Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Townsville

For one person, living is cheaper in Townsville: $2,548 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 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
123

Cost of Living Index in Townsville
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Townsville Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Townsville

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Townsville

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

A single person spends $3,267 per month in Sydney vs $2,548 in Townsville, rent included.

Sydney $3,267
Townsville $2,548

A couple spends around $4,847 per month in Sydney vs $3,740 in Townsville, rent included.

Sydney $4,847
Townsville $3,740

A family of three spends $6,428 per month in Sydney vs $4,931 in Townsville, rent included.

Sydney $6,428
Townsville $4,931

Sydney costs about 28% more than Townsville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Sydney and Townsville sit above the global median – Sydney by 140%, Townsville by 87%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.87

$21.26 A$30.20

-17.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.4 A$128

$69.3 A$98.4

30.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$16.99

$11.85 A$16.83

0.93%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.68

$3.62 A$5.14

10.50%

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

$2.81 A$4.00

$2.59 A$3.68

8.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 A$3.16

$2.51 A$3.57

-11.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 A$11.56

$8.43 A$11.98

-3.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 A$10.23

$7.17 A$10.19

0.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 A$2.42

$1.85 A$2.63

-8.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.17

$2.20 A$3.13

33.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.57

$1.37 A$1.95

83.21%

Eggs

$5.66 A$8.04

$5.31 A$7.55

6.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 A$17.36

$8.00 A$11.36

52.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 A$13.24

$9.90 A$14.07

-5.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 A$23.97

$13.28 A$18.87

27.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.90 A$5.54

$4.00 A$5.68

-2.50%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.58

$2.66 A$3.79

21.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 A$4.88

$3.55 A$5.04

-3.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 A$6.16

$4.24 A$6.03

2.12%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.75

$2.61 A$3.71

28.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.41

$2.53 A$3.60

-5.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.32

$2.43 A$3.46

-3.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 A$1.65

$2.08 A$2.95

-44.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.47 A$64.6

$31.07 A$44.14

46.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 A$19.88

$10.65 A$15.14

31.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.11 A$5.84

$7.00 A$9.95

-41.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 A$5.94

$8.34 A$11.85

-49.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.12 A$4.44

$2.07 A$2.94

50.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 A$216

$56.9 A$80.8

166.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 A$4.92

$3.84 A$5.45

-9.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.22

$2.52 A$3.58

-38.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.54 A$56.2

$53.4 A$75.8

-25.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.05

$1.32 A$1.87

9.85%

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

$29.9K A$42.5K

$28.4K A$40.3K

5.31%

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

$27.5K A$39.1K

$28.3K A$40.2K

-2.65%

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

$251 A$356

$380 A$540

-34.04%

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

$27.76 A$39.44

$35.58 A$50.6

-21.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.0 A$82.4

$66.1 A$94.0

-12.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.7 A$100

$55.6 A$79.0

27.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.25 A$33.04

$19.65 A$27.92

18.32%

Cinema Ticket

$17.83 A$25.33

$15.32 A$21.77

16.38%

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

$2,358 A$3,351

$2,055 A$2,920

14.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.2K A$38.6K

$20.8K A$29.5K

31.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 A$114

$95.4 A$136

-15.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.3 A$98.5

$70.9 A$101

-2.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$157

$162 A$230

-31.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 A$181

$132 A$188

-3.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,566 A$3,646

$1,206 A$1,713

112.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 A$2,547

$993 A$1,410

80.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,202 A$7,391

$2,284 A$3,246

127.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,156 A$4,485

$1,756 A$2,495

79.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.0K

$4,872 A$6,923

174.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,727 A$12.4K

$4,019 A$5,710

117.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,118 A$5,851

$3,971 A$5,642

3.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

5.54

6.86%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 24, 2026

Last update for Townsville: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9%

Townsville

$993 39% 44.6% $800

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$382 11.7%

Townsville

$373 14.6% 2.5% $9.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$337 10.3%

Townsville

$482 18.9% 43.2% $145

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.2%

Townsville

$326 12.8% 9% $27

Getting Around

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Townsville

$82 3.2% 53.5% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$175 5.3%

Townsville

$207 8.1% 18.7% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$106 3.3%

Townsville

$86 3.4% 18.9% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,566 in Sydney versus $1,206 in Townsville. 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 4% 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 $69 in Townsville. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $382 vs $373 – making Townsville the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇦🇺 Townsville

🕒 Local time

12:22 12:22 PM

11:22 11:22 AM

1 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

173,724

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Sydney Townsville 1,680 km ≈ 2 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 Townsville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,267 in Sydney, $2,548 in Townsville – Townsville comes out roughly 22% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,900 per month in Sydney and $3,822 in Townsville. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Townsville, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,206 there versus $2,566 in Sydney.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Sydney and $69 in Townsville. 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 $2,548 in Townsville. That makes Townsville about 22% cheaper.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,267 in Sydney and $2,548 in Townsville. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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