Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Toowoomba

For one person, living is cheaper in Toowoomba: $2,131 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 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
102

Cost of Living Index in Toowoomba
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Toowoomba Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Toowoomba

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,131

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Toowoomba

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

A single person spends $3,267 per month in Sydney vs $2,131 in Toowoomba, rent included.

Sydney $3,267
Toowoomba $2,131

A couple spends around $4,847 per month in Sydney vs $2,950 in Toowoomba, rent included.

Sydney $4,847
Toowoomba $2,950

A family of three spends $6,428 per month in Sydney vs $3,769 in Toowoomba, rent included.

Sydney $6,428
Toowoomba $3,769

Sydney costs about 53% more than Toowoomba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Sydney and Toowoomba sit above the global median – Sydney by 140%, Toowoomba by 57%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.79

$16.65 A$23.59

5.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.4 A$128

$72.4 A$103

24.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$16.94

$9.54 A$13.51

25.37%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.67

$3.73 A$5.29

7.24%

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

$2.81 A$3.98

$2.82 A$4.00

-0.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 A$3.15

$2.46 A$3.48

-9.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 A$11.52

$6.53 A$9.26

24.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 A$10.20

$7.21 A$10.21

-0.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 A$2.41

$1.51 A$2.14

12.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.16

$2.26 A$3.20

30.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.56

$1.98 A$2.80

26.77%

Eggs

$5.66 A$8.02

$4.71 A$6.68

20.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 A$17.30

$8.94 A$12.66

36.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 A$13.20

$8.99 A$12.74

3.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 A$23.90

$11.88 A$16.82

42.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.90 A$5.53

$3.10 A$4.39

25.81%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.57

$1.77 A$2.51

81.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 A$4.86

$1.39 A$1.97

146.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 A$6.14

$2.15 A$3.05

101.40%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.74

$2.51 A$3.56

33.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.40

$2.24 A$3.17

7.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.31

$2.42 A$3.43

-3.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 A$1.64

$1.03 A$1.46

12.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.47 A$64.4

$35.11 A$49.74

29.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 A$19.82

$14.25 A$20.19

-1.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.11 A$5.82

$4.68 A$6.63

-12.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 A$5.92

$6.81 A$9.65

-38.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.12 A$4.43

$3.05 A$4.32

2.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 A$215

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 A$4.90

$2.21 A$3.13

56.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.21

$1.60 A$2.26

-2.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.54 A$56.0

$35.25 A$49.93

12.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.05

$1.36 A$1.93

6.62%

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

$29.9K A$42.4K

$28.9K A$40.9K

3.60%

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

$27.5K A$39.0K

$23.3K A$33.0K

18.30%

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

$251 A$355

$77.3 A$110

224.38%

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

$27.76 A$39.32

$31.09 A$44.05

-10.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.0 A$82.2

$54.6 A$77.3

6.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.7 A$100

$42.30 A$59.9

67.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.25 A$32.94

$17.86 A$25.30

30.18%

Cinema Ticket

$17.83 A$25.25

$13.09 A$18.54

36.21%

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

$2,358 A$3,341

$2,103 A$2,979

12.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.2K A$38.5K

$7,119 A$10.1K

281.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 A$114

$76.2 A$108

5.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.3 A$98.2

$53.8 A$76.3

28.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$157

$76.5 A$108

44.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 A$181

$120 A$171

5.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,566 A$3,635

$1,221 A$1,729

110.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 A$2,539

$1,141 A$1,617

57.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,202 A$7,369

$1,622 A$2,297

220.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,156 A$4,471

$1,428 A$2,023

121.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.0K

$3,367 A$4,769

297.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,727 A$12.4K

$2,742 A$3,884

218.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,118 A$5,834

$3,874 A$5,488

6.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

5.69

4.04%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 24, 2026

Last update for Toowoomba: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9%

Toowoomba

$1.1K 53.6% 36.3% $651

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$382 11.7%

Toowoomba

$314 14.7% 17.9% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$337 10.3%

Toowoomba

$163 7.7% 51.6% $174

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.2%

Toowoomba

$275 12.9% 8.1% $24

Getting Around

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Toowoomba

$22 * 1.1% 87.3% $153

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$175 5.3%

Toowoomba

$147 6.9% 15.7% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$106 3.3%

Toowoomba

$68 3.2% 35.6% $38

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 $1,221 in Toowoomba. 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 6% higher in Sydney, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Sydney versus $72 in Toowoomba. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $382 vs $314 – making Toowoomba the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇦🇺 Toowoomba

🕒 Local time

15:33 3:33 PM

14:33 2:33 PM

1 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

108,398

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.634 EUR

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.634 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Sydney Toowoomba 710 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
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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 Toowoomba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,267 in Sydney, $2,131 in Toowoomba – Toowoomba comes out roughly 35% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,900 per month in Sydney and $3,197 in Toowoomba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Toowoomba, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,221 there versus $2,566 in Sydney.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,267 in Sydney and $2,131 in Toowoomba. That makes Toowoomba about 35% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $2,358 per month in Sydney and $2,103 in Toowoomba. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Toowoomba, where all-in costs run around $2,131, than in Sydney at $3,267. In Toowoomba it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Toowoomba – 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 Toowoomba. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sydney makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.