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

😐 Solo nomad: Sydney is 11.5% more expensive than Lake Macquarie without rent, and 35.5% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Sydney is 10.8% more expensive than Lake Macquarie without rent, and 21.7% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.32 A$22.68

$12.77 A$17.75

27.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.7 A$109

$78.4 A$109

0.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.88 A$13.74

$9.52 A$13.23

3.78%

Cappuccino

$3.41 A$4.73

$3.42 A$4.75

-0.29%

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

$2.50 A$3.48

$2.29 A$3.18

9.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 A$2.68

$1.99 A$2.77

-3.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.46 A$8.97

$6.42 A$8.92

0.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.18 A$9.98

$6.94 A$9.64

3.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 A$2.28

$1.44 A$2.00

13.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.69 A$3.74

$1.44 A$2.00

86.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 A$3.17

$1.23 A$1.71

85.37%

Eggs

$5.08 A$7.06

$3.23 A$4.49

57.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.88 A$12.35

$7.43 A$10.33

19.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.31 A$11.56

$6.15 A$8.55

35.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.94 A$19.37

$11.94 A$16.60

16.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 A$4.68

$3.07 A$4.27

9.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.73 A$3.80

$2.78 A$3.86

-1.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 A$4.28

$3.16 A$4.39

-2.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.47 A$6.22

$4.41 A$6.13

1.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.45 A$3.40

$2.02 A$2.80

21.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 A$3.18

$1.66 A$2.31

37.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 A$3.00

$1.35 A$1.88

60.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 A$1.81

$1.18 A$1.64

10.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$32.33 A$44.93

$28.62 A$39.78

12.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.11 A$19.61

$7.68 A$10.68

83.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.79 A$6.65

$2.58 A$3.59

85.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.22 A$7.26

$2.12 A$2.95

146.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.29 A$4.58

$2.08 A$2.89

58.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$193

$89.2 A$124

55.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.88 A$5.39

$1.88 A$2.61

106.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.00 A$4.17

$1.55 A$2.16

93.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$52.0 A$72.3

$46.31 A$64.4

12.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 A$1.73

$1.18 A$1.65

5.93%

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

$28.8K A$40.1K

$24.8K A$34.5K

16.13%

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

$22.5K A$31.3K

$20.4K A$28.3K

10.58%

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

$202 A$281

$201 A$280

0.30%

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

$24.11 A$33.51

$10.60 A$14.74

127.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.1 A$72.4

$42.91 A$59.6

21.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.3 A$83.9

$48.54 A$67.5

24.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.09 A$29.31

$15.76 A$21.91

33.82%

Cinema Ticket

$15.90 A$22.10

$9.42 A$13.09

68.79%

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

$2,072 A$2,880

$1,463 A$2,034

41.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.4K A$25.6K

$10.1K A$14.0K

82.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.9 A$101

$73.4 A$102

-0.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.4 A$79.8

$33.78 A$46.95

69.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 A$150

$76.2 A$106

41.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$180

$134 A$186

-2.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,145 A$2,982

$1,280 A$1,779

67.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,501 A$2,086

$980 A$1,362

53.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,487 A$6,237

$1,994 A$2,772

125.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,640 A$3,670

$2,084 A$2,897

26.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.3K A$17.0K

$6,797 A$9,448

80.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,935 A$11.0K

$5,145 A$7,151

54.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,123 A$5,732

$5,053 A$7,024

-18.40%

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: April 13, 2026

Last update for Lake Macquarie: April 12, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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