Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Latrobe Valley

For one person, living is cheaper in Latrobe Valley: $2,543 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 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
122

Cost of Living Index in Latrobe Valley
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Latrobe Valley Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Latrobe Valley

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,543

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Latrobe Valley

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,267 in Sydney versus $2,543 in Latrobe Valley.

Sydney $3,267
Latrobe Valley $2,543

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,847 in Sydney versus $3,558 in Latrobe Valley.

Sydney $4,847
Latrobe Valley $3,558

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,428 in Sydney versus $4,573 in Latrobe Valley.

Sydney $6,428
Latrobe Valley $4,573

Living in Sydney is roughly 28% more expensive than in Latrobe Valley, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sydney 140% above, Latrobe Valley 87% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.99

$16.11 A$23.01

8.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.4 A$129

$91.9 A$131

-1.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.07

$10.48 A$14.97

14.12%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.71

$3.58 A$5.11

11.73%

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

$2.81 A$4.02

$2.68 A$3.83

4.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 A$3.17

$1.93 A$2.76

15.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 A$11.62

$6.63 A$9.46

22.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 A$10.28

$7.29 A$10.41

-1.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 A$2.43

$1.52 A$2.16

11.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.19

$2.63 A$3.76

11.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.59

$1.95 A$2.79

28.72%

Eggs

$5.66 A$8.08

$5.07 A$7.24

11.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 A$17.44

$9.14 A$13.06

33.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 A$13.30

$8.45 A$12.07

10.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 A$24.09

$16.47 A$23.52

2.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.90 A$5.57

$4.25 A$6.07

-8.24%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.60

$3.49 A$4.98

-7.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 A$4.90

$3.38 A$4.82

1.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 A$6.19

$4.06 A$5.80

6.65%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.78

$2.62 A$3.75

27.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.43

$2.48 A$3.54

-3.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.34

$2.53 A$3.61

-7.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 A$1.65

$1.70 A$2.42

-31.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.47 A$64.9

$46.65 A$66.6

-2.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 A$19.98

$12.67 A$18.10

10.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.11 A$5.87

$4.39 A$6.26

-6.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 A$5.97

$5.27 A$7.53

-20.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.12 A$4.46

$2.83 A$4.04

10.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 A$217

$79.0 A$113

92.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 A$4.94

$3.85 A$5.49

-10.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.23

$1.73 A$2.48

-9.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.54 A$56.5

$37.72 A$53.9

4.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.06

$1.24 A$1.77

16.94%

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

$29.9K A$42.7K

$33.1K A$47.2K

-9.55%

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

$27.5K A$39.3K

$29.2K A$41.7K

-5.75%

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

$251 A$358

$179 A$256

40.06%

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

$27.76 A$39.64

$29.92 A$42.73

-7.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.0 A$82.8

$52.2 A$74.5

11.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.7 A$101

$58.1 A$82.9

21.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.25 A$33.20

$18.18 A$25.97

27.89%

Cinema Ticket

$17.83 A$25.46

$15.88 A$22.67

12.28%

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

$2,358 A$3,368

$2,028 A$2,897

16.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.2K A$38.8K

$19.4K A$27.8K

39.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 A$115

$78.6 A$112

2.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.3 A$99.0

$58.2 A$83.2

19.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$158

$103 A$147

7.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 A$182

$127 A$181

0.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,566 A$3,664

$1,315 A$1,877

95.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 A$2,560

$1,289 A$1,841

39.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,202 A$7,429

$2,319 A$3,312

124.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,156 A$4,508

$1,671 A$2,387

88.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.1K

$4,990 A$7,126

168.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,727 A$12.5K

$4,950 A$7,069

76.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,118 A$5,881

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

5.9

0.34%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 24, 2026

Last update for Latrobe Valley: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9%

Latrobe Valley

$1.3K 50.7% 28.1% $504

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$382 11.7%

Latrobe Valley

$366 14.4% 4.3% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$337 10.3%

Latrobe Valley

$261 10.3% 22.4% $75

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.2%

Latrobe Valley

$269 10.6% 9.9% $30

Getting Around

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Latrobe Valley

$103 4.1% 41.4% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$175 5.3%

Latrobe Valley

$165 6.5% 5.4% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$106 3.3%

Latrobe Valley

$90 3.5% 15.5% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,566 in Sydney and $1,315 in Latrobe Valley. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $90 in Sydney vs $92 in Latrobe Valley. Groceries flip the comparison at $382 vs $366, with Latrobe Valley cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇦🇺 Latrobe Valley

🕒 Local time

13:51 1:51 PM

Same time as Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

1,492

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Sydney Latrobe Valley 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Latrobe Valley

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 Latrobe Valley: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,267 in Sydney and $2,543 in Latrobe Valley, so Latrobe Valley is about 22% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $4,900 in Sydney and $3,815 in Latrobe Valley to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,566 in Sydney versus $1,315 in Latrobe Valley. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Sydney. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $3,267 per month in Sydney versus $2,543 in Latrobe Valley – Latrobe Valley is about 22% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,543 in Latrobe Valley versus $3,267 in Sydney, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Latrobe Valley but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Latrobe Valley 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 Latrobe Valley are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.