Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Southern Cross Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Southern Cross

🙂 Solo nomad: Sydney is 2.6% cheaper than Southern Cross without rent, and 21.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Sydney is 30.6% more expensive than Southern Cross without rent, and 29.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sydney
Southern Cross
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.32 A$22.68
$18.50 A$25.72
-11.78%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$78.7 A$109
$57.6 A$80.0
36.62%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.88 A$13.74
$9.59 A$13.33
3.02%
Cappuccino
$3.41 A$4.73
$3.19 A$4.43
6.90%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.50 A$3.48
$2.29 A$3.19
9.17%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.93 A$2.68
$1.67 A$2.31
15.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.46 A$8.97
$6.47 A$9.00
-0.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.18 A$9.98
$7.61 A$10.58
-5.65%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sydney
Southern Cross
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.64 A$2.28
$1.50 A$2.08
9.33%
White Bread (500g)
$2.69 A$3.74
$2.36 A$3.28
13.98%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.28 A$3.17
$2.04 A$2.84
11.76%
Eggs
$5.08 A$7.06
$2.54 A$3.52
100.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.88 A$12.35
$8.31 A$11.55
6.86%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.31 A$11.56
$8.66 A$12.04
-4.04%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.94 A$19.37
$13.75 A$19.12
1.38%
Apples (1kg)
$3.36 A$4.68
$3.19 A$4.44
5.33%
Banana (1kg)
$2.73 A$3.80
$2.82 A$3.92
-3.19%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.08 A$4.28
$3.00 A$4.16
2.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.47 A$6.22
$4.17 A$5.80
7.19%
Potato (1kg)
$2.45 A$3.40
$2.42 A$3.36
1.24%
Onion (1kg)
$2.29 A$3.18
$2.19 A$3.04
4.57%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.16 A$3.00
$2.19 A$3.04
-1.37%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.30 A$1.81
$1.53 A$2.13
-15.03%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$32.33 A$44.93
$33.15 A$46.08
-2.47%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.11 A$19.61
$13.92 A$19.35
1.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.79 A$6.65
$4.65 A$6.46
3.01%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.22 A$7.26
$5.27 A$7.33
-0.95%
🚌 Getting Around
Sydney
Southern Cross
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.29 A$4.58
$2.65 A$3.69
24.15%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$139 A$193
$65.8 A$91.5
111.21%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.88 A$5.39
$3.49 A$4.86
11.17%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.00 A$4.17
$1.56 A$2.17
92.31%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$52.0 A$72.3
$33.12 A$46.04
56.97%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.25 A$1.73
$1.18 A$1.64
5.93%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.8K A$40.1K
$28.7K A$39.9K
0.33%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.5K A$31.3K
$22.3K A$31.0K
1.02%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sydney
Southern Cross
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$202 A$281
$185 A$257
9.44%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.11 A$33.51
$27.84 A$38.69
-13.40%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.1 A$72.4
$52.3 A$72.8
-0.52%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sydney
Southern Cross
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.3 A$83.9
$48.79 A$67.8
23.63%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.09 A$29.31
$15.55 A$21.62
35.63%
Cinema Ticket
$15.90 A$22.10
$13.16 A$18.29
20.82%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sydney
Southern Cross
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,072 A$2,880
$1,615 A$2,245
28.27%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.4K A$25.6K
$12.1K A$16.9K
52.07%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sydney
Southern Cross
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$72.9 A$101
$68.1 A$94.7
6.94%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.4 A$79.8
$51.4 A$71.5
11.63%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 A$150
$98.7 A$137
9.06%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$130 A$180
$107 A$148
21.48%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sydney
Southern Cross
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,145 A$2,982
$1,245 A$1,731
72.32%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,501 A$2,086
$1,086 A$1,509
38.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,487 A$6,237
$2,001 A$2,781
124.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,640 A$3,670
$1,699 A$2,362
55.38%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$12.3K A$17.0K
$7,054 A$9,805
73.68%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,935 A$11.0K
$4,418 A$6,141
79.61%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sydney
Southern Cross
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,123 A$5,732
$7,108 A$9,881
-41.99%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.34
6.25
1.44%

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

Last update for Sydney: April 13, 2026

Last update for Southern Cross: April 12, 2026

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

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