Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Geelong

For one person, living is cheaper in Geelong: $2,602 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Geelong
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Geelong Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Geelong

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,602

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Geelong

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,152 in Sydney versus $2,602 in Geelong.

Sydney $3,152
Geelong $2,602

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,710 in Sydney versus $3,495 in Geelong.

Sydney $4,710
Geelong $3,495

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,268 in Sydney versus $4,387 in Geelong.

Sydney $6,268
Geelong $4,387

Living in Sydney is roughly 21% more expensive than in Geelong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sydney 133% above, Geelong 93% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$17.56 A$25.27

0.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$82.2 A$118

11.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$10.29 A$14.80

16.23%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$3.80 A$5.47

7.11%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$2.80 A$4.03

1.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$2.16 A$3.10

4.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$6.53 A$9.39

16.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$7.85 A$11.30

-5.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.55 A$2.23

7.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$2.54 A$3.65

9.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$1.87 A$2.70

29.41%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$4.27 A$6.14

32.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$7.75 A$11.15

51.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$9.66 A$13.90

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$15.35 A$22.08

9.12%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$4.12 A$5.92

-1.21%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$2.92 A$4.20

11.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$2.90 A$4.18

18.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$3.23 A$4.65

32.51%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$3.06 A$4.40

7.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$2.17 A$3.12

5.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$2.07 A$2.98

11.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$1.55 A$2.24

-21.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$45.24 A$65.1

-3.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$12.64 A$18.19

9.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$3.78 A$5.45

3.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$2.96 A$4.27

32.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$7.45 A$10.72

-59.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$128 A$184

17.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$4.45 A$6.41

-24.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$1.36 A$1.96

14.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$29.97 A$43.12

33.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.29 A$1.85

8.53%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$28.0K A$40.2K

4.16%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$26.3K A$37.9K

14.46%

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

$223 A$320

$155 A$222

43.98%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$25.90 A$37.28

4.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$56.5 A$81.3

-1.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$55.7 A$80.1

33.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

$15.25 A$21.95

57.31%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$12.72 A$18.30

38.05%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$2,138 A$3,076

2.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$29.6K A$42.6K

-4.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$79.5 A$114

-1.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$48.93 A$70.4

39.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$94.0 A$135

18.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$105 A$151

28.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$1,264 A$1,818

97.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$1,343 A$1,933

27.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$1,717 A$2,471

188.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$1,506 A$2,167

100.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$6,557 A$9,436

100.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$5,281 A$7,600

58.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

$3,086 A$4,441

33.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

5.9

-1.02%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Geelong: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Geelong

$1.3K 51.6% 21.4% $366

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Geelong

$340 13.1% 10.3% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Geelong

$237 9.1% 22.4% $69

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Geelong

$285 11% 4.5% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Geelong

$147 5.7% 16.7% $29

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Geelong

$169 6.5% 2.6% $4.6

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Geelong

$81 3.1% 26.1% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,500 in Sydney and $1,264 in Geelong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 33% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $91.0 in Sydney vs $82.0 in Geelong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $379 vs $340 per month, with Geelong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇦🇺 Geelong

🕒 Local time

16:28 4:28 PM

Same time as Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

180,239

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Sydney Geelong 780 km ≈ 1 h 30 min 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)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Sydney vs Geelong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sydney and Geelong differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($3,152 vs $2,602 including rent). Geelong is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 33% higher in Sydney, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,500 in Sydney versus $1,264 in Geelong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $3,152 per month in Sydney versus $2,602 in Geelong – a 21% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Geelong runs roughly 17% less than in Sydney. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,602 in Geelong versus $3,152 in Sydney, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Geelong but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Geelong 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 Geelong 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 Geelong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.