Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Geraldton

For one person, living is cheaper in Geraldton: $2,504 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 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 Geraldton
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Geraldton Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Geraldton

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,504

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Geraldton

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

A single person spends $3,267 per month in Sydney vs $2,504 in Geraldton, rent included.

Sydney $3,267
Geraldton $2,504

A couple spends around $4,847 per month in Sydney vs $3,618 in Geraldton, rent included.

Sydney $4,847
Geraldton $3,618

A family of three spends $6,428 per month in Sydney vs $4,732 in Geraldton, rent included.

Sydney $6,428
Geraldton $4,732

Sydney costs about 30% more than Geraldton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Sydney and Geraldton sit above the global median – Sydney by 140%, Geraldton by 84%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.88

$15.24 A$21.67

14.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.4 A$128

$84.1 A$120

7.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.00

$10.92 A$15.53

9.52%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.69

$4.11 A$5.85

-2.68%

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

$2.81 A$4.00

$2.95 A$4.20

-4.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 A$3.16

$2.36 A$3.36

-5.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 A$11.57

$7.53 A$10.71

7.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 A$10.24

$7.44 A$10.58

-3.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 A$2.42

$1.52 A$2.16

11.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.18

$2.74 A$3.90

7.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.58

$2.23 A$3.18

12.56%

Eggs

$5.66 A$8.05

$5.15 A$7.33

9.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 A$17.37

$8.91 A$12.67

37.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 A$13.24

$9.44 A$13.42

-1.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 A$23.99

$16.64 A$23.65

1.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.90 A$5.55

$3.68 A$5.23

5.98%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.58

$3.10 A$4.41

3.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 A$4.88

$3.20 A$4.55

7.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 A$6.16

$4.76 A$6.76

-9.03%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.76

$2.63 A$3.73

27.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.41

$2.49 A$3.54

-3.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.33

$2.41 A$3.42

-2.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 A$1.65

$1.58 A$2.25

-26.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.47 A$64.7

$41.78 A$59.4

8.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 A$19.89

$13.82 A$19.65

1.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.11 A$5.84

$4.13 A$5.88

-0.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 A$5.94

$5.28 A$7.51

-20.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.12 A$4.44

$2.68 A$3.81

16.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 A$216

$82.6 A$117

83.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 A$4.92

$3.71 A$5.28

-6.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.22

$1.80 A$2.57

-13.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.54 A$56.2

$45.10 A$64.1

-12.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.06

$1.48 A$2.10

-2.03%

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

$29.9K A$42.5K

$31.3K A$44.6K

-4.59%

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

$27.5K A$39.1K

$26.7K A$37.9K

3.14%

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

$251 A$357

$204 A$290

22.94%

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

$27.76 A$39.47

$27.36 A$38.90

1.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.0 A$82.5

$57.6 A$81.9

0.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.7 A$100

$48.50 A$69.0

45.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.25 A$33.06

$18.28 A$25.99

27.19%

Cinema Ticket

$17.83 A$25.35

$15.72 A$22.35

13.42%

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

$2,358 A$3,353

$1,841 A$2,618

28.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.2K A$38.7K

$17.7K A$25.2K

53.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 A$114

$67.2 A$95.6

19.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.3 A$98.5

$57.8 A$82.2

19.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$157

$102 A$144

8.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 A$181

$126 A$179

1.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,566 A$3,648

$1,417 A$2,015

81.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 A$2,549

$1,222 A$1,738

46.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,202 A$7,396

$2,242 A$3,188

132.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,156 A$4,488

$1,851 A$2,633

70.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.0K

$5,661 A$8,050

136.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,727 A$12.4K

$4,640 A$6,597

88.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,118 A$5,856

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 Geraldton: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9%

Geraldton

$1.2K 48.8% 31.8% $570

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$382 11.7%

Geraldton

$370 14.8% 3.2% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$337 10.3%

Geraldton

$289 11.5% 14.1% $48

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.2%

Geraldton

$278 11.1% 7.1% $21

Getting Around

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Geraldton

$106 4.2% 39.6% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$175 5.3%

Geraldton

$159 6.3% 9.1% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$106 3.3%

Geraldton

$80 3.2% 24.8% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,566 in Sydney versus $1,417 in Geraldton. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Sydney versus $84 in Geraldton. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $382 vs $370 – making Geraldton the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇦🇺 Geraldton

🕒 Local time

22:57 10:57 PM

19:57 7:57 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

32,717

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Sydney Geraldton 3,500 km ≈ 5 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 Geraldton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,267 in Sydney, $2,504 in Geraldton – roughly 30% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,900 per month in Sydney and $3,755 in Geraldton. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Geraldton, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,417 there versus $2,566 in Sydney.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,267 in Sydney and $2,504 in Geraldton. That’s a gap of about 30%.

Public transport costs about 46% less in Geraldton. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Geraldton, where all-in costs run around $2,504, than in Sydney at $3,267. In Geraldton it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Geraldton – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

For expats, Geraldton is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 30% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.