Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Irkutsk

For one person, living is cheaper in Irkutsk: $1,013 a month against $3,182 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $26,000 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Irkutsk
Learn more

Irkutsk Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,182

/mo nomad

Irkutsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,013

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Irkutsk

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,182 in Sydney versus $1,013 in Irkutsk.

Sydney $3,182
Irkutsk $1,013

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,696 in Sydney versus $1,501 in Irkutsk.

Sydney $4,696
Irkutsk $1,501

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,210 in Sydney versus $1,988 in Irkutsk.

Sydney $6,210
Irkutsk $1,988

Living in Sydney is roughly 214% more expensive than in Irkutsk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sydney is 137% above, Irkutsk is 24% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 A$25.28

$7.18 ₽611

145.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.1 A$139

$32.58 ₽2,772

198.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.94 A$17.09

$5.81 ₽494

105.51%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.72

$3.03 ₽258

32.01%

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

$2.84 A$4.06

$1.60 ₽136

77.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 A$3.25

$0.65 ₽55.1

249.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 A$11.29

$2.69 ₽229

193.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 A$10.20

$4.04 ₽344

76.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.20 ₽102

38.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 A$4.00

$0.64 ₽54.5

335.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.33

$2.22 ₽189

4.50%

Eggs

$5.53 A$7.92

$1.59 ₽135

247.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 A$17.28

$11.69 ₽995

3.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.84 A$14.09

$6.04 ₽514

62.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.61 A$23.78

$11.24 ₽956

47.78%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 A$5.76

$1.89 ₽161

112.70%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.51

$1.99 ₽169

58.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 A$5.01

$1.75 ₽149

100.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.47 A$6.39

$3.47 ₽295

28.82%

Potato (1kg)

$3.32 A$4.76

$0.72 ₽61.4

361.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$0.69 ₽58.6

233.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.35

$1.79 ₽152

30.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 A$1.65

$0.65 ₽55.6

76.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.02 A$64.4

$2.70 ₽230

1567.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.96 A$19.97

$7.17 ₽610

94.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.98 A$5.70

$1.02 ₽86.7

290.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.07 A$5.82

$1.90 ₽162

114.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.16 A$4.52

$0.57 ₽48.62

454.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$215

$15.79 ₽1,344

849.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.45 A$4.94

$1.19 ₽102

189.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.33

$0.18 ₽14.94

805.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.98 A$57.2

$8.91 ₽758

348.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.79 ₽66.8

77.22%

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

$28.4K A$40.7K

$29.0K ₽2.5M

-2.01%

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

$29.4K A$42.1K

$36.8K ₽3.1M

-20.11%

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

$220 A$315

$118 ₽10.0K

86.97%

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

$27.70 A$39.64

$5.84 ₽497

374.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 A$79.5

$11.41 ₽971

386.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.3 A$106

$34.35 ₽2,923

116.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.95 A$34.28

$21.13 ₽1,798

13.35%

Cinema Ticket

$17.73 A$25.37

$6.64 ₽565

167.02%

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

$2,157 A$3,087

$294 ₽25.0K

634.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K A$40.5K

$3,121 ₽265.6K

806.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$112

$58.7 ₽4,992

33.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.5 A$101

$23.42 ₽1,993

201.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$159

$100 ₽8,516

11.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$189

$113 ₽9,642

16.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,514 A$3,598

$438 ₽37.2K

474.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,732 A$2,478

$309 ₽26.3K

459.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,889 A$6,996

$750 ₽63.8K

551.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,039 A$4,349

$432 ₽36.8K

603.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$2,712 ₽230.8K

387.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,117 A$11.6K

$1,807 ₽153.7K

349.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,082 A$5,842

$752 ₽64.0K

442.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

24.57

-76.23%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 5, 2026

Last update for Irkutsk: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.5%

Irkutsk

$309 30.7% 82.1% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$380 12%

Irkutsk

$220 21.9% 42.1% $160

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$303 9.6%

Irkutsk

$135 13.4% 55.5% $168

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.4%

Irkutsk

$142 14.1% 52.6% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$176 5.6%

Irkutsk

$133 13.2% 24.6% $43

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Irkutsk

$20 2% 88.4% $154

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Irkutsk

$48 4.7% 56.6% $62

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,514 in Sydney and $438 in Irkutsk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 443% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $97.0 in Sydney vs $33.00 in Irkutsk for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $380 vs $220 per month, with Irkutsk cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇷🇺 Irkutsk

🕒 Local time

21:25 9:25 PM

18:25 6:25 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

617,515

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

100 RUB = 1.18 USD

100 RUB = 1.05 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 85.09 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.35 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Sydney Irkutsk 10,610 km ≈ 14 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 Irkutsk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Irkutsk wins on cost – living expenses run 214% lower than in Sydney. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Irkutsk the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 443% 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: $2,514 in Sydney versus $438 in Irkutsk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,157 in Sydney versus $294 in Irkutsk. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 73% higher in Sydney. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,013 in Irkutsk versus $3,182 in Sydney, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Irkutsk but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Irkutsk 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 Irkutsk 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 Irkutsk gentler on the wallet – expenses run 214% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.