Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Mount Victoria

For one person, living is cheaper in Mount Victoria: $2,706 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 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
125

Cost of Living Index in Mount Victoria
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Mount Victoria Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Mount Victoria

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,706

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Mount Victoria

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,267 in Sydney versus $2,706 in Mount Victoria.

Sydney $3,267
Mount Victoria $2,706

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,847 in Sydney versus $3,821 in Mount Victoria.

Sydney $4,847
Mount Victoria $3,821

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,428 in Sydney versus $4,935 in Mount Victoria.

Sydney $6,428
Mount Victoria $4,935

Living in Sydney is roughly 21% more expensive than in Mount Victoria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sydney 140% above, Mount Victoria 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.99

$21.07 A$30.10

-16.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.4 A$129

$89.1 A$127

1.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.07

$10.62 A$15.16

12.62%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.71

$4.04 A$5.77

-0.99%

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

$2.81 A$4.02

$3.06 A$4.37

-8.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 A$3.17

$2.59 A$3.70

-14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 A$11.62

$8.56 A$12.23

-5.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 A$10.28

$10.09 A$14.41

-28.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 A$2.43

$1.53 A$2.19

11.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.19

$3.26 A$4.65

-9.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.59

$2.62 A$3.74

-4.20%

Eggs

$5.66 A$8.08

$5.18 A$7.39

9.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 A$17.44

$12.87 A$18.38

-5.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 A$13.30

$10.13 A$14.47

-8.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 A$24.09

$15.62 A$22.31

8.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.90 A$5.57

$3.95 A$5.64

-1.27%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.60

$3.25 A$4.65

-0.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 A$4.90

$3.61 A$5.16

-4.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 A$6.19

$4.98 A$7.11

-13.05%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.78

$3.09 A$4.41

8.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.43

$2.74 A$3.92

-12.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.34

$2.58 A$3.68

-9.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 A$1.65

$1.34 A$1.91

-13.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.47 A$64.9

$45.43 A$64.9

0.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 A$19.98

$14.05 A$20.06

-0.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.11 A$5.87

$4.71 A$6.72

-12.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 A$5.97

$5.64 A$8.05

-25.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.12 A$4.46

$2.84 A$4.06

9.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 A$217

$81.6 A$117

85.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 A$4.94

$4.10 A$5.85

-15.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.23

$1.58 A$2.26

-1.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.54 A$56.5

$43.03 A$61.5

-8.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.06

$1.36 A$1.94

6.62%

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

$29.9K A$42.7K

$27.7K A$39.5K

8.02%

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

$27.5K A$39.3K

$26.7K A$38.1K

3.23%

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

$251 A$358

$180 A$257

39.39%

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

$27.76 A$39.64

$26.84 A$38.33

3.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.0 A$82.8

$55.2 A$78.8

5.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.7 A$101

$53.7 A$76.7

31.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.25 A$33.20

$16.52 A$23.59

40.74%

Cinema Ticket

$17.83 A$25.46

$15.50 A$22.13

15.03%

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

$2,358 A$3,368

$2,500 A$3,570

-5.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.2K A$38.8K

$20.7K A$29.5K

31.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 A$115

$76.8 A$110

4.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.3 A$99.0

$57.5 A$82.1

20.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$158

$106 A$152

4.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 A$182

$134 A$191

-4.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,566 A$3,664

$1,304 A$1,863

96.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 A$2,560

$1,354 A$1,934

32.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,202 A$7,429

$2,438 A$3,481

113.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,156 A$4,508

$1,845 A$2,635

71.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.1K

$6,693 A$9,559

100.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,727 A$12.5K

$5,498 A$7,852

58.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,118 A$5,881

$4,184 A$5,976

-1.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

5.95

-0.50%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 24, 2026

Last update for Mount Victoria: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9%

Mount Victoria

$1.4K 50% 24.5% $438

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$382 11.7%

Mount Victoria

$398 14.7% 4.1% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$337 10.3%

Mount Victoria

$262 9.7% 22.2% $75

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.2%

Mount Victoria

$334 12.4% 11.8% $35

Getting Around

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Mount Victoria

$105 3.9% 40.2% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$175 5.3%

Mount Victoria

$168 6.2% 3.5% $6.1

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$106 3.3%

Mount Victoria

$85 3.1% 20.4% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,566 in Sydney and $1,304 in Mount Victoria. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $90 in Sydney vs $89 in Mount Victoria. Groceries flip the comparison at $382 vs $398, with Sydney cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇦🇺 Mount Victoria

🕒 Local time

21:37 9:37 PM

Same time as Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

989

💱 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

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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 Mount Victoria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mount Victoria is about 17% cheaper overall, especially in transport, leisure, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $4,900 in Sydney and $4,060 in Mount Victoria to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,566 in Sydney versus $1,304 in Mount Victoria. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,358 in Sydney versus $2,500 in Mount Victoria. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Mount Victoria runs roughly 46% less than in Sydney. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Mount Victoria 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 Mount Victoria are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.