Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Sale, Australia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sale: $2,496 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Sydney, Australia
Sale, Australia
Sydney
🇦🇺 Australia
$3,267
/mo nomad
Sale
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,496
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Sale

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

A single person spends $3,267 per month in Sydney vs $2,496 in Sale, rent included.

  • Sydney $3,267
  • Sale $2,496

A couple spends around $4,847 per month in Sydney vs $3,598 in Sale, rent included.

  • Sydney $4,847
  • Sale $3,598

A family of three spends $6,428 per month in Sydney vs $4,701 in Sale, rent included.

  • Sydney $6,428
  • Sale $4,701

Sydney costs about 31% more than Sale, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Sydney and Sale sit above the global median – Sydney by 140%, Sale by 83%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sydney
Sale
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.50 A$24.79
$18.56 A$26.29
-5.71%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$90.4 A$128
$88.3 A$125
2.31%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.96 A$16.94
$11.10 A$15.73
7.75%
Cappuccino
$4.00 A$5.67
$3.42 A$4.85
16.96%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.81 A$3.98
$2.71 A$3.84
3.69%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.22 A$3.15
$2.11 A$2.99
5.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.13 A$11.52
$7.95 A$11.26
2.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.20 A$10.20
$7.53 A$10.67
-4.38%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sydney
Sale
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.70 A$2.41
$1.68 A$2.38
1.19%
White Bread (500g)
$2.94 A$4.16
$2.34 A$3.32
25.64%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.51 A$3.56
$2.22 A$3.14
13.06%
Eggs
$5.66 A$8.02
$4.60 A$6.52
23.04%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.22 A$17.30
$8.39 A$11.89
45.65%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.31 A$13.20
$9.35 A$13.24
-0.43%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.87 A$23.90
$14.11 A$19.99
19.56%
Apples (1kg)
$3.90 A$5.53
$3.50 A$4.96
11.43%
Banana (1kg)
$3.22 A$4.57
$2.90 A$4.10
11.03%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.43 A$4.86
$2.97 A$4.20
15.49%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.33 A$6.14
$4.48 A$6.34
-3.35%
Potato (1kg)
$3.35 A$4.74
$2.80 A$3.96
19.64%
Onion (1kg)
$2.40 A$3.40
$2.15 A$3.04
11.63%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.34 A$3.31
$2.68 A$3.80
-12.69%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.16 A$1.64
$1.70 A$2.41
-31.76%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$45.47 A$64.4
$41.03 A$58.1
10.82%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.99 A$19.82
$13.91 A$19.70
0.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.11 A$5.82
$4.43 A$6.27
-7.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.18 A$5.92
$5.43 A$7.69
-23.02%
🚌 Getting Around
Sydney
Sale
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.12 A$4.43
$2.72 A$3.85
14.71%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$152 A$215
$77.1 A$109
96.89%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.46 A$4.90
$4.00 A$5.67
-13.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.56 A$2.21
$1.83 A$2.60
-14.75%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$39.54 A$56.0
$42.26 A$59.9
-6.44%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 A$2.05
$1.44 A$2.04
0.69%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.9K A$42.4K
$33.2K A$47.1K
-10.03%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.5K A$39.0K
$26.4K A$37.4K
4.12%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sydney
Sale
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$251 A$355
$194 A$275
29.07%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.76 A$39.32
$30.24 A$42.83
-8.20%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$58.0 A$82.2
$48.46 A$68.7
19.67%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sydney
Sale
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$70.7 A$100
$56.4 A$79.9
25.37%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.25 A$32.94
$18.09 A$25.63
28.52%
Cinema Ticket
$17.83 A$25.25
$14.56 A$20.63
22.46%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sydney
Sale
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,358 A$3,341
$2,348 A$3,326
0.45%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$27.2K A$38.5K
$17.7K A$25.1K
53.73%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sydney
Sale
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$80.5 A$114
$78.1 A$111
3.06%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$69.3 A$98.2
$48.36 A$68.5
43.30%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$111 A$157
$102 A$145
8.20%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$127 A$181
$109 A$155
16.82%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sydney
Sale
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,566 A$3,635
$1,417 A$2,007
81.12%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,792 A$2,539
$1,232 A$1,745
45.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,202 A$7,369
$2,154 A$3,051
141.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,156 A$4,471
$1,823 A$2,582
73.18%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$13.4K A$19.0K
$5,343 A$7,569
150.57%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,727 A$12.4K
$4,335 A$6,141
101.33%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sydney
Sale
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,118 A$5,834
-
-
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 Sale: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Sydney
$1.8K
Sale
$1.2K 31.3% $561
Groceries & Markets
Sydney
$382
Sale
$356 7% $27
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sydney
$337
Sale
$273 18.9% $64
Eating Out
Sydney
$299
Sale
$297 0.7% $2.1
Getting Around
Sydney
$176
Sale
$101 42.4% $74
Clothing & Footwear
Sydney
$175
Sale
$152 12.9% $23
Sport & Entertainment
Sydney
$106
Sale
$85 19.6% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,566 in Sydney versus $1,417 in Sale. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Sydney versus $88 in Sale. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $382 vs $356 – making Sale the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇦🇺 Sydney
🇦🇺 Sale
🕒 Local time
18:32 6:32 PM
18:32 6:32 PM
Same time as Sydney
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,840,600
13,673
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.706 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.633 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sydney Sale 600 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Sydney
  • Sale

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 Sale: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Sydney and in Sale compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $3,267 in Sydney, $2,496 in Sale – Sale comes out roughly 24% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in Sydney compared to Sale?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,900 per month in Sydney and $3,744 in Sale. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Sydney and Sale?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Sale, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,417 there versus $2,566 in Sydney.
How do commuting costs compare in Sydney and in Sale?
Public transport costs about 49% less in Sale. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 7% more in Sydney, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Sale, where all-in costs run around $2,496, than in Sydney at $3,267. In Sale it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Sydney and Sale?
It depends on your priorities. Sydney has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,496 in Sale to $3,267 in Sydney. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Sydney or Sale safer for residents?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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