Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Townsville Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Townsville

😐 Solo nomad: Sydney is 11.6% more expensive than Townsville without rent, and 23.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Sydney is 17.6% more expensive than Townsville without rent, and 26.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sydney
Townsville
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.32 A$22.68
$11.63 A$16.16
40.33%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$78.7 A$109
$61.3 A$85.2
28.32%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.88 A$13.74
$9.79 A$13.60
0.92%
Cappuccino
$3.41 A$4.73
$3.23 A$4.49
5.57%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.50 A$3.48
$2.49 A$3.46
0.40%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.93 A$2.68
$2.22 A$3.09
-13.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.46 A$8.97
$6.65 A$9.24
-2.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.18 A$9.98
$4.89 A$6.80
46.83%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sydney
Townsville
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.64 A$2.28
$1.46 A$2.03
12.33%
White Bread (500g)
$2.69 A$3.74
$2.09 A$2.90
28.71%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.28 A$3.17
$1.59 A$2.21
43.40%
Eggs
$5.08 A$7.06
$4.07 A$5.65
24.82%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.88 A$12.35
$7.30 A$10.15
21.64%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.31 A$11.56
$8.24 A$11.45
0.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.94 A$19.37
$11.96 A$16.62
16.56%
Apples (1kg)
$3.36 A$4.68
$3.85 A$5.35
-12.73%
Banana (1kg)
$2.73 A$3.80
$3.03 A$4.22
-9.90%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.08 A$4.28
$3.15 A$4.38
-2.22%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.47 A$6.22
$4.36 A$6.06
2.52%
Potato (1kg)
$2.45 A$3.40
$2.67 A$3.71
-8.24%
Onion (1kg)
$2.29 A$3.18
$2.38 A$3.31
-3.78%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.16 A$3.00
$2.11 A$2.93
2.37%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.30 A$1.81
$2.00 A$2.77
-35.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$32.33 A$44.93
$24.27 A$33.73
33.21%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.11 A$19.61
$10.80 A$15.02
30.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.79 A$6.65
$3.35 A$4.66
42.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.22 A$7.26
$7.72 A$10.73
-32.38%
🚌 Getting Around
Sydney
Townsville
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.29 A$4.58
$2.05 A$2.85
60.49%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$139 A$193
$73.7 A$102
88.66%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.88 A$5.39
$3.61 A$5.02
7.48%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.00 A$4.17
$1.49 A$2.07
101.34%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$52.0 A$72.3
$48.41 A$67.3
7.40%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.25 A$1.73
$1.15 A$1.60
8.70%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.8K A$40.1K
$22.8K A$31.7K
26.16%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.5K A$31.3K
$19.8K A$27.6K
13.63%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sydney
Townsville
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$202 A$281
$155 A$215
30.69%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.11 A$33.51
$34.49 A$47.94
-30.10%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.1 A$72.4
$59.4 A$82.6
-12.35%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sydney
Townsville
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.3 A$83.9
$43.32 A$60.2
39.24%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.09 A$29.31
$14.33 A$19.92
47.17%
Cinema Ticket
$15.90 A$22.10
$15.36 A$21.35
3.52%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sydney
Townsville
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,072 A$2,880
$1,141 A$1,587
81.52%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.4K A$25.6K
$11.9K A$16.5K
54.95%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sydney
Townsville
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$72.9 A$101
$96.8 A$135
-24.76%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.4 A$79.8
$60.0 A$83.4
-4.27%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 A$150
$101 A$140
6.73%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$130 A$180
$117 A$163
10.76%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sydney
Townsville
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,145 A$2,982
$1,232 A$1,713
74.13%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,501 A$2,086
$1,104 A$1,534
35.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,487 A$6,237
$2,370 A$3,295
89.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,640 A$3,670
$1,885 A$2,620
40.10%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$12.3K A$17.0K
$4,976 A$6,916
146.24%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,935 A$11.0K
$4,040 A$5,616
96.39%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sydney
Townsville
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,123 A$5,732
$4,060 A$5,644
1.55%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.34
6.06
4.62%

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

Last update for Sydney: April 13, 2026

Last update for Townsville: April 14, 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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