Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Launceston, Australia

Name: Launceston
Address: Launceston, AU

For one person, living is cheaper in Launceston: $1,980 a month against $3,274 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 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
95

Cost of Living Index in Launceston
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Launceston Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,274

/mo nomad

Launceston

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,980

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Launceston

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,274 in Sydney versus $1,980 in Launceston.

Sydney $3,274
Launceston $1,980

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,873 in Sydney versus $2,837 in Launceston.

Sydney $4,873
Launceston $2,837

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,471 in Sydney versus $3,693 in Launceston.

Sydney $6,471
Launceston $3,693

Living in Sydney is roughly 65% more expensive than in Launceston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sydney 142% above, Launceston 46% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.27 A$24.72

$17.76 A$25.42

-2.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.9 A$130

$73.4 A$105

23.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.87 A$17.00

$8.22 A$11.76

44.40%

Cappuccino

$4.09 A$5.86

$3.29 A$4.71

24.32%

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

$2.80 A$4.00

$1.44 A$2.05

94.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 A$3.12

$2.23 A$3.20

-2.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.25 A$11.80

$6.15 A$8.80

34.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.99 A$10.00

$7.10 A$10.16

-1.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 A$2.40

$1.80 A$2.57

-6.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.88 A$4.13

$2.48 A$3.55

16.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 A$3.37

$1.23 A$1.77

91.06%

Eggs

$5.39 A$7.72

$3.67 A$5.25

46.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.06 A$15.83

$9.85 A$14.10

12.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.92 A$12.77

$8.47 A$12.13

5.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.48 A$23.59

$10.32 A$14.77

59.69%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 A$5.93

$2.74 A$3.92

51.09%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.61

$2.78 A$3.97

15.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.79

$2.77 A$3.96

20.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 A$6.21

$4.72 A$6.76

-8.05%

Potato (1kg)

$3.38 A$4.84

$2.04 A$2.92

65.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.43 A$3.48

$1.42 A$2.04

71.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.37 A$3.39

$2.55 A$3.65

-7.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 A$1.67

$0.53 A$0.76

120.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.01 A$63.0

$35.52 A$50.9

23.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.23 A$20.37

$14.68 A$21.01

-3.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.14 A$5.92

$5.09 A$7.28

-18.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 A$6.28

$5.59 A$8.01

-21.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.08 A$4.41

$3.51 A$5.03

-12.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 A$217

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.72 A$5.33

$3.89 A$5.56

-4.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 A$2.56

$1.75 A$2.50

2.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.82 A$59.9

$31.75 A$45.46

31.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 A$2.07

$1.26 A$1.80

14.29%

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

$29.6K A$42.4K

$28.8K A$41.3K

2.85%

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

$27.5K A$39.4K

$34.0K A$48.7K

-19.23%

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

$262 A$375

$223 A$319

17.29%

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

$28.69 A$41.07

$29.26 A$41.89

-1.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.0 A$83.0

$54.7 A$78.3

6.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.9 A$107

$48.98 A$70.1

52.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.21 A$33.22

Cinema Ticket

$17.70 A$25.34

$17.13 A$24.51

3.33%

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

$2,424 A$3,470

$1,998 A$2,861

21.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.3K A$47.7K

$18.5K A$26.5K

79.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.3 A$112

$78.7 A$113

-0.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.1 A$98.9

$54.8 A$78.5

26.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 A$161

$105 A$151

6.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 A$180

$127 A$182

-0.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,602 A$3,724

$1,153 A$1,650

125.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 A$2,565

$811 A$1,161

120.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,247 A$7,511

$1,623 A$2,323

223.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,196 A$4,576

$1,137 A$1,628

181.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K A$19.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,711 A$12.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,107 A$5,879

$6,723 A$9,624

-38.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.02

0.33%

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

Last update for Sydney: November 2, 2026

Last update for Launceston: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.7%

Launceston

$811 41% 54.7% $981

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$375 11.5%

Launceston

$322 16.3% 14.3% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$348 10.6%

Launceston

$307 15.5% 11.9% $41

Eating Out

Sydney

$298 9.1%

Launceston

$266 13.4% 10.8% $32

Getting Around

Sydney

$177 5.4%

Launceston

$27 * 1.4% 84.9% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$174 5.3%

Launceston

$165 8.3% 5.2% $9

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.4%

Launceston

$83 4.2% 24.5% $27

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,602 in Sydney and $1,153 in Launceston. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Launceston pays 64% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $91 in Sydney vs $73 in Launceston for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $375 vs $322 per month, with Launceston cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇦🇺 Launceston

🕒 Local time

04:51 4:51 AM

Same time as Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

80,943

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Sydney Launceston 910 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Launceston

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 Launceston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 39% 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: $2,602 in Sydney versus $1,153 in Launceston. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Sydney. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $3,274 per month in Sydney versus $1,980 in Launceston – Launceston is about 40% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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