Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Romsey

For one person, living is cheaper in Romsey: $2,694 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

157

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
Learn more

Sydney Living Index
126

Cost of Living Index in Romsey
Learn more

Romsey Living Index

Jump to prices

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Romsey

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,694

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Romsey

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,267 in Sydney versus $2,694 in Romsey.

Sydney $3,267
Romsey $2,694

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,847 in Sydney versus $3,837 in Romsey.

Sydney $4,847
Romsey $3,837

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,428 in Sydney versus $4,980 in Romsey.

Sydney $6,428
Romsey $4,980

Living in Sydney is roughly 21% more expensive than in Romsey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sydney 140% above, Romsey 98% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.88

$17.31 A$24.61

1.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.4 A$128

$84.8 A$121

6.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.00

$12.32 A$17.52

-2.92%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.69

$3.96 A$5.64

1.01%

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

$2.81 A$4.00

$3.15 A$4.48

-10.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 A$3.16

$2.45 A$3.48

-9.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 A$11.57

$9.96 A$14.17

-18.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 A$10.24

$8.29 A$11.79

-13.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 A$2.42

$1.51 A$2.14

12.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.18

$3.00 A$4.27

-2.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.58

$2.58 A$3.66

-2.71%

Eggs

$5.66 A$8.05

$5.67 A$8.06

-0.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 A$17.37

$10.44 A$14.84

17.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 A$13.24

$9.68 A$13.77

-3.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 A$23.99

$15.27 A$21.71

10.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.90 A$5.55

$4.02 A$5.72

-2.99%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.58

$3.03 A$4.31

6.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 A$4.88

$3.23 A$4.59

6.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 A$6.16

$4.68 A$6.65

-7.48%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.76

$3.11 A$4.42

7.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.41

$2.60 A$3.69

-7.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.32

$2.51 A$3.57

-6.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 A$1.65

$1.65 A$2.35

-29.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.47 A$64.7

$45.54 A$64.8

-0.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 A$19.89

$12.43 A$17.68

12.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.11 A$5.84

$5.54 A$7.88

-25.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 A$5.94

$5.30 A$7.54

-21.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.12 A$4.44

$2.92 A$4.15

6.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 A$216

$92.0 A$131

64.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 A$4.92

$4.47 A$6.35

-22.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.22

$1.42 A$2.01

9.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.54 A$56.2

$30.19 A$42.93

30.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.06

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

$29.9K A$42.5K

$29.0K A$41.2K

3.15%

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

$27.5K A$39.1K

$26.3K A$37.4K

4.64%

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

$251 A$357

$235 A$335

6.54%

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

$27.76 A$39.46

$27.75 A$39.45

0.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.0 A$82.5

$56.5 A$80.3

2.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.7 A$100

$53.6 A$76.2

31.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.25 A$33.06

$15.43 A$21.93

50.68%

Cinema Ticket

$17.83 A$25.35

$17.79 A$25.29

0.22%

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

$2,358 A$3,353

$2,419 A$3,439

-2.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.2K A$38.7K

$30.0K A$42.7K

-9.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 A$114

0.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.3 A$98.5

$51.2 A$72.8

35.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$157

$120 A$171

-7.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 A$181

$136 A$193

-6.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,566 A$3,648

$1,439 A$2,046

78.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 A$2,548

$1,298 A$1,846

38.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,202 A$7,396

$1,944 A$2,764

167.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,156 A$4,488

$1,900 A$2,702

66.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.0K

$5,239 A$7,449

155.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,727 A$12.4K

$4,491 A$6,386

94.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,118 A$5,855

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 Romsey: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9%

Romsey

$1.3K 48.2% 27.6% $494

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$382 11.7%

Romsey

$386 14.3% 1% $3.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$337 10.3%

Romsey

$320 11.9% 5% $17

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.2%

Romsey

$312 11.6% 4.3% $13

Getting Around

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Romsey

$115 4.3% 34.4% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$175 5.3%

Romsey

$174 6.5% 0.1% $0.2

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$106 3.3%

Romsey

$89 3.3% 16.1% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,566 in Sydney and $1,439 in Romsey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $90 in Sydney vs $85 in Romsey. Groceries flip the comparison at $382 vs $386, with Sydney cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇦🇺 Romsey

🕒 Local time

03:08 3:08 AM

Same time as Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

4,400

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sydney Romsey 700 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Romsey

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 Romsey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,267 in Sydney and $2,694 in Romsey, so Romsey is about 18% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $4,900 in Sydney and $4,042 in Romsey 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 $1,439 in Romsey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Romsey runs roughly 39% less than in Sydney. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $3,267 per month in Sydney versus $2,694 in Romsey – Romsey is about 18% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,694 in Romsey versus $3,267 in Sydney, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Romsey but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Romsey 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 Romsey are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.