Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Mudgee

For one person, living is cheaper in Mudgee: $2,667 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Sydney, Australia
Mudgee, Australia
Sydney
🇦🇺 Australia
$3,267
/mo nomad
Mudgee
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,667
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Mudgee

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,267 in Sydney versus $2,667 in Mudgee.

  • Sydney $3,267
  • Mudgee $2,667

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,847 in Sydney versus $3,586 in Mudgee.

  • Sydney $4,847
  • Mudgee $3,586

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,428 in Sydney versus $4,505 in Mudgee.

  • Sydney $6,428
  • Mudgee $4,505

Living in Sydney is roughly 23% more expensive than in Mudgee, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sydney 140% above, Mudgee 96% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sydney
Mudgee
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.50 A$24.88
$16.96 A$24.11
3.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$90.4 A$128
$83.9 A$119
7.76%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.96 A$17.00
$9.39 A$13.35
27.37%
Cappuccino
$4.00 A$5.69
$3.58 A$5.09
11.73%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.81 A$4.00
$2.44 A$3.46
15.16%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.22 A$3.16
$2.08 A$2.96
6.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.13 A$11.57
$7.11 A$10.11
14.35%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.20 A$10.24
$7.12 A$10.13
1.12%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sydney
Mudgee
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.70 A$2.42
$1.16 A$1.64
46.55%
White Bread (500g)
$2.94 A$4.18
$2.86 A$4.07
2.80%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.51 A$3.58
$2.11 A$3.00
18.96%
Eggs
$5.66 A$8.05
$4.00 A$5.69
41.50%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.22 A$17.37
$8.60 A$12.22
42.09%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.31 A$13.24
$7.39 A$10.51
25.98%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.87 A$23.99
$8.61 A$12.24
95.93%
Apples (1kg)
$3.90 A$5.55
$2.95 A$4.19
32.20%
Banana (1kg)
$3.22 A$4.58
$2.48 A$3.53
29.84%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.43 A$4.88
$3.35 A$4.77
2.39%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.33 A$6.16
$4.09 A$5.82
5.87%
Potato (1kg)
$3.35 A$4.76
$2.32 A$3.30
44.40%
Onion (1kg)
$2.40 A$3.41
$2.56 A$3.64
-6.25%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.34 A$3.33
$2.60 A$3.70
-10.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.16 A$1.65
$1.82 A$2.59
-36.26%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$45.47 A$64.7
$45.13 A$64.2
0.75%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.99 A$19.89
$14.14 A$20.10
-1.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.11 A$5.84
$4.50 A$6.39
-8.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.18 A$5.94
$4.11 A$5.84
1.70%
🚌 Getting Around
Sydney
Mudgee
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.12 A$4.44
$2.64 A$3.76
18.18%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$152 A$216
$74.3 A$106
104.22%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.46 A$4.92
$3.55 A$5.04
-2.54%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.56 A$2.22
$1.62 A$2.30
-3.70%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$39.54 A$56.2
$44.92 A$63.9
-11.98%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 A$2.06
$1.31 A$1.87
10.69%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.9K A$42.5K
$28.9K A$41.1K
3.47%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.5K A$39.1K
$24.4K A$34.7K
12.85%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sydney
Mudgee
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$251 A$357
$235 A$334
6.77%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.76 A$39.47
$32.19 A$45.77
-13.76%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$58.0 A$82.5
$50.6 A$72.0
14.58%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sydney
Mudgee
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$70.7 A$100
$57.2 A$81.3
23.66%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.25 A$33.06
$16.99 A$24.16
36.85%
Cinema Ticket
$17.83 A$25.35
$13.36 A$19.00
33.46%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sydney
Mudgee
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,358 A$3,353
$2,201 A$3,130
7.13%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$27.2K A$38.7K
$19.3K A$27.5K
40.56%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sydney
Mudgee
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$80.5 A$114
$69.9 A$99.4
15.15%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$69.3 A$98.5
$63.2 A$89.8
9.70%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$111 A$157
$142 A$202
-22.21%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$127 A$181
$111 A$158
14.72%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sydney
Mudgee
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,566 A$3,648
$1,530 A$2,176
67.65%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,792 A$2,549
$1,400 A$1,990
28.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,202 A$7,396
$2,409 A$3,425
115.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,156 A$4,488
$1,704 A$2,423
85.20%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$13.4K A$19.0K
$6,701 A$9,529
99.78%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,727 A$12.4K
$4,720 A$6,711
84.89%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sydney
Mudgee
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,118 A$5,856
$5,594 A$7,955
-26.39%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.92
5
18.40%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 24, 2026

Last update for Mudgee: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Sydney
$1.8K
Mudgee
$1.4K 21.9% $393
Groceries & Markets
Sydney
$382
Mudgee
$320 16.2% $62
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sydney
$337
Mudgee
$318 5.6% $19
Eating Out
Sydney
$299
Mudgee
$275 8.2% $24
Getting Around
Sydney
$176
Mudgee
$97 45% $79
Clothing & Footwear
Sydney
$175
Mudgee
$174 0.4% $0.7
Sport & Entertainment
Sydney
$106
Mudgee
$84 21.1% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,566 in Sydney and $1,530 in Mudgee. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mudgee pays 36% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $90 in Sydney vs $84 in Mudgee for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $382 vs $320 per month, with Mudgee cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇦🇺 Sydney
🇦🇺 Mudgee
🕒 Local time
04:38 4:38 AM
04:38 4:38 AM
Same time as Sydney
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,840,600
11,563
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sydney Mudgee 210 km
From you
  • Sydney
  • Mudgee

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 Mudgee: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Sydney or Mudgee?
Mudgee wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Sydney. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Mudgee the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Sydney or in Mudgee?
On paper, salaries run 26% lower in Sydney. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Sydney compared to Mudgee?
Rent for a central apartment: $2,566 in Sydney versus $1,530 in Mudgee. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How much does it cost to live in Sydney compared to Mudgee?
All in, you’ll spend $3,267 per month in Sydney versus $2,667 in Mudgee – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
How expensive is transport in Sydney compared to Mudgee?
A monthly transit pass in Mudgee runs roughly 51% less than in Sydney. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Sydney or in Mudgee?
Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Mudgee is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Sydney or Mudgee?
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.
How safe is Sydney compared to Mudgee?
Safety-wise, Sydney and Mudgee are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Mudgee gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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