Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Port Lincoln

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Lincoln: $2,549 a month against $3,274 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 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
121

Cost of Living Index in Port Lincoln
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Port Lincoln Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,274

/mo nomad

Port Lincoln

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,549

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,274 in Sydney versus $2,549 in Port Lincoln.

Sydney $3,274
Port Lincoln $2,549

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,873 in Sydney versus $3,656 in Port Lincoln.

Sydney $4,873
Port Lincoln $3,656

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,471 in Sydney versus $4,764 in Port Lincoln.

Sydney $6,471
Port Lincoln $4,764

Living in Sydney is roughly 28% more expensive than in Port Lincoln, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sydney 142% above, Port Lincoln 89% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.27 A$24.91

$17.39 A$25.08

-0.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.9 A$131

$84.0 A$121

8.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.87 A$17.13

$10.66 A$15.37

11.35%

Cappuccino

$4.09 A$5.91

$3.95 A$5.70

3.54%

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

$2.80 A$4.03

$2.84 A$4.09

-1.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 A$3.14

$2.20 A$3.18

-0.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.25 A$11.89

$7.61 A$10.98

8.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.99 A$10.08

$7.48 A$10.78

-6.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 A$2.42

$1.58 A$2.28

6.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.88 A$4.16

$2.62 A$3.79

9.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 A$3.39

$2.24 A$3.23

4.91%

Eggs

$5.39 A$7.78

$5.00 A$7.21

7.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.06 A$15.95

$9.11 A$13.14

21.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.92 A$12.87

$9.39 A$13.54

-5.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.48 A$23.77

$14.98 A$21.60

10.01%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 A$5.98

$3.83 A$5.53

8.09%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.65

$3.03 A$4.37

6.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.83

$3.20 A$4.62

4.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 A$6.26

$4.52 A$6.52

-3.98%

Potato (1kg)

$3.38 A$4.88

$2.74 A$3.95

23.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.43 A$3.51

$2.37 A$3.43

2.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.37 A$3.41

$2.42 A$3.49

-2.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 A$1.69

$1.61 A$2.33

-27.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.01 A$63.5

$39.41 A$56.9

11.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.23 A$20.53

$14.11 A$20.35

0.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.14 A$5.96

$4.82 A$6.96

-14.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 A$6.33

$5.11 A$7.38

-14.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.08 A$4.44

$2.69 A$3.88

14.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 A$219

$83.3 A$120

82.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.72 A$5.37

$3.58 A$5.16

3.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 A$2.58

$1.58 A$2.28

13.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.82 A$60.3

$39.95 A$57.6

4.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 A$2.08

$1.36 A$1.97

5.88%

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

$29.6K A$42.8K

$30.0K A$43.2K

-1.05%

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

$27.5K A$39.7K

$26.4K A$38.1K

4.18%

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

$262 A$377

$210 A$303

24.78%

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

$28.69 A$41.39

$27.30 A$39.38

5.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.0 A$83.7

$56.3 A$81.2

3.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.9 A$108

$56.7 A$81.8

32.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.21 A$33.47

$17.66 A$25.48

31.43%

Cinema Ticket

$17.70 A$25.53

$13.82 A$19.94

28.08%

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

$2,424 A$3,496

$2,154 A$3,107

12.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.3K A$48.0K

$20.7K A$29.8K

61.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.3 A$113

$76.8 A$111

1.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.1 A$99.7

$54.6 A$78.8

26.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 A$162

$106 A$153

6.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 A$182

$124 A$180

1.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,602 A$3,753

$1,410 A$2,035

84.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 A$2,585

$1,243 A$1,794

44.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,247 A$7,568

$2,267 A$3,270

131.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,196 A$4,611

$1,843 A$2,659

73.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K A$19.6K

$5,761 A$8,310

135.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,711 A$12.6K

$4,942 A$7,129

76.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,107 A$5,924

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.02

5.9

2.03%

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

Last update for Sydney: November 2, 2026

Last update for Port Lincoln: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.7%

Port Lincoln

$1.2K 48.8% 30.6% $549

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$375 11.5%

Port Lincoln

$367 14.4% 2.1% $7.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$348 10.6%

Port Lincoln

$293 11.5% 15.8% $55

Eating Out

Sydney

$298 9.1%

Port Lincoln

$292 11.4% 2.1% $6.4

Getting Around

Sydney

$177 5.4%

Port Lincoln

$106 4.1% 40.3% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$174 5.3%

Port Lincoln

$163 6.4% 6.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.4%

Port Lincoln

$84 3.3% 23.5% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,602 in Sydney and $1,410 in Port Lincoln. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $91 in Sydney vs $84 in Port Lincoln for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $375 vs $367 per month, with Port Lincoln cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇦🇺 Port Lincoln

🕒 Local time

21:49 9:49 PM

21:19 9:19 PM

30 min behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

14,404

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.693 USD

1 AUD = 0.617 EUR

1 AUD = 0.693 USD

1 AUD = 0.617 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sydney Port Lincoln 1,410 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Port Lincoln

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 Lincoln: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Port Lincoln wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in Sydney. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Port Lincoln the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $4,912 in Sydney and $3,823 in Port Lincoln 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: $2,602 in Sydney versus $1,410 in Port Lincoln. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,424 in Sydney versus $2,154 in Port Lincoln. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Port Lincoln – a meal for two runs $84 versus $91 in Sydney. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Port Lincoln 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 Port Lincoln are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.