Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Gold Coast

For one person, living is cheaper in Gold Coast: $2,922 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 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
140

Cost of Living Index in Gold Coast
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Gold Coast Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Gold Coast

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,922

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Gold Coast

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,267 in Sydney versus $2,922 in Gold Coast.

Sydney $3,267
Gold Coast $2,922

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,847 in Sydney versus $4,497 in Gold Coast.

Sydney $4,847
Gold Coast $4,497

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,428 in Sydney versus $6,073 in Gold Coast.

Sydney $6,428
Gold Coast $6,073

Living in Sydney is roughly 12% more expensive than in Gold Coast, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sydney 140% above, Gold Coast 115% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.88

$20.81 A$29.59

-15.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.4 A$128

$105 A$149

-13.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.00

$10.62 A$15.09

12.62%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.69

$3.76 A$5.34

6.38%

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

$2.81 A$4.00

$2.83 A$4.02

-0.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 A$3.16

$2.46 A$3.50

-9.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 A$11.57

$7.77 A$11.05

4.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 A$10.24

$7.51 A$10.68

-4.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 A$2.42

$1.57 A$2.23

8.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.18

$2.65 A$3.76

10.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.58

$2.36 A$3.35

6.36%

Eggs

$5.66 A$8.05

$4.90 A$6.97

15.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 A$17.37

$9.09 A$12.93

34.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 A$13.24

$9.50 A$13.51

-2.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 A$23.99

$14.71 A$20.92

14.68%

Apples (1kg)

$3.90 A$5.55

$3.95 A$5.61

-1.27%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.58

$3.19 A$4.54

0.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 A$4.88

$3.47 A$4.93

-1.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 A$6.16

$4.16 A$5.91

4.09%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.76

$2.59 A$3.68

29.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.41

$2.48 A$3.53

-3.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.33

$2.45 A$3.48

-4.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 A$1.65

$2.32 A$3.30

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.47 A$64.7

$45.55 A$64.8

-0.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 A$19.89

$14.19 A$20.17

-1.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.11 A$5.84

$5.73 A$8.15

-28.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 A$5.94

$6.73 A$9.56

-37.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.12 A$4.44

$2.73 A$3.88

14.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 A$216

$56.0 A$79.7

170.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 A$4.92

$2.22 A$3.15

55.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.22

$1.65 A$2.34

-5.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.54 A$56.2

$36.90 A$52.5

7.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.06

$1.38 A$1.96

5.07%

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

$29.9K A$42.5K

$29.2K A$41.5K

2.41%

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

$27.5K A$39.1K

$26.6K A$37.8K

3.39%

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

$251 A$357

$218 A$310

14.99%

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

$27.76 A$39.47

$31.16 A$44.31

-10.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.0 A$82.5

$54.4 A$77.4

6.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.7 A$100

$60.7 A$86.3

16.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.25 A$33.06

$17.58 A$25.00

32.25%

Cinema Ticket

$17.83 A$25.35

$13.50 A$19.20

32.07%

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

$2,358 A$3,353

$2,134 A$3,034

10.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.2K A$38.7K

$12.1K A$17.2K

124.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 A$114

$76.3 A$109

5.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.3 A$98.5

$53.6 A$76.2

29.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$157

$106 A$150

4.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 A$181

$124 A$176

2.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,566 A$3,648

$2,293 A$3,260

11.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 A$2,549

$1,588 A$2,258

12.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,202 A$7,396

$3,278 A$4,662

58.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,156 A$4,488

$2,998 A$4,263

5.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.0K

$10.8K A$15.4K

23.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,727 A$12.4K

$7,117 A$10.1K

22.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,118 A$5,856

$4,118 A$5,855

0.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

5.69

4.04%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 24, 2026

Last update for Gold Coast: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9%

Gold Coast

$1.6K 54.4% 11.4% $204

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$382 11.7%

Gold Coast

$384 13.2% 0.6% $2.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$337 10.3%

Gold Coast

$304 10.4% 9.8% $33

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.2%

Gold Coast

$318 10.9% 6.5% $19

Getting Around

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Gold Coast

$77 2.7% 55.9% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$175 5.3%

Gold Coast

$162 5.5% 7.3% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$106 3.3%

Gold Coast

$88 3% 17.5% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,566 in Sydney and $2,293 in Gold Coast. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $90 in Sydney vs $105 in Gold Coast for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $382 vs $384 per month, with Sydney cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇦🇺 Gold Coast

🕒 Local time

00:54 12:54 AM

23:54 11:54 PM

1 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

607,665

💱 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

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sydney Gold Coast 690 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Gold Coast

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 Gold Coast: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sydney and Gold Coast differ by about 12% in total monthly costs ($3,267 vs $2,922 including rent). Gold Coast is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $4,900 in Sydney and $4,382 in Gold Coast 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 $2,293 in Gold Coast. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Gold Coast runs roughly 63% less than in Sydney. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $3,267 per month in Sydney versus $2,922 in Gold Coast – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

For families, Gold Coast is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Sydney, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Sydney and Gold Coast are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.