Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Invercargill

For one person, living is cheaper in Invercargill: $1,412 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $20,900 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
68

Cost of Living Index in Invercargill
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Invercargill Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Invercargill

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,412

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Invercargill

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

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $1,412 in Invercargill, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Invercargill $1,412

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $2,099 in Invercargill, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Invercargill $2,099

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $2,785 in Invercargill, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Invercargill $2,785

Sydney costs about 123% more than Invercargill, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Sydney and Invercargill sit above the global median – Sydney by 133%, Invercargill by 5%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$14.04 NZ$24.83

25.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$61.2 NZ$108

49.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$8.32 NZ$14.71

43.75%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$3.12 NZ$5.52

30.45%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$1.65 NZ$2.92

72.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$2.03 NZ$3.60

10.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$2.74 NZ$4.85

177.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$2.74 NZ$4.85

171.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.68 NZ$2.96

-1.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.85 NZ$3.27

50.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$1.76 NZ$3.11

37.50%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$5.58 NZ$9.87

1.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$8.23 NZ$14.55

42.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$8.83 NZ$15.61

9.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$12.12 NZ$21.44

38.20%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.55 NZ$4.50

59.61%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$2.36 NZ$4.17

37.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$2.66 NZ$4.70

29.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$3.52 NZ$6.23

21.59%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$3.21 NZ$5.68

2.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$1.61 NZ$2.85

42.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$2.33 NZ$4.13

-1.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$1.04 NZ$1.84

16.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$20.39 NZ$36.06

114.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$8.56 NZ$15.14

62.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$2.86 NZ$5.06

36.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$3.39 NZ$5.99

15.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$1.41 NZ$2.49

115.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$2.27 NZ$4.01

48.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$1.94 NZ$3.42

-19.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$27.73 NZ$49.04

44.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.59 NZ$2.81

-11.95%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$23.8K NZ$42.1K

22.37%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$18.2K NZ$32.3K

65.17%

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

$223 A$320

$109 NZ$192

104.73%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$32.30 NZ$57.1

-15.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$42.46 NZ$75.1

31.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$27.87 NZ$49.29

167.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

$13.77 NZ$24.34

74.22%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$8.82 NZ$15.60

99.09%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$589 NZ$1,042

272.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$57.4 NZ$102

36.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$35.07 NZ$62.0

95.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$70.0 NZ$124

59.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$79.0 NZ$140

70.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$594 NZ$1,050

321.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$551 NZ$974

210.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$831 NZ$1,470

495.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$764 NZ$1,350

295.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$5,482 NZ$9,695

140.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$5,034 NZ$8,902

66.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

$2,729 NZ$4,826

50.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

6.72

-13.10%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Invercargill: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Invercargill

$551 39% 67.8% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Invercargill

$298 21.1% 21.3% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Invercargill

$183 13% 40% $122

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Invercargill

$209 14.8% 30.1% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Invercargill

$109 7.7% 38.5% $68

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Invercargill

$18 * 1.2% 89.9% $156

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Invercargill

$46 3.2% 58.5% $64

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney versus $594 in Invercargill. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 51% higher in Sydney, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Sydney versus $61.0 in Invercargill. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $298 – making Invercargill the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇳🇿 Invercargill

🕒 Local time

07:47 7:47 AM

09:47 9:47 AM

2 h ahead of Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

56,200

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sydney Invercargill 2,010 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Invercargill

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 Invercargill: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sydney costs about 123% more than Invercargill, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,728 per month in Sydney and $2,119 in Invercargill. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Invercargill, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,152 in Sydney and $1,412 in Invercargill. That's a gap of about 123%.

Kindergarten costs $2,196 per month in Sydney and $589 in Invercargill. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Invercargill, where all-in costs run around $1,412, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Invercargill it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Invercargill – 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.

If budget matters most, go with Invercargill. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sydney makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.