Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Surfers Paradise

For one person, living is cheaper in Surfers Paradise: $2,832 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 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
135

Cost of Living Index in Surfers Paradise
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Surfers Paradise Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Surfers Paradise

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,832

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Surfers Paradise

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

A single person spends $3,267 per month in Sydney vs $2,832 in Surfers Paradise, rent included.

Sydney $3,267
Surfers Paradise $2,832

A couple spends around $4,847 per month in Sydney vs $4,395 in Surfers Paradise, rent included.

Sydney $4,847
Surfers Paradise $4,395

A family of three spends $6,428 per month in Sydney vs $5,958 in Surfers Paradise, rent included.

Sydney $6,428
Surfers Paradise $5,958

Sydney costs about 15% more than Surfers Paradise, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Sydney and Surfers Paradise sit above the global median – Sydney by 140%, Surfers Paradise by 108%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.89

$17.37 A$24.70

0.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.4 A$129

$103 A$147

-12.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.01

$10.98 A$15.62

8.93%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.69

$4.11 A$5.85

-2.68%

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

$2.81 A$4.00

$2.80 A$3.98

0.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 A$3.16

$2.42 A$3.45

-8.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 A$11.57

$7.74 A$11.00

5.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 A$10.24

$7.73 A$10.99

-6.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 A$2.42

$1.64 A$2.33

3.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.18

$2.65 A$3.77

10.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.58

$2.41 A$3.43

4.15%

Eggs

$5.66 A$8.05

$5.00 A$7.10

13.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 A$17.37

$8.93 A$12.71

36.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 A$13.25

$9.39 A$13.35

-0.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 A$24.00

$14.52 A$20.65

16.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.90 A$5.55

$3.80 A$5.40

2.63%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.59

$3.01 A$4.28

6.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 A$4.88

$3.40 A$4.84

0.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 A$6.16

$4.77 A$6.78

-9.22%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.76

$2.84 A$4.03

17.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.41

$2.47 A$3.51

-2.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.33

$2.30 A$3.27

1.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 A$1.65

$2.02 A$2.87

-42.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.47 A$64.7

$39.26 A$55.8

15.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 A$19.90

$14.09 A$20.05

-0.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.11 A$5.84

$6.01 A$8.55

-31.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 A$5.94

$4.95 A$7.04

-15.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.12 A$4.44

$0.36 A$0.52

766.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 A$216

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 A$4.92

$2.12 A$3.02

63.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.22

$1.59 A$2.26

-1.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.54 A$56.2

$36.52 A$51.9

8.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.06

$1.37 A$1.95

5.84%

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

$29.9K A$42.5K

$29.3K A$41.6K

2.20%

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

$27.5K A$39.1K

$25.6K A$36.5K

7.36%

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

$251 A$357

$214 A$305

17.16%

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

$27.76 A$39.48

$30.45 A$43.31

-8.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.0 A$82.5

$57.0 A$81.1

1.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.7 A$101

$68.3 A$97.1

3.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.25 A$33.07

$14.88 A$21.16

56.25%

Cinema Ticket

$17.83 A$25.35

$13.86 A$19.71

28.64%

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

$2,358 A$3,354

$1,999 A$2,843

17.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.2K A$38.7K

$12.7K A$18.1K

113.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 A$114

$82.9 A$118

-2.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.3 A$98.6

$54.7 A$77.7

26.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$157

$110 A$156

0.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 A$181

$123 A$174

3.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,566 A$3,649

$1,935 A$2,752

32.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 A$2,549

$1,581 A$2,248

13.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,202 A$7,399

$3,857 A$5,486

34.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,156 A$4,489

$3,066 A$4,361

2.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.0K

$5,860 A$8,335

128.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,727 A$12.4K

$4,823 A$6,859

80.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,118 A$5,857

$3,221 A$4,581

27.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

5.81

1.89%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 24, 2026

Last update for Surfers Paradise: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9%

Surfers Paradise

$1.6K 55.8% 11.8% $212

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$382 11.7%

Surfers Paradise

$379 13.4% 0.7% $2.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$337 10.3%

Surfers Paradise

$302 10.7% 10.4% $35

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.2%

Surfers Paradise

$296 10.5% 0.9% $2.8

Getting Around

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Surfers Paradise

$12 * 0.4% 93.4% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$175 5.3%

Surfers Paradise

$167 5.9% 4.6% $8

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$106 3.3%

Surfers Paradise

$96 3.4% 9.7% $10

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,566 in Sydney versus $1,935 in Surfers Paradise. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 28% higher in Sydney. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Sydney versus $103 in Surfers Paradise. Groceries tell a different story – $382 in Sydney vs $379 in Surfers Paradise – so Surfers Paradise wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇦🇺 Surfers Paradise

🕒 Local time

20:23 8:23 PM

19:23 7:23 PM

1 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

19,668

💱 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

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Between locations

Sydney Surfers Paradise 690 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Surfers Paradise

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 Surfers Paradise: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sydney is pricier by about 15%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,900 per month in Sydney and $4,248 in Surfers Paradise. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Surfers Paradise, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,935 there versus $2,566 in Sydney.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Sydney and $103 in Surfers Paradise. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $2,358 per month in Sydney and $1,999 in Surfers Paradise. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,267 in Sydney and $2,832 in Surfers Paradise. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Surfers Paradise – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Surfers Paradise. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sydney makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.