Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Grafton

For one person, living is cheaper in Grafton: $2,560 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 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
117

Cost of Living Index in Grafton
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Grafton Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Grafton

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,560

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Grafton

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,267 in Sydney versus $2,560 in Grafton.

Sydney $3,267
Grafton $2,560

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,847 in Sydney versus $3,538 in Grafton.

Sydney $4,847
Grafton $3,538

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,428 in Sydney versus $4,515 in Grafton.

Sydney $6,428
Grafton $4,515

Living in Sydney is roughly 28% more expensive than in Grafton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sydney 140% above, Grafton 88% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.87

$17.50 A$24.86

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.4 A$128

$73.1 A$104

23.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$16.99

$11.41 A$16.21

4.82%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.68

$3.47 A$4.94

15.27%

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

$2.81 A$4.00

$2.74 A$3.89

2.55%

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$11.56

$8.58 A$12.19

-5.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 A$10.23

$8.50 A$12.08

-15.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 A$2.42

$1.14 A$1.62

49.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.17

$2.67 A$3.80

10.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.57

$2.31 A$3.28

8.66%

Eggs

$5.66 A$8.04

$3.57 A$5.07

58.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 A$17.36

$9.04 A$12.85

35.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 A$13.24

$7.86 A$11.17

18.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 A$23.97

$14.00 A$19.90

20.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.90 A$5.54

$2.73 A$3.88

42.86%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.58

$1.38 A$1.96

133.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 A$4.88

$3.01 A$4.28

13.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 A$6.16

$4.83 A$6.86

-10.35%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.75

$2.11 A$3.00

58.77%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.41

$2.29 A$3.26

4.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.32

$1.72 A$2.44

36.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 A$1.65

$1.09 A$1.55

6.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.47 A$64.6

$29.82 A$42.37

52.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 A$19.88

$12.65 A$17.97

10.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.11 A$5.84

$5.45 A$7.75

-24.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 A$5.94

$4.88 A$6.94

-14.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.12 A$4.44

$2.97 A$4.22

5.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 A$216

$82.9 A$118

83.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 A$4.92

$3.04 A$4.31

13.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.22

$1.85 A$2.63

-15.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.54 A$56.2

$41.17 A$58.5

-3.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.05

$1.28 A$1.81

13.28%

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

$29.9K A$42.5K

$29.7K A$42.2K

0.74%

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

$27.5K A$39.1K

$24.4K A$34.7K

12.76%

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

$251 A$356

$163 A$232

53.47%

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

$27.76 A$39.44

$26.20 A$37.23

5.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.0 A$82.4

$49.97 A$71.0

16.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.7 A$100

$55.4 A$78.8

27.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.25 A$33.04

$20.42 A$29.01

13.86%

Cinema Ticket

$17.83 A$25.33

$12.04 A$17.10

48.09%

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

$2,358 A$3,351

$697 A$990

238.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.2K A$38.6K

$3,204 A$4,552

748.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 A$114

$85.1 A$121

-5.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.3 A$98.5

$44.18 A$62.8

56.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$157

$114 A$162

-2.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 A$181

$110 A$156

16.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,566 A$3,646

$1,379 A$1,960

86.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 A$2,547

$1,358 A$1,929

32.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,202 A$7,391

$2,572 A$3,655

102.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,156 A$4,485

$1,825 A$2,593

73.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.0K

$6,229 A$8,850

114.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,727 A$12.4K

$4,510 A$6,408

93.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,118 A$5,851

$2,467 A$3,506

66.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

5.81

1.89%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 24, 2026

Last update for Grafton: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9%

Grafton

$1.4K 53% 24.2% $434

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$382 11.7%

Grafton

$321 12.6% 15.9% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$337 10.3%

Grafton

$240 9.4% 28.8% $97

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.2%

Grafton

$296 11.6% 1% $2.9

Getting Around

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Grafton

$107 4.2% 39% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$175 5.3%

Grafton

$159 6.2% 9.1% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$106 3.3%

Grafton

$79 3.1% 25.2% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,566 in Sydney and $1,379 in Grafton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 67% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $90 in Sydney vs $73 in Grafton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $382 vs $321 per month, with Grafton cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇦🇺 Grafton

🕒 Local time

05:41 5:41 AM

Same time as Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

19,255

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Grafton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sydney and Grafton differ by about 28% in total monthly costs ($3,267 vs $2,560 including rent). Grafton is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 67% 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: $2,566 in Sydney versus $1,379 in Grafton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Sydney. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Grafton – a meal for two runs $73 versus $90 in Sydney. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,560 in Grafton versus $3,267 in Sydney, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Grafton but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Grafton 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 Grafton 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 Grafton gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.