Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Oamaru

For one person, living is cheaper in Oamaru: $1,769 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $16,600 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
87

Cost of Living Index in Oamaru
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Oamaru Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Oamaru

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,769

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Oamaru

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,152 in Sydney versus $1,769 in Oamaru.

Sydney $3,152
Oamaru $1,769

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,710 in Sydney versus $2,802 in Oamaru.

Sydney $4,710
Oamaru $2,802

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,268 in Sydney versus $3,834 in Oamaru.

Sydney $6,268
Oamaru $3,834

Living in Sydney is roughly 78% more expensive than in Oamaru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sydney 133% above, Oamaru 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$13.87 NZ$24.53

26.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$67.7 NZ$120

35.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$9.18 NZ$16.23

30.28%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$3.30 NZ$5.84

23.33%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$2.33 NZ$4.12

22.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$1.78 NZ$3.14

26.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$6.58 NZ$11.63

15.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$6.91 NZ$12.22

7.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.67 NZ$2.94

-0.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.28 NZ$2.27

117.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$1.50 NZ$2.65

61.33%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$5.48 NZ$9.70

2.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$7.26 NZ$12.83

61.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$8.87 NZ$15.69

8.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$13.60 NZ$24.04

23.16%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.39 NZ$4.22

70.29%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$2.02 NZ$3.58

60.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$2.69 NZ$4.76

27.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$2.97 NZ$5.25

44.11%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$1.50 NZ$2.65

118.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$1.33 NZ$2.35

72.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$2.06 NZ$3.64

11.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.70 NZ$1.24

72.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$24.24 NZ$42.87

80.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$5.44 NZ$9.63

155.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$3.37 NZ$5.96

15.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$4.29 NZ$7.60

-8.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$1.49 NZ$2.64

104.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$89.0 NZ$157

68.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$2.55 NZ$4.52

32.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$1.70 NZ$3.00

-8.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$27.87 NZ$49.29

43.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.58 NZ$2.79

-11.39%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$25.2K NZ$44.6K

15.35%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$23.9K NZ$42.2K

26.21%

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

$223 A$320

$158 NZ$279

40.99%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$19.36 NZ$34.24

40.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$45.43 NZ$80.3

22.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$39.08 NZ$69.1

90.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$9.98 NZ$17.65

75.95%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$668 NZ$1,181

228.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$21.7K NZ$38.4K

29.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$56.4 NZ$99.7

39.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$16.83 NZ$29.77

306.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$44.83 NZ$79.3

148.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$50.3 NZ$88.9

167.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$973 NZ$1,720

156.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$790 NZ$1,398

116.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$1,725 NZ$3,051

186.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$1,631 NZ$2,884

85.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$4,751 NZ$8,403

177.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$3,236 NZ$5,724

158.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

$1,926 NZ$3,405

113.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

5.91

-1.18%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Oamaru: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Oamaru

$790 44.7% 53.8% $919

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Oamaru

$274 15.5% 27.6% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Oamaru

$223 12.6% 27.1% $83

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Oamaru

$241 13.6% 19.2% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Oamaru

$76 4.3% 57.1% $101

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Oamaru

$106 6% 38.9% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Oamaru

$59 3.3% 46.2% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,500 in Sydney and $973 in Oamaru. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 114% 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 $68.0 in Oamaru for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $379 vs $274 per month, with Oamaru cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇳🇿 Oamaru

🕒 Local time

15:08 3:08 PM

17:08 5:08 PM

2 h ahead of Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

13,850

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Oamaru 2,100 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Oamaru

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 Oamaru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Oamaru is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 78% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 114% 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 $973 in Oamaru. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% higher in Sydney. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Oamaru – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $91.0 in Sydney. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,769 in Oamaru versus $3,152 in Sydney, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Oamaru but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Oamaru 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 Oamaru 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 Oamaru gentler on the wallet – expenses run 78% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.