Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Melbourne Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Melbourne

😐 Solo nomad: Sydney is 0.3% more expensive than Melbourne without rent, and 15.3% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Sydney is 2% more expensive than Melbourne without rent, and 17.4% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.02 A$24.54

$19.2 A$29.41

-16.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.1 A$118

$78.6 A$120

-1.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.6 A$14.7

$10.02 A$15.35

-4.19%

Cappuccino

$3.33 A$5.11

$3.67 A$5.62

-9.26%

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

$2.5 A$3.83

$2.54 A$3.89

-1.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2 A$3.06

$2.28 A$3.49

-12.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.33 A$9.69

$7.28 A$11.15

-13.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.09 A$10.86

$7.3 A$11.18

-2.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 A$2.59

$1.44 A$2.2

17.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.7 A$4.13

$2.63 A$4.02

2.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.34 A$3.59

$2.27 A$3.48

3.08%

Eggs

$5.05 A$7.74

$4.86 A$7.45

3.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.65 A$13.25

$8.74 A$13.39

-1.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.45 A$12.95

$9.19 A$14.07

-8.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.8 A$21.14

$14.95 A$22.9

-7.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.18 A$4.88

$3.33 A$5.1

-4.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.67 A$4.09

$2.84 A$4.35

-5.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.8

$3 A$4.6

4.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.36 A$6.67

$3.95 A$6.05

10.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 A$3.92

$2.67 A$4.09

-4.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 A$3.62

$2.34 A$3.58

0.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 A$3.31

$2.15 A$3.3

0.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 A$1.91

$1.64 A$2.5

-24.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$31.93 A$48.92

$32.11 A$49.19

-0.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.43 A$20.58

$13.13 A$20.11

2.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.8 A$7.35

$4.54 A$6.96

5.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.26 A$8.06

$5.05 A$7.74

4.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.19 A$4.88

$3.67 A$5.62

-13.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$212

$118 A$180

17.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.79 A$5.81

$3.65 A$5.6

3.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.96 A$4.54

$1.34 A$2.05

120.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$51.4 A$78.7

$27.26 A$41.77

88.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.2 A$1.84

$1.19 A$1.82

0.84%

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

$29.3K A$44.9K

$28.6K A$43.9K

2.27%

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

$22.2K A$34K

$23.5K A$36K

-5.46%

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

$201 A$308

$150 A$230

33.73%

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

$23.73 A$36.35

$20.8 A$31.86

14.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 A$81.3

$51 A$78.2

4.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.5 A$94.2

$48.23 A$73.9

27.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.64 A$31.62

$15.91 A$24.38

29.73%

Cinema Ticket

$15.47 A$23.7

$16.53 A$25.32

-6.41%

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

$2,109 A$3,231

$1,730 A$2,651

21.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K A$28.8K

$19.1K A$29.3K

-1.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.8 A$115

$67.8 A$104

10.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.4 A$89.5

$53.7 A$82.2

8.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 A$165

$108 A$165

-0.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$203

$106 A$162

24.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,205 A$3,378

$1,548 A$2,371

42.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,462 A$2,239

$1,228 A$1,881

19.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,389 A$6,724

$2,973 A$4,555

47.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,669 A$4,090

$1,956 A$2,997

36.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.7K A$19.5K

$7,110 A$10.9K

79.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,165 A$11K

$5,790 A$8,871

23.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,965 A$6,074

$4,045 A$6,198

-1.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.34

6.19

2.42%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 28, 2025

Last update for Melbourne: October 28, 2025

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