Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Maroochydore

For one person, living is cheaper in Maroochydore: $2,422 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 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
116

Cost of Living Index in Maroochydore
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Maroochydore Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Maroochydore

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,422

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Maroochydore

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

A single person spends $3,267 per month in Sydney vs $2,422 in Maroochydore, rent included.

Sydney $3,267
Maroochydore $2,422

A couple spends around $4,847 per month in Sydney vs $3,694 in Maroochydore, rent included.

Sydney $4,847
Maroochydore $3,694

A family of three spends $6,428 per month in Sydney vs $4,966 in Maroochydore, rent included.

Sydney $6,428
Maroochydore $4,966

Sydney costs about 35% more than Maroochydore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Sydney and Maroochydore sit above the global median – Sydney by 140%, Maroochydore by 78%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.88

$14.46 A$20.56

21.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.4 A$128

$96.5 A$137

-6.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.00

$9.34 A$13.28

28.05%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.69

$3.84 A$5.46

4.17%

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

$2.81 A$4.00

$2.62 A$3.72

7.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 A$3.16

$2.05 A$2.91

8.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 A$11.57

$4.10 A$5.83

98.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 A$10.24

$7.75 A$11.02

-7.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 A$2.42

$1.56 A$2.21

8.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.18

$2.74 A$3.90

7.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.58

$2.42 A$3.45

3.72%

Eggs

$5.66 A$8.05

$4.89 A$6.96

15.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 A$17.37

$9.05 A$12.87

35.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 A$13.24

$9.53 A$13.56

-2.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 A$23.99

$14.72 A$20.93

14.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.90 A$5.55

$3.73 A$5.31

4.56%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.58

$3.13 A$4.45

2.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 A$4.88

$2.64 A$3.76

29.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 A$6.16

$3.76 A$5.34

15.16%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.76

$2.55 A$3.63

31.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.41

$2.16 A$3.07

11.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.33

$2.55 A$3.63

-8.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 A$1.65

$2.42 A$3.44

-52.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.47 A$64.7

$24.23 A$34.45

87.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 A$19.89

$10.70 A$15.21

30.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.11 A$5.84

$5.74 A$8.16

-28.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 A$5.94

$5.77 A$8.21

-27.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.12 A$4.44

$0.71 A$1.01

339.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 A$216

$78.7 A$112

92.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 A$4.92

$2.05 A$2.91

68.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.22

$1.53 A$2.18

1.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.54 A$56.2

$35.95 A$51.1

9.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.06

$1.31 A$1.86

10.69%

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

$29.9K A$42.5K

$29.2K A$41.5K

2.49%

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

$27.5K A$39.1K

$23.5K A$33.4K

17.11%

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

$251 A$357

$222 A$315

13.05%

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

$27.76 A$39.47

$31.08 A$44.20

-10.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.0 A$82.5

$53.5 A$76.1

8.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.7 A$100

$57.3 A$81.5

23.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.25 A$33.06

$17.65 A$25.10

31.73%

Cinema Ticket

$17.83 A$25.35

$13.16 A$18.71

35.49%

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

$2,358 A$3,353

$2,150 A$3,058

9.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.2K A$38.7K

$11.8K A$16.7K

130.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 A$114

$77.0 A$109

4.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.3 A$98.5

$54.5 A$77.4

27.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$157

$102 A$146

8.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 A$181

$125 A$178

2.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,566 A$3,648

$1,187 A$1,688

116.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 A$2,549

$1,164 A$1,655

54.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,202 A$7,396

$2,067 A$2,938

151.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,156 A$4,488

$2,093 A$2,976

50.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.0K

$6,072 A$8,634

120.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,727 A$12.4K

$6,217 A$8,841

40.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,118 A$5,856

$2,778 A$3,950

48.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

5.69

4.04%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 24, 2026

Last update for Maroochydore: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9%

Maroochydore

$1.2K 48.1% 35.1% $629

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$382 11.7%

Maroochydore

$371 15.3% 3% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$337 10.3%

Maroochydore

$306 12.7% 8.9% $30

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.2%

Maroochydore

$244 10.1% 18.3% $55

Getting Around

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Maroochydore

$91 3.8% 48% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$175 5.3%

Maroochydore

$161 6.7% 7.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$106 3.3%

Maroochydore

$84 3.5% 21.3% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,566 in Sydney versus $1,187 in Maroochydore. 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 48% higher in Sydney. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Sydney versus $96 in Maroochydore. Groceries tell a different story – $382 in Sydney vs $371 in Maroochydore – so Maroochydore wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇦🇺 Maroochydore

🕒 Local time

20:12 8:12 PM

19:12 7:12 PM

1 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

18,342

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Sydney Maroochydore 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Sydney
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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 Maroochydore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,267 in Sydney, $2,422 in Maroochydore – roughly 35% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,900 per month in Sydney and $3,633 in Maroochydore. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Maroochydore, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,187 there versus $2,566 in Sydney.

Public transport costs about 48% less in Maroochydore. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,358 per month in Sydney and $2,150 in Maroochydore. 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 Maroochydore, where all-in costs run around $2,422, than in Sydney at $3,267. In Maroochydore it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Maroochydore – 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 Maroochydore. 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.