Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Pakenham

For one person, living is cheaper in Pakenham: $2,643 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 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 Pakenham
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Pakenham Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Pakenham

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Pakenham

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,267 in Sydney versus $2,643 in Pakenham.

Sydney $3,267
Pakenham $2,643

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,847 in Sydney versus $3,761 in Pakenham.

Sydney $4,847
Pakenham $3,761

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,428 in Sydney versus $4,880 in Pakenham.

Sydney $6,428
Pakenham $4,880

Living in Sydney is roughly 24% more expensive than in Pakenham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sydney 140% above, Pakenham 94% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.87

$17.34 A$24.64

0.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.4 A$128

$83.4 A$118

8.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$16.99

$12.08 A$17.16

-0.99%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.68

$4.02 A$5.71

-0.50%

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

$2.81 A$4.00

$3.21 A$4.56

-12.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 A$3.16

$2.47 A$3.50

-10.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 A$11.56

$9.56 A$13.59

-14.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 A$10.23

$8.47 A$12.04

-14.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 A$2.42

$1.21 A$1.71

40.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.17

$2.87 A$4.07

2.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.57

$2.61 A$3.70

-3.83%

Eggs

$5.66 A$8.04

$5.61 A$7.97

0.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 A$17.36

$8.49 A$12.07

43.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 A$13.24

$9.78 A$13.90

-4.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 A$23.97

$15.29 A$21.72

10.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.90 A$5.54

$3.98 A$5.66

-2.01%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.58

$2.62 A$3.73

22.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 A$4.88

$3.13 A$4.45

9.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 A$6.16

$4.74 A$6.74

-8.65%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.75

$2.99 A$4.25

12.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.41

$2.57 A$3.65

-6.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.32

$2.43 A$3.45

-3.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 A$1.65

$1.63 A$2.32

-28.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.47 A$64.6

$25.16 A$35.75

80.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 A$19.88

$12.63 A$17.95

10.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.11 A$5.84

$5.48 A$7.78

-25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 A$5.94

$5.17 A$7.35

-19.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.12 A$4.44

$3.08 A$4.37

1.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 A$216

$73.7 A$105

105.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 A$4.92

$4.36 A$6.19

-20.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.22

$1.43 A$2.03

9.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.54 A$56.2

$30.36 A$43.14

30.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.05

$1.43 A$2.04

1.40%

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

$29.9K A$42.5K

$29.1K A$41.3K

2.82%

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

$27.5K A$39.1K

$26.4K A$37.6K

4.08%

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

$251 A$356

$236 A$335

6.33%

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

$27.76 A$39.44

$28.14 A$39.99

-1.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.0 A$82.4

$57.8 A$82.2

0.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.7 A$100

$64.3 A$91.4

9.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.25 A$33.04

$19.50 A$27.71

19.23%

Cinema Ticket

$17.83 A$25.33

$17.55 A$24.94

1.60%

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

$2,358 A$3,351

$2,515 A$3,573

-6.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.2K A$38.6K

$30.4K A$43.2K

-10.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 A$114

-0.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.3 A$98.5

$49.90 A$70.9

38.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$157

$119 A$169

-6.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 A$181

$133 A$189

-4.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,566 A$3,646

$1,463 A$2,078

75.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 A$2,547

$1,269 A$1,804

41.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,202 A$7,391

$2,148 A$3,052

142.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,156 A$4,485

$1,855 A$2,635

70.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.0K

$5,533 A$7,862

141.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,727 A$12.4K

$5,458 A$7,756

59.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,118 A$5,851

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

5.9

0.34%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 24, 2026

Last update for Pakenham: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9%

Pakenham

$1.3K 48% 29.2% $523

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$382 11.7%

Pakenham

$372 14.1% 2.6% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$337 10.3%

Pakenham

$322 12.2% 4.4% $15

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.2%

Pakenham

$311 11.8% 3.9% $12

Getting Around

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Pakenham

$98 3.7% 44.4% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$175 5.3%

Pakenham

$172 6.5% 1.5% $2.5

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$106 3.3%

Pakenham

$99 3.8% 6.5% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,566 in Sydney and $1,463 in Pakenham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $90 in Sydney vs $83 in Pakenham for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $382 vs $372 per month, with Pakenham cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇦🇺 Pakenham

🕒 Local time

05:40 5:40 AM

Same time as Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

54,118

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Sydney Pakenham 700 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Pakenham

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 Pakenham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pakenham wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Sydney. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Pakenham the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $4,900 in Sydney and $3,964 in Pakenham 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 $1,463 in Pakenham. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,358 in Sydney versus $2,515 in Pakenham. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Sydney. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Pakenham 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 Pakenham 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 Pakenham gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.