Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Queenstown

For one person, living is cheaper in Queenstown: $2,380 a month against $3,182 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 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
117

Cost of Living Index in Queenstown
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Queenstown Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,182

/mo nomad

Queenstown

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,380

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Queenstown

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,182 in Sydney versus $2,380 in Queenstown.

Sydney $3,182
Queenstown $2,380

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,696 in Sydney versus $3,738 in Queenstown.

Sydney $4,696
Queenstown $3,738

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,210 in Sydney versus $5,096 in Queenstown.

Sydney $6,210
Queenstown $5,096

Living in Sydney is roughly 34% more expensive than in Queenstown, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sydney 137% above, Queenstown 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 A$25.28

$14.19 NZ$25.28

24.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.1 A$139

$61.4 NZ$109

58.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.94 A$17.09

$9.19 NZ$16.38

29.92%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.72

$3.13 NZ$5.57

27.80%

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

$2.84 A$4.06

$2.02 NZ$3.61

40.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 A$3.25

$2.00 NZ$3.57

13.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 A$11.29

$6.80 NZ$12.11

16.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 A$10.20

$6.26 NZ$11.16

13.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$2.15 NZ$3.82

-22.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 A$4.00

$1.94 NZ$3.46

43.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.33

$1.71 NZ$3.04

35.67%

Eggs

$5.53 A$7.92

$5.67 NZ$10.10

-2.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 A$17.28

$8.10 NZ$14.43

49.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.84 A$14.09

$9.89 NZ$17.62

-0.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.61 A$23.78

$15.72 NZ$28.02

5.66%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 A$5.76

$2.87 NZ$5.11

40.07%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.51

$2.25 NZ$4.01

40.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 A$5.01

$3.68 NZ$6.55

-4.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.47 A$6.39

$5.27 NZ$9.38

-15.18%

Potato (1kg)

$3.32 A$4.76

$3.41 NZ$6.08

-2.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$1.84 NZ$3.28

25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.35

$2.35 NZ$4.18

-0.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 A$1.65

$1.89 NZ$3.37

-39.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.02 A$64.4

$27.36 NZ$48.75

64.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.96 A$19.97

$8.90 NZ$15.85

56.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.98 A$5.70

$4.44 NZ$7.91

-10.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.07 A$5.82

$6.40 NZ$11.40

-36.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.16 A$4.52

$1.44 NZ$2.56

119.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$215

$119 NZ$212

25.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.45 A$4.94

$2.59 NZ$4.61

33.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.33

$1.87 NZ$3.32

-12.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.98 A$57.2

$29.12 NZ$51.9

37.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.72 NZ$3.06

-18.60%

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

$28.4K A$40.7K

$24.9K NZ$44.4K

14.07%

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

$29.4K A$42.1K

$23.2K NZ$41.4K

26.53%

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

$220 A$315

$112 NZ$199

96.63%

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

$27.70 A$39.64

$28.02 NZ$49.93

-1.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 A$79.5

$51.5 NZ$91.8

7.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.3 A$106

$54.3 NZ$96.8

36.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.95 A$34.28

$26.80 NZ$47.75

-10.63%

Cinema Ticket

$17.73 A$25.37

$10.41 NZ$18.54

70.32%

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

$2,157 A$3,087

$973 NZ$1,734

121.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K A$40.5K

$7,592 NZ$13.5K

272.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$112

$58.2 NZ$104

34.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.5 A$101

$45.11 NZ$80.4

56.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$159

$90.3 NZ$161

23.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$189

$136 NZ$242

-3.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,514 A$3,598

$1,512 NZ$2,693

66.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,732 A$2,478

$1,270 NZ$2,263

36.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,889 A$6,996

$2,853 NZ$5,084

71.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,039 A$4,349

$2,522 NZ$4,493

20.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$7,599 NZ$13.5K

73.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,117 A$11.6K

$5,285 NZ$9,417

53.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,082 A$5,842

$3,052 NZ$5,438

33.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

6.12

-4.58%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 5, 2026

Last update for Queenstown: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.5%

Queenstown

$1.3K 52.5% 26.7% $462

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$380 12%

Queenstown

$359 14.8% 5.6% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$303 9.6%

Queenstown

$191 7.9% 36.9% $112

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.4%

Queenstown

$241 10% 19.4% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$176 5.6%

Queenstown

$148 6.1% 16% $28

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Queenstown

$137 5.7% 21.5% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Queenstown

$75 3.1% 31.5% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,514 in Sydney and $1,512 in Queenstown. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 34% 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: $97.0 in Sydney vs $61.0 in Queenstown for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $380 vs $359 per month, with Queenstown cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇳🇿 Queenstown

🕒 Local time

21:08 9:08 PM

23:08 11:08 PM

2 h ahead of Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

15,450

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.501 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 2 NZD (1 NZD = 0.501 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sydney Queenstown 1,940 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Queenstown

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 Queenstown: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Queenstown is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 34% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 34% 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: $2,514 in Sydney versus $1,512 in Queenstown. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Queenstown – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $97.0 in Sydney. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,182 per month in Sydney versus $2,380 in Queenstown – a 34% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,380 in Queenstown versus $3,182 in Sydney, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Queenstown but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Queenstown the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Queenstown is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Sydney, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Sydney and Queenstown 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 Queenstown gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.