Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Nowra NSW

For one person, living is cheaper in Nowra NSW: $2,649 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 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
124

Cost of Living Index in Nowra NSW
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Nowra NSW Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Nowra NSW

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,649

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Nowra NSW

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

A single person spends $3,267 per month in Sydney vs $2,649 in Nowra NSW, rent included.

Sydney $3,267
Nowra NSW $2,649

A couple spends around $4,847 per month in Sydney vs $3,808 in Nowra NSW, rent included.

Sydney $4,847
Nowra NSW $3,808

A family of three spends $6,428 per month in Sydney vs $4,968 in Nowra NSW, rent included.

Sydney $6,428
Nowra NSW $4,968

Sydney costs about 23% more than Nowra NSW, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Sydney and Nowra NSW sit above the global median – Sydney by 140%, Nowra NSW by 95%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.99

$20.83 A$29.74

-15.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.4 A$129

$89.7 A$128

0.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.07

$10.57 A$15.10

13.15%

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

$3.09 A$4.42

-9.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 A$3.17

$2.50 A$3.58

-11.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 A$11.62

$8.65 A$12.36

-6.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 A$10.28

$9.96 A$14.22

-27.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 A$2.43

$1.29 A$1.84

31.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.19

$2.99 A$4.27

-1.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.59

$2.57 A$3.67

-2.33%

Eggs

$5.66 A$8.08

$5.28 A$7.54

7.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 A$17.44

$11.82 A$16.89

3.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 A$13.30

$9.72 A$13.88

-4.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 A$24.09

$15.33 A$21.90

10.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.90 A$5.57

$4.00 A$5.71

-2.50%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.60

$3.21 A$4.58

0.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 A$4.90

$3.47 A$4.95

-1.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 A$6.19

$5.02 A$7.17

-13.75%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.78

$3.15 A$4.50

6.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.43

$2.87 A$4.09

-16.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.34

$2.48 A$3.55

-5.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 A$1.65

$1.39 A$1.99

-16.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.47 A$64.9

$44.62 A$63.7

1.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 A$19.98

$13.82 A$19.73

1.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.11 A$5.87

$4.59 A$6.55

-10.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 A$5.97

$5.49 A$7.84

-23.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.12 A$4.46

$2.69 A$3.85

15.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 A$217

$81.1 A$116

87.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 A$4.94

$4.06 A$5.79

-14.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.23

$1.59 A$2.27

-1.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.54 A$56.5

$43.76 A$62.5

-9.64%

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$42.7K

$27.8K A$39.8K

7.40%

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

$27.5K A$39.3K

$26.3K A$37.5K

4.71%

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

$251 A$358

$183 A$262

36.77%

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

$27.76 A$39.64

$27.16 A$38.79

2.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.0 A$82.8

$56.6 A$80.8

2.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.7 A$101

$53.5 A$76.3

32.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.25 A$33.20

$15.21 A$21.71

52.86%

Cinema Ticket

$17.83 A$25.46

$15.48 A$22.10

15.18%

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

$2,358 A$3,368

$2,496 A$3,564

-5.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.2K A$38.8K

$20.2K A$28.8K

34.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 A$115

$77.4 A$111

3.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.3 A$99.0

$56.0 A$80.0

23.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$158

$107 A$153

3.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 A$182

$135 A$192

-5.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,566 A$3,664

$1,293 A$1,847

98.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 A$2,560

$1,307 A$1,866

37.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,202 A$7,429

$2,454 A$3,504

112.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,156 A$4,508

$1,904 A$2,719

65.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.1K

$6,702 A$9,572

99.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,727 A$12.5K

$5,378 A$7,680

62.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,118 A$5,881

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 Nowra NSW: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9%

Nowra NSW

$1.3K 49.3% 27.1% $486

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$382 11.7%

Nowra NSW

$386 14.6% 1% $3.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$337 10.3%

Nowra NSW

$267 10.1% 20.6% $69

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.2%

Nowra NSW

$332 12.6% 11.1% $33

Getting Around

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Nowra NSW

$104 3.9% 40.8% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$175 5.3%

Nowra NSW

$169 6.4% 3.2% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$106 3.3%

Nowra NSW

$84 3.2% 20.6% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,566 in Sydney versus $1,293 in Nowra NSW. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Sydney versus $90 in Nowra NSW. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $382 vs $386 – making Sydney the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇦🇺 Nowra NSW

🕒 Local time

21:50 9:50 PM

Same time as Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

9,598

💱 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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Sydney Nowra NSW 130 km

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 Nowra NSW: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,267 in Sydney, $2,649 in Nowra NSW – Nowra NSW comes out roughly 19% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,900 per month in Sydney and $3,974 in Nowra NSW. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nowra NSW, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,293 there versus $2,566 in Sydney.

Kindergarten costs $2,358 per month in Sydney and $2,496 in Nowra NSW. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,267 in Sydney and $2,649 in Nowra NSW. That makes Nowra NSW about 19% cheaper.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nowra NSW, where all-in costs run around $2,649, than in Sydney at $3,267. In Nowra NSW it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Sydney has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,649 in Nowra NSW to $3,267 in Sydney. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.