Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Kalgoorlie

For one person, living is cheaper in Kalgoorlie: $1,944 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 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
94

Cost of Living Index in Kalgoorlie
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Kalgoorlie Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Kalgoorlie

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,944

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Kalgoorlie

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,267 in Sydney versus $1,944 in Kalgoorlie.

Sydney $3,267
Kalgoorlie $1,944

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,847 in Sydney versus $3,314 in Kalgoorlie.

Sydney $4,847
Kalgoorlie $3,314

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,428 in Sydney versus $4,684 in Kalgoorlie.

Sydney $6,428
Kalgoorlie $4,684

Living in Sydney is roughly 68% more expensive than in Kalgoorlie, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sydney 140% above, Kalgoorlie 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.88

$17.45 A$24.81

0.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.4 A$128

$85.3 A$121

5.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$16.99

$10.53 A$14.97

13.58%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.69

$4.68 A$6.65

-14.53%

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

$2.81 A$4.00

$3.76 A$5.35

-25.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 A$3.16

$3.47 A$4.94

-36.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 A$11.56

$6.13 A$8.72

32.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 A$10.23

$7.33 A$10.42

-1.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 A$2.42

$1.57 A$2.24

8.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.17

$3.46 A$4.92

-15.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.57

$2.25 A$3.20

11.56%

Eggs

$5.66 A$8.04

$4.64 A$6.59

21.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 A$17.36

$9.60 A$13.64

27.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 A$13.24

$9.45 A$13.43

-1.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 A$23.98

$14.98 A$21.30

12.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.90 A$5.55

$3.83 A$5.44

1.83%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.58

$3.12 A$4.43

3.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 A$4.88

$3.27 A$4.64

4.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 A$6.16

$4.52 A$6.43

-4.20%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.76

$2.78 A$3.95

20.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.41

$2.47 A$3.51

-2.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.32

$2.13 A$3.02

9.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 A$1.65

$1.59 A$2.26

-27.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.47 A$64.6

$41.62 A$59.2

9.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 A$19.89

$14.03 A$19.95

-0.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.11 A$5.84

$4.85 A$6.90

-15.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 A$5.94

$5.22 A$7.42

-19.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.12 A$4.44

$2.81 A$4.00

11.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 A$216

$83.1 A$118

82.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 A$4.92

$3.53 A$5.02

-1.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.22

$1.69 A$2.40

-7.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.54 A$56.2

$43.29 A$61.5

-8.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.06

$1.35 A$1.92

7.41%

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

$29.9K A$42.5K

$26.5K A$37.7K

12.81%

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

$27.5K A$39.1K

$28.3K A$40.3K

-2.93%

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

$251 A$357

$312 A$443

-19.51%

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

$27.76 A$39.45

$56.5 A$80.3

-50.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.0 A$82.4

$69.1 A$98.2

-16.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.7 A$100

$38.33 A$54.5

84.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.25 A$33.05

$18.58 A$26.40

25.13%

Cinema Ticket

$17.83 A$25.34

$17.77 A$25.26

0.34%

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

$2,358 A$3,352

$2,057 A$2,924

14.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.2K A$38.6K

$17.7K A$25.1K

53.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 A$114

$76.9 A$109

4.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.3 A$98.5

$55.4 A$78.7

25.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$157

$108 A$154

2.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 A$181

$106 A$150

20.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,566 A$3,647

$1,383 A$1,966

85.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 A$2,548

$493 A$701

263.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,202 A$7,394

$1,661 A$2,361

213.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,156 A$4,487

$1,579 A$2,245

99.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.0K

$6,521 A$9,269

105.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,727 A$12.4K

$4,802 A$6,826

81.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,118 A$5,853

$6,189 A$8,796

-33.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

6.25

-5.28%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 24, 2026

Last update for Kalgoorlie: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9%

Kalgoorlie

$493 25.4% 72.5% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$382 11.7%

Kalgoorlie

$376 19.3% 1.6% $6.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$337 10.3%

Kalgoorlie

$437 22.5% 29.9% $101

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.2%

Kalgoorlie

$302 15.5% 0.8% $2.5

Getting Around

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Kalgoorlie

$106 5.5% 39.5% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$175 5.3%

Kalgoorlie

$156 8% 10.7% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$106 3.3%

Kalgoorlie

$74 3.8% 30.5% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,566 in Sydney and $1,383 in Kalgoorlie. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kalgoorlie pays 50% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $90 in Sydney vs $85 in Kalgoorlie for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $382 vs $376 per month, with Kalgoorlie cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇦🇺 Kalgoorlie

🕒 Local time

17:10 5:10 PM

14:10 2:10 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

29,068

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Sydney Kalgoorlie 2,810 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Kalgoorlie: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kalgoorlie wins on cost – living expenses run 40% lower than in Sydney. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kalgoorlie the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 33% lower in Sydney. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,566 in Sydney versus $1,383 in Kalgoorlie. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,358 in Sydney versus $2,057 in Kalgoorlie. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Kalgoorlie – a meal for two runs $85 versus $90 in Sydney. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 Kalgoorlie are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.