Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Manukau

For one person, living is cheaper in Manukau: $1,753 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $16,800 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
85

Cost of Living Index in Manukau
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Manukau Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Manukau

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,753

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Manukau

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

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $1,753 in Manukau, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Manukau $1,753

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $2,707 in Manukau, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Manukau $2,707

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $3,661 in Manukau, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Manukau $3,661

Sydney costs about 80% more than Manukau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sydney and Manukau sit above the global median – Sydney by 133%, Manukau by 30%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$11.90 NZ$21.04

47.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$67.2 NZ$119

36.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$8.35 NZ$14.77

43.23%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$3.39 NZ$6.00

20.06%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$2.00 NZ$3.54

42.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$1.74 NZ$3.07

29.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$6.11 NZ$10.80

24.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$5.56 NZ$9.83

33.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.41 NZ$2.50

17.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.29 NZ$2.28

115.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$1.80 NZ$3.18

34.44%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$5.19 NZ$9.18

8.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$5.64 NZ$9.97

107.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$7.23 NZ$12.79

33.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$11.66 NZ$20.63

43.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.56 NZ$4.52

58.98%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$2.04 NZ$3.61

59.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$2.92 NZ$5.16

17.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$5.65 NZ$9.99

-24.25%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$1.95 NZ$3.45

68.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$1.37 NZ$2.42

67.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$1.98 NZ$3.51

16.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.90 NZ$1.60

34.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$25.28 NZ$44.71

72.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$10.13 NZ$17.91

37.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$2.83 NZ$5.00

37.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$3.33 NZ$5.89

17.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$1.77 NZ$3.14

71.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$91.2 NZ$161

64.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$2.28 NZ$4.04

48.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$1.98 NZ$3.50

-21.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$31.55 NZ$55.8

26.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.70 NZ$3.01

-17.65%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$24.8K NZ$43.8K

17.47%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$22.3K NZ$39.4K

35.24%

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

$223 A$320

$56.2 NZ$99.3

296.37%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$26.35 NZ$46.60

3.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$49.91 NZ$88.3

11.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$38.03 NZ$67.3

96.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$12.81 NZ$22.65

37.08%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$675 NZ$1,194

225.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$19.7K NZ$34.8K

43.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$61.8 NZ$109

26.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$37.04 NZ$65.5

84.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$93.3 NZ$165

19.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$110 NZ$194

22.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$956 NZ$1,690

161.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$817 NZ$1,444

109.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$1,595 NZ$2,821

210.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$1,443 NZ$2,552

109.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$4,910 NZ$8,683

168.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$3,309 NZ$5,852

152.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

$1,744 NZ$3,085

135.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

5.9

-1.02%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Manukau: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Manukau

$817 46.6% 52.2% $893

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Manukau

$276 15.8% 27% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Manukau

$132 7.6% 56.7% $173

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Manukau

$218 12.4% 27.1% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Manukau

$136 7.8% 23.1% $41

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Manukau

$110 6.3% 36.4% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Manukau

$64 3.6% 42% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney versus $956 in Manukau. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 136% higher in Sydney, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Sydney versus $67.0 in Manukau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $276 – making Manukau the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇳🇿 Manukau

🕒 Local time

16:51 4:51 PM

18:51 6:51 PM

2 h ahead of Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

362,000

💱 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 Manukau 2,150 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Manukau

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 Manukau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,152 in Sydney, $1,753 in Manukau – roughly 80% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,728 per month in Sydney and $2,629 in Manukau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 37% more in Sydney, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Sydney and $67.0 in Manukau. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Manukau, where all-in costs run around $1,753, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Manukau it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Manukau – 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 Manukau. 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.