Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Levin

For one person, living is cheaper in Levin: $1,859 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Levin
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Levin Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Levin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Levin

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

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $1,859 in Levin, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Levin $1,859

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $2,784 in Levin, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Levin $2,784

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $3,710 in Levin, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Levin $3,710

Sydney costs about 70% more than Levin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sydney and Levin sit above the global median – Sydney by 133%, Levin by 38%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$13.55 NZ$23.97

29.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$64.9 NZ$115

41.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$8.89 NZ$15.72

34.53%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.87 NZ$5.08

41.81%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$2.46 NZ$4.35

15.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$1.66 NZ$2.93

35.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$7.09 NZ$12.54

7.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$6.58 NZ$11.63

12.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.85 NZ$3.28

-10.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$0.90 NZ$1.60

208.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$1.72 NZ$3.05

40.70%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$6.99 NZ$12.37

-19.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$6.37 NZ$11.27

83.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$7.00 NZ$12.38

38.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$9.46 NZ$16.73

77.06%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$1.67 NZ$2.95

143.71%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$2.14 NZ$3.78

51.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$2.99 NZ$5.29

15.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$1.75 NZ$3.09

144.57%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$1.90 NZ$3.36

72.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$1.23 NZ$2.17

86.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$1.86 NZ$3.30

23.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.53 NZ$0.94

128.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$17.98 NZ$31.80

143.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$11.36 NZ$20.10

22.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$3.22 NZ$5.69

21.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$2.78 NZ$4.91

40.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$1.72 NZ$3.04

76.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$81.0 NZ$143

85.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$1.85 NZ$3.28

82.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$1.76 NZ$3.11

-11.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$33.04 NZ$58.4

21.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.60 NZ$2.82

-12.50%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$25.5K NZ$45.1K

14.29%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$24.9K NZ$44.1K

20.86%

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

$223 A$320

$198 NZ$349

12.70%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$21.86 NZ$38.65

24.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$52.4 NZ$92.6

6.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$38.09 NZ$67.4

95.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$10.01 NZ$17.70

75.42%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$1,036 NZ$1,832

111.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$13.0K NZ$23.1K

116.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$76.7 NZ$136

2.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$21.97 NZ$38.85

211.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$51.0 NZ$90.2

118.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$113 NZ$200

18.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$993 NZ$1,756

151.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$824 NZ$1,457

107.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$1,192 NZ$2,109

314.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$1,463 NZ$2,587

106.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$4,974 NZ$8,796

164.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$3,415 NZ$6,039

145.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

5.39

8.35%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Levin: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Levin

$824 44.3% 51.8% $885

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Levin

$253 13.6% 33.1% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Levin

$272 14.6% 11.1% $34

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Levin

$235 12.6% 21.4% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Levin

$118 6.4% 33% $58

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Levin

$99 5.3% 43.2% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Levin

$58 3.1% 47.1% $52

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney versus $993 in Levin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Sydney versus $65.0 in Levin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $253 – making Levin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇳🇿 Levin

🕒 Local time

11:47 11:47 AM

13:47 1:47 PM

2 h ahead of Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

18,800

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sydney Levin 2,250 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Levin

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 Levin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,152 in Sydney, $1,859 in Levin – roughly 70% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,728 per month in Sydney and $2,788 in Levin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Levin, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 85% less in Levin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,196 per month in Sydney and $1,036 in Levin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Levin, where all-in costs run around $1,859, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Levin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Levin – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Levin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sydney makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.