Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Mazar-i-Sharif

For one person, living is cheaper in Mazar-i-Sharif: $297 a month against $3,182 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $34,600 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Mazar-i-Sharif
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Mazar-i-Sharif Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,182

/mo nomad

Mazar-i-Sharif

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$297

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Mazar-i-Sharif

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 Mazar-i-Sharif actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,182 in Sydney versus $297 in Mazar-i-Sharif.

Sydney $3,182
Mazar-i-Sharif $297

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,696 in Sydney versus $470 in Mazar-i-Sharif.

Sydney $4,696
Mazar-i-Sharif $470

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,210 in Sydney versus $643 in Mazar-i-Sharif.

Sydney $6,210
Mazar-i-Sharif $643

Living in Sydney is roughly 972% more expensive than in Mazar-i-Sharif, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sydney is 137% above, Mazar-i-Sharif is 78% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 A$25.28

$2.31 ؋149

664.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.1 A$139

$15.68 ؋1,015

519.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.94 A$17.09

$3.90 ؋252

206.15%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.53 ؋487

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.76 ؋503

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.72

$1.19 ؋77.3

236.13%

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

$2.84 A$4.06

$0.56 ؋36.07

407.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 A$3.25

$0.32 ؋20.97

609.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 A$11.29

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 A$10.20

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$0.60 ؋38.87

176.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 A$4.00

$0.15 ؋9.41

1760.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.33

$2.15 ؋139

7.91%

Eggs

$5.53 A$7.92

$1.59 ؋103

247.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 A$17.28

$7.92 ؋513

52.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.84 A$14.09

$3.37 ؋218

191.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.61 A$23.78

$6.23 ؋404

166.61%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 A$5.76

$0.59 ؋38.23

581.36%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.51

$1.17 ؋76.0

169.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 A$5.01

$0.81 ؋52.6

332.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.47 A$6.39

$0.61 ؋39.57

632.79%

Potato (1kg)

$3.32 A$4.76

$0.51 ؋33.06

550.98%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$0.40 ؋25.83

475.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.35

$0.52 ؋33.75

350.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 A$1.65

$0.32 ؋20.76

259.37%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.82 ؋118

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.02 A$64.4

$1.56 ؋101

2785.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.96 A$19.97

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.98 A$5.70

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.07 A$5.82

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.16 A$4.52

$0.80 ؋52.0

295.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$215

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.45 A$4.94

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.33

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.98 A$57.2

$1.52 ؋98.7

2530.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.49 ؋96.3

-6.04%

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

$28.4K A$40.7K

$9,933 ؋643.3K

186.12%

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

$29.4K A$42.1K

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

$220 A$315

$83.8 ؋5,425

162.52%

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

$27.70 A$39.64

$16.94 ؋1,097

63.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 A$79.5

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.3 A$106

$11.69 ؋757

535.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.95 A$34.28

$3.91 ؋253

512.53%

Cinema Ticket

$17.73 A$25.37

$4.72 ؋306

275.64%

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

$2,157 A$3,087

$78.1 ؋5,058

2661.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K A$40.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$112

$13.14 ؋851

496.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.5 A$101

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$159

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$189

$18.75 ؋1,214

602.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,514 A$3,598

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,732 A$2,478

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,889 A$6,996

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,039 A$4,349

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,117 A$11.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,082 A$5,842

$231 ؋15.0K

1667.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

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

Last update for Sydney: October 5, 2026

Last update for Mazar-i-Sharif: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.5%

Mazar-i-Sharif

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$380 12%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$106 36.2% 72.1% $274

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$303 9.6%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$101 * 34.3% 66.8% $202

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.4%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$48 16.3% 84% $251

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$176 5.6%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$14 * 4.9% 91.9% $162

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$3.2 * 1.1% 98.2% $171

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$21 7.2% 80.8% $89

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

Cost Breakdown

Sydney pays 1668% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $97.0 in Sydney vs $16.00 in Mazar-i-Sharif for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $380 vs $106 per month, with Mazar-i-Sharif cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇦🇫 Mazar-i-Sharif

🕒 Local time

21:48 9:48 PM

15:18 3:18 PM

6 h 30 min behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

300,600

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AFN, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 64.76 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.57 AFN (100 AFN = 1.38 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sydney Mazar-i-Sharif 11,710 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Mazar-i-Sharif

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 Mazar-i-Sharif: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mazar-i-Sharif is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 972% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 1668% higher in Sydney, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 258% higher in Sydney. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $3,182 per month in Sydney versus $297 in Mazar-i-Sharif – a 972% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $297 in Mazar-i-Sharif versus $3,182 in Sydney, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Mazar-i-Sharif but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Mazar-i-Sharif 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 Mazar-i-Sharif are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Mazar-i-Sharif gentler on the wallet – expenses run 972% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.