Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Port Douglas

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Douglas: $2,534 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 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 Port Douglas
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Port Douglas Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Port Douglas

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,534

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Port Douglas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,267 in Sydney versus $2,534 in Port Douglas.

Sydney $3,267
Port Douglas $2,534

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,847 in Sydney versus $3,674 in Port Douglas.

Sydney $4,847
Port Douglas $3,674

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,428 in Sydney versus $4,814 in Port Douglas.

Sydney $6,428
Port Douglas $4,814

Living in Sydney is roughly 29% more expensive than in Port Douglas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sydney 140% above, Port Douglas 86% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.99

$17.55 A$25.07

-0.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.4 A$129

$96.3 A$137

-6.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.07

$12.56 A$17.94

-4.78%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.71

$4.28 A$6.11

-6.54%

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

$2.81 A$4.02

$3.22 A$4.60

-12.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 A$3.17

$2.78 A$3.97

-20.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 A$11.62

$6.85 A$9.79

18.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 A$10.28

$8.52 A$12.17

-15.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 A$2.43

$1.93 A$2.76

-11.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.19

$2.75 A$3.93

6.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.59

$2.51 A$3.58

Eggs

$5.66 A$8.08

$5.34 A$7.63

5.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 A$17.44

$9.22 A$13.17

32.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 A$13.30

$13.57 A$19.37

-31.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 A$24.09

$15.36 A$21.94

9.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.90 A$5.57

$4.09 A$5.85

-4.65%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.60

$2.73 A$3.90

17.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 A$4.90

$3.54 A$5.05

-3.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 A$6.19

$5.70 A$8.14

-24.04%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.78

$2.58 A$3.69

29.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.43

$2.59 A$3.69

-7.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.34

$2.84 A$4.05

-17.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 A$1.65

$2.52 A$3.60

-53.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.47 A$64.9

$44.71 A$63.9

1.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 A$19.98

$13.80 A$19.70

1.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.11 A$5.87

$3.49 A$4.98

17.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 A$5.97

$5.14 A$7.33

-18.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.12 A$4.46

$2.73 A$3.90

14.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 A$217

$88.8 A$127

70.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 A$4.94

$2.51 A$3.59

37.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.23

$1.99 A$2.84

-21.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.54 A$56.5

$42.29 A$60.4

-6.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.06

$1.24 A$1.78

16.94%

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

$29.9K A$42.7K

$29.5K A$42.1K

1.38%

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

$27.5K A$39.3K

$30.4K A$43.4K

-9.40%

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

$251 A$358

$161 A$229

56.27%

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

$27.76 A$39.64

$34.89 A$49.83

-20.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.0 A$82.8

$65.6 A$93.6

-11.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.7 A$101

$61.9 A$88.4

14.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.25 A$33.20

$17.84 A$25.48

30.33%

Cinema Ticket

$17.83 A$25.46

$13.82 A$19.74

29.02%

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

$2,358 A$3,368

$2,063 A$2,947

14.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.2K A$38.8K

$13.8K A$19.7K

97.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 A$115

$92.5 A$132

-12.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.3 A$99.0

$72.1 A$103

-3.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$158

$124 A$177

-10.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 A$182

$129 A$185

-1.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,566 A$3,664

$1,605 A$2,291

59.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 A$2,560

$1,170 A$1,670

53.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,202 A$7,429

$2,528 A$3,611

105.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,156 A$4,508

$1,650 A$2,357

91.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.1K

$6,515 A$9,304

105.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,727 A$12.5K

$4,407 A$6,294

98.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,118 A$5,881

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

6.32

-6.33%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 24, 2026

Last update for Port Douglas: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9%

Port Douglas

$1.2K 46.2% 34.7% $623

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$382 11.7%

Port Douglas

$409 16.1% 7.1% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$337 10.3%

Port Douglas

$261 10.3% 22.5% $76

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.2%

Port Douglas

$305 12% 1.9% $5.7

Getting Around

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Port Douglas

$112 4.4% 36.1% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$175 5.3%

Port Douglas

$188 7.4% 7.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$106 3.3%

Port Douglas

$90 3.5% 15.8% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,566 in Sydney and $1,605 in Port Douglas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $90 in Sydney vs $96 in Port Douglas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $382 vs $409 per month, with Sydney cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇦🇺 Port Douglas

🕒 Local time

18:57 6:57 PM

17:57 5:57 PM

1 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

3,500

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Sydney Port Douglas 2,020 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Port Douglas

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 Port Douglas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,267 in Sydney and $2,534 in Port Douglas, so Port Douglas is about 22% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $4,900 in Sydney and $3,801 in Port Douglas 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 $1,605 in Port Douglas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Sydney pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Sydney – a meal for two runs $90 versus $96 in Port Douglas. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,534 in Port Douglas versus $3,267 in Sydney, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Port Douglas but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Port Douglas 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 Port Douglas are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.