Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Lake Macquarie Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Lake Macquarie

😐 Solo nomad: Sydney is 22.6% more expensive than Lake Macquarie without rent, and 39.1% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Sydney is 6.3% more expensive than Lake Macquarie without rent, and 24.2% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.02 A$24.54

$12.91 A$19.78

24.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.1 A$118

0.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.6 A$14.7

$9.66 A$14.79

-0.62%

Cappuccino

$3.33 A$5.11

$3.34 A$5.12

-0.30%

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

$2.5 A$3.83

$2.38 A$3.65

5.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2 A$3.06

$2 A$3.07

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.33 A$9.69

$6.35 A$9.72

-0.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.09 A$10.86

$6.96 A$10.66

1.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 A$2.59

$1.37 A$2.1

23.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.7 A$4.13

$1.44 A$2.2

87.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.34 A$3.59

$1.19 A$1.82

96.64%

Eggs

$5.05 A$7.74

$3.14 A$4.81

60.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.65 A$13.25

$7.51 A$11.5

15.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.45 A$12.95

$6.07 A$9.3

39.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.8 A$21.14

$11.78 A$18.05

17.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.18 A$4.88

$3.11 A$4.76

2.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.67 A$4.09

$2.7 A$4.13

-1.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.8

$3.16 A$4.84

-0.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.36 A$6.67

$4.33 A$6.64

0.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 A$3.92

$1.95 A$2.98

31.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 A$3.62

$1.74 A$2.66

35.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 A$3.31

$1.35 A$2.07

60.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 A$1.91

$1.13 A$1.73

9.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$31.93 A$48.92

$27.52 A$42.16

16.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.43 A$20.58

$7.24 A$11.09

85.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.8 A$7.35

$2.62 A$4.02

83.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.26 A$8.06

$2.15 A$3.3

144.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.19 A$4.88

$2.07 A$3.17

54.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$212

$88.9 A$136

55.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.79 A$5.81

$1.87 A$2.86

102.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.96 A$4.54

$1.55 A$2.37

90.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$51.4 A$78.7

$46.5 A$71.2

10.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.2 A$1.84

$1.19 A$1.82

0.84%

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

$29.3K A$44.9K

$24.9K A$38.2K

17.44%

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

$22.2K A$34K

$20.2K A$30.9K

10.19%

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

$201 A$308

$204 A$313

-1.63%

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

$23.73 A$36.35

$10.26 A$15.72

131.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 A$81.3

$42.08 A$64.5

26.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.5 A$94.2

$49.44 A$75.7

24.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.64 A$31.62

$15.88 A$24.33

29.97%

Cinema Ticket

$15.47 A$23.7

$9.2 A$14.1

68.15%

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

$2,109 A$3,231

$1,446 A$2,215

45.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K A$28.8K

$9,951 A$15.2K

89.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.8 A$115

$73.4 A$112

1.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.4 A$89.5

$33.88 A$51.9

72.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 A$165

$76.6 A$117

40.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$203

$132 A$202

0.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,205 A$3,378

$1,240 A$1,900

77.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,462 A$2,239

$976 A$1,495

49.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,389 A$6,724

$2,007 A$3,074

118.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,669 A$4,090

$2,055 A$3,148

29.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.7K A$19.5K

$5,582 A$8,552

128.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,165 A$11K

$4,951 A$7,584

44.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,965 A$6,074

$4,783 A$7,327

-17.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.34

4.35

45.75%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 28, 2025

Last update for Lake Macquarie: October 29, 2025

Similar cities

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

Munich

🇩🇪 Germany

Vienna

🇦🇹 Austria