Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Moe

For one person, living is cheaper in Moe: $2,334 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 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 Moe
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Moe Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Moe

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,334

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Moe

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,267 in Sydney versus $2,334 in Moe.

Sydney $3,267
Moe $2,334

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,847 in Sydney versus $3,461 in Moe.

Sydney $4,847
Moe $3,461

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,428 in Sydney versus $4,588 in Moe.

Sydney $6,428
Moe $4,588

Living in Sydney is roughly 40% more expensive than in Moe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sydney 140% above, Moe 71% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.99

$14.15 A$20.20

23.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.4 A$129

$78.5 A$112

15.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.07

$10.06 A$14.37

18.89%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.71

$3.76 A$5.36

6.38%

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

$2.81 A$4.02

$3.04 A$4.34

-7.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 A$3.17

$1.38 A$1.98

60.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 A$11.62

$5.24 A$7.49

55.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 A$10.28

$4.87 A$6.95

47.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 A$2.43

$0.81 A$1.15

109.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.19

$2.87 A$4.10

2.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.59

$2.54 A$3.63

-1.18%

Eggs

$5.66 A$8.08

$3.45 A$4.93

64.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 A$17.44

$10.39 A$14.84

17.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 A$13.30

$8.15 A$11.63

14.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 A$24.09

$15.14 A$21.62

11.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.90 A$5.57

$2.88 A$4.12

35.42%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.60

$2.77 A$3.96

16.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 A$4.90

$2.96 A$4.23

15.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 A$6.19

$4.45 A$6.36

-2.70%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.78

$2.15 A$3.08

55.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.43

$2.56 A$3.65

-6.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.34

$2.48 A$3.54

-5.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 A$1.65

$1.42 A$2.03

-18.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.47 A$64.9

$31.23 A$44.59

45.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 A$19.98

$12.68 A$18.11

10.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.11 A$5.87

$3.55 A$5.07

15.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 A$5.97

$3.45 A$4.93

21.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.12 A$4.46

$2.69 A$3.84

15.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 A$217

$84.9 A$121

78.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 A$4.94

$2.34 A$3.34

47.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.23

$1.42 A$2.02

9.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.54 A$56.5

$24.61 A$35.15

60.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.06

$1.18 A$1.68

22.88%

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

$29.9K A$42.7K

$29.4K A$42.0K

1.66%

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

$27.5K A$39.3K

$26.3K A$37.6K

4.47%

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

$251 A$358

$157 A$224

59.71%

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

$27.76 A$39.64

$27.69 A$39.55

0.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.0 A$82.8

$57.9 A$82.7

0.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.7 A$101

$55.3 A$79.0

27.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.25 A$33.20

$15.68 A$22.40

48.28%

Cinema Ticket

$17.83 A$25.46

$17.64 A$25.20

1.08%

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

$2,358 A$3,368

$2,451 A$3,500

-3.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.2K A$38.8K

$30.1K A$42.9K

-9.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 A$115

$81.8 A$117

-1.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.3 A$99.0

$49.33 A$70.5

40.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$158

$120 A$171

-7.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 A$182

$133 A$189

-3.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,566 A$3,664

$1,229 A$1,755

108.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 A$2,560

$1,149 A$1,641

56.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,202 A$7,429

$2,492 A$3,558

108.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,156 A$4,508

$1,892 A$2,701

66.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.1K

$5,872 A$8,386

127.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,727 A$12.5K

$5,018 A$7,166

73.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,118 A$5,881

$1,411 A$2,016

191.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

5.9

0.34%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 24, 2026

Last update for Moe: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9%

Moe

$1.1K 49.2% 35.9% $643

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$382 11.7%

Moe

$332 14.2% 13.2% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$337 10.3%

Moe

$243 10.4% 27.9% $94

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.2%

Moe

$242 10.4% 19.1% $57

Getting Around

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Moe

$105 4.5% 40.1% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$175 5.3%

Moe

$173 7.4% 1.1% $1.9

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$106 3.3%

Moe

$91 3.9% 14.8% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,566 in Sydney and $1,229 in Moe. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays about 2.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $90 in Sydney vs $79 in Moe for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $382 vs $332 per month, with Moe cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇦🇺 Moe

🕒 Local time

13:51 1:51 PM

Same time as Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

8,700

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sydney Moe 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Moe

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 Moe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Moe wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in Sydney. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Moe the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Sydney is about 2.9 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,566 in Sydney versus $1,229 in Moe. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Sydney. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Moe – a meal for two runs $79 versus $90 in Sydney. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Moe is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Moe are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Moe gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.