% $1

Getting Around

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Frankfurt

$102 4.1% 41.7% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$175 5.3%

Frankfurt

$139 5.6% 20.2% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$106 3.3%

Frankfurt

$97 3.9% 8.7% $9.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,566 in Sydney and $1,418 in Frankfurt. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $90 in Sydney vs $88 in Frankfurt for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $382 vs $330 per month, with Frankfurt cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇩🇪 Frankfurt

🕒 Local time

05:23 5:23 AM

19:23 7:23 PM

10 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

701,350

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Between locations

Sydney Frankfurt 16,480 km ≈ 21 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 Frankfurt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Frankfurt is cheaper overall, especially in transport, groceries, and clothing. The 30% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $4,900 in Sydney and $3,765 in Frankfurt 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 $1,418 in Frankfurt. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,358 in Sydney versus $1,097 in Frankfurt. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Frankfurt runs roughly 54% less than in Sydney. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Frankfurt 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 Frankfurt are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.