Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and New Plymouth

For one person, living is cheaper in New Plymouth: $1,821 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $16,000 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
88

Cost of Living Index in New Plymouth
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New Plymouth Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

New Plymouth

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in New Plymouth

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,152 in Sydney versus $1,821 in New Plymouth.

Sydney $3,152
New Plymouth $1,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,710 in Sydney versus $2,787 in New Plymouth.

Sydney $4,710
New Plymouth $2,787

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,268 in Sydney versus $3,753 in New Plymouth.

Sydney $6,268
New Plymouth $3,753

Living in Sydney is roughly 73% more expensive than in New Plymouth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sydney 133% above, New Plymouth 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$11.79 NZ$20.86

49.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$66.5 NZ$118

37.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$8.42 NZ$14.89

42.04%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$3.31 NZ$5.85

22.96%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$2.10 NZ$3.71

35.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$1.84 NZ$3.25

22.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$5.25 NZ$9.28

44.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$5.51 NZ$9.75

34.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.46 NZ$2.58

13.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.25 NZ$2.21

122.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$1.62 NZ$2.86

49.38%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$5.35 NZ$9.47

5.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$5.48 NZ$9.69

113.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$7.23 NZ$12.79

33.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$11.60 NZ$20.52

44.40%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.45 NZ$4.33

66.12%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$1.90 NZ$3.36

71.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$2.95 NZ$5.22

16.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$6.26 NZ$11.08

-31.63%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$2.03 NZ$3.60

61.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$1.40 NZ$2.48

64.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$1.77 NZ$3.14

29.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$1.26 NZ$2.22

-3.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$22.05 NZ$39.00

98.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$8.41 NZ$14.88

65.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$2.90 NZ$5.14

34.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$3.76 NZ$6.65

3.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$1.70 NZ$3.00

78.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$74.3 NZ$131

102.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$3.61 NZ$6.39

-6.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.65 NZ$2.92

-15.15%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$26.4K NZ$46.8K

10.16%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$22.6K NZ$39.9K

33.48%

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

$223 A$320

$127 NZ$225

75.11%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$27.63 NZ$48.87

-1.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$47.97 NZ$84.8

16.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$42.55 NZ$75.3

75.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$8.00 NZ$14.14

119.50%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$669 NZ$1,183

228.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$22.8K NZ$40.2K

23.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$61.6 NZ$109

27.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$38.35 NZ$67.8

78.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$87.7 NZ$155

26.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$103 NZ$182

30.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$911 NZ$1,612

174.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$853 NZ$1,508

100.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$1,719 NZ$3,040

187.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$1,542 NZ$2,727

95.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$3,136 NZ$5,547

319.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$2,566 NZ$4,539

226.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

$2,766 NZ$4,891

48.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

5.93

-1.52%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for New Plymouth: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

New Plymouth

$853 46.8% 50.1% $856

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

New Plymouth

$279 15.3% 26.3% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

New Plymouth

$203 11.1% 33.7% $103

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

New Plymouth

$212 11.7% 28.9% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

New Plymouth

$131 7.2% 26% $46

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

New Plymouth

$85 * 4.7% 51.2% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

New Plymouth

$59 3.2% 46.6% $51

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,500 in Sydney and $911 in New Plymouth. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 49% 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: $91.0 in Sydney vs $67.0 in New Plymouth for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $379 vs $279 per month, with New Plymouth cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇳🇿 New Plymouth

🕒 Local time

09:40 9:40 AM

11:40 11:40 AM

2 h ahead of Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

58,400

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sydney New Plymouth 2,120 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
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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 New Plymouth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sydney and New Plymouth differ by about 73% in total monthly costs ($3,152 vs $1,821 including rent). New Plymouth is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 49% higher in Sydney, 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: $2,500 in Sydney versus $911 in New Plymouth. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in New Plymouth runs roughly 102% less than in Sydney. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,196 in Sydney versus $669 in New Plymouth. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,821 in New Plymouth versus $3,152 in Sydney, a $3,000 budget is realistic in New Plymouth but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes New Plymouth 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 New Plymouth 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 New Plymouth gentler on the wallet – expenses run 73% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.