Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Ipswich

For one person, living is cheaper in Ipswich: $2,037 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
Learn more

Sydney Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in Ipswich
Learn more

Ipswich Living Index

Jump to prices

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Ipswich

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,037

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Ipswich

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

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $2,037 in Ipswich, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Ipswich $2,037

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $2,901 in Ipswich, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Ipswich $2,901

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $3,766 in Ipswich, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Ipswich $3,766

Sydney costs about 55% more than Ipswich, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Sydney and Ipswich sit above the global median – Sydney by 133%, Ipswich by 51%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$31.50 A$45.33

-44.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$74.1 A$107

23.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$9.98 A$14.36

19.84%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$4.54 A$6.53

-10.35%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$3.92 A$5.64

-27.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$2.50 A$3.60

-10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$9.04 A$13.01

-15.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$7.61 A$10.94

-2.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$2.42 A$3.48

-31.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$2.37 A$3.41

17.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$2.22 A$3.19

9.01%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$7.14 A$10.27

-21.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$7.32 A$10.53

59.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$8.24 A$11.86

17.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$14.05 A$20.22

19.22%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$3.37 A$4.86

20.77%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$2.57 A$3.70

26.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$2.85 A$4.10

20.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$3.76 A$5.41

13.83%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$1.99 A$2.87

64.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$2.05 A$2.95

12.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$2.46 A$3.54

-6.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$1.78 A$2.56

-32.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$44.60 A$64.2

-2.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$22.31 A$32.11

-37.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$6.21 A$8.93

-37.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$7.15 A$10.28

-45.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$0.36 A$0.52

744.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$2.18 A$3.14

55.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$1.56 A$2.25

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$36.12 A$52.0

10.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.47 A$2.11

-4.76%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

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

$223 A$320

$90.9 A$131

144.99%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$30.70 A$44.18

-11.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$63.2 A$90.9

-11.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$17.21 A$24.76

333.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

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

$2,196 A$3,160

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$1,026 A$1,476

143.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$1,016 A$1,463

68.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$1,416 A$2,038

249.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$1,402 A$2,018

115.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

$4,146 A$5,966

-0.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

5.98

-2.34%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ipswich: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Ipswich

$1K 49.9% 40.5% $693

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Ipswich

$384 18.9% 1.5% $5.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Ipswich

$185 9.1% 39.5% $121

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Ipswich

$423 20.8% 41.5% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Ipswich

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Ipswich

$11 * 0.6% 93.4% $162

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Ipswich

$17 * 0.9% 84.3% $93

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 $1,026 in Ipswich. 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 1% higher in Ipswich, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Sydney versus $74.0 in Ipswich. Groceries tell a different story – $379 in Sydney vs $384 in Ipswich – so Sydney wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇦🇺 Ipswich

🕒 Local time

19:42 7:42 PM

18:42 6:42 PM

1 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

229,208

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sydney Ipswich 710 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Ipswich

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 Ipswich: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sydney is pricier by about 55%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,728 per month in Sydney and $3,055 in Ipswich. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Interestingly, groceries are about 2% cheaper in Sydney – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Sydney and $74.0 in Ipswich. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Ipswich, where all-in costs run around $2,037, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Ipswich it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ipswich – 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 Ipswich. 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.