Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Tarneit

For one person, living is cheaper in Tarneit: $2,519 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 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
122

Cost of Living Index in Tarneit
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Tarneit Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Tarneit

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Tarneit

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

A single person spends $3,267 per month in Sydney vs $2,519 in Tarneit, rent included.

Sydney $3,267
Tarneit $2,519

A couple spends around $4,847 per month in Sydney vs $3,640 in Tarneit, rent included.

Sydney $4,847
Tarneit $3,640

A family of three spends $6,428 per month in Sydney vs $4,760 in Tarneit, rent included.

Sydney $6,428
Tarneit $4,760

Sydney costs about 30% more than Tarneit, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Sydney and Tarneit sit above the global median – Sydney by 140%, Tarneit by 85%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.88

$17.61 A$25.03

-0.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.4 A$128

$84.9 A$121

6.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.00

$12.17 A$17.30

-1.73%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.69

$4.02 A$5.71

-0.50%

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

$2.81 A$4.00

$3.06 A$4.36

-8.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 A$3.16

$2.48 A$3.53

-10.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 A$11.57

$9.61 A$13.67

-15.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 A$10.24

$8.45 A$12.01

-14.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 A$2.42

$0.87 A$1.23

95.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.18

$1.24 A$1.77

137.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.58

$1.37 A$1.94

83.21%

Eggs

$5.66 A$8.05

$5.16 A$7.34

9.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 A$17.37

$10.41 A$14.80

17.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 A$13.24

$9.89 A$14.06

-5.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 A$23.99

$14.98 A$21.30

12.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.90 A$5.55

$4.17 A$5.93

-6.47%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.58

$3.13 A$4.45

2.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 A$4.88

$3.11 A$4.43

10.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 A$6.16

$4.86 A$6.91

-10.91%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.76

$3.08 A$4.38

8.77%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.41

$2.47 A$3.52

-2.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.32

$2.46 A$3.50

-4.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 A$1.65

$1.57 A$2.24

-26.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.47 A$64.7

$45.03 A$64.0

0.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 A$19.89

$12.54 A$17.83

11.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.11 A$5.84

$5.71 A$8.11

-28.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 A$5.94

$5.29 A$7.53

-20.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.12 A$4.44

$2.78 A$3.96

12.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 A$216

$94.4 A$134

60.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 A$4.92

$4.43 A$6.29

-21.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.22

$1.37 A$1.95

13.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.54 A$56.2

$30.03 A$42.69

31.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.06

$1.42 A$2.01

2.11%

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

$29.9K A$42.5K

0.01%

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

$27.5K A$39.1K

$26.4K A$37.5K

4.30%

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

$251 A$357

$178 A$253

41.21%

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

$27.76 A$39.46

$28.26 A$40.18

-1.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.0 A$82.5

$56.9 A$80.9

1.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.7 A$100

$56.8 A$80.7

24.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.25 A$33.06

$16.11 A$22.90

44.32%

Cinema Ticket

$17.83 A$25.35

$17.30 A$24.59

3.06%

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

$2,358 A$3,353

$2,489 A$3,538

-5.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.2K A$38.7K

$30.0K A$42.6K

-9.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 A$114

$80.4 A$114

0.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.3 A$98.5

$50.6 A$71.9

37.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$157

$120 A$171

-7.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 A$181

$131 A$187

-3.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,566 A$3,648

$1,380 A$1,962

85.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 A$2,548

$1,207 A$1,716

48.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,202 A$7,396

$2,347 A$3,337

121.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,156 A$4,488

$1,797 A$2,555

75.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.0K

$6,047 A$8,598

121.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,727 A$12.4K

$4,601 A$6,542

89.67%

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 Tarneit: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9%

Tarneit

$1.2K 47.9% 32.7% $585

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$382 11.7%

Tarneit

$356 14.1% 6.8% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$337 10.3%

Tarneit

$263 10.4% 21.9% $74

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.2%

Tarneit

$313 12.4% 4.6% $14

Getting Around

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Tarneit

$117 4.6% 33.5% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$175 5.3%

Tarneit

$172 6.8% 1.5% $2.6

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$106 3.3%

Tarneit

$91 3.6% 14.1% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,566 in Sydney versus $1,380 in Tarneit. 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 $85 in Tarneit. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $382 vs $356 – making Tarneit the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇦🇺 Tarneit

🕒 Local time

04:12 4:12 AM

Same time as Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

34,562

💱 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

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Sydney Tarneit 740 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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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 Tarneit: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,267 in Sydney, $2,519 in Tarneit – Tarneit comes out roughly 23% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,900 per month in Sydney and $3,779 in Tarneit. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tarneit, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,380 there versus $2,566 in Sydney.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Sydney and $85 in Tarneit. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,267 in Sydney and $2,519 in Tarneit. That makes Tarneit about 23% cheaper.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,267 in Sydney and $2,519 in Tarneit. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Sydney has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,519 in Tarneit to $3,267 in Sydney. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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

For expats, Tarneit is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 23% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.