Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Tweed Heads

For one person, living is cheaper in Tweed Heads: $2,511 a month against $3,274 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

157

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
Learn more

Sydney Living Index
120

Cost of Living Index in Tweed Heads
Learn more

Tweed Heads Living Index

Jump to prices

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,274

/mo nomad

Tweed Heads

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,511

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Tweed Heads

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

A single person spends $3,274 per month in Sydney vs $2,511 in Tweed Heads, rent included.

Sydney $3,274
Tweed Heads $2,511

A couple spends around $4,873 per month in Sydney vs $3,682 in Tweed Heads, rent included.

Sydney $4,873
Tweed Heads $3,682

A family of three spends $6,471 per month in Sydney vs $4,853 in Tweed Heads, rent included.

Sydney $6,471
Tweed Heads $4,853

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

Both Sydney and Tweed Heads sit above the global median – Sydney by 142%, Tweed Heads by 86%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.27 A$24.67

$21.41 A$30.57

-19.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.9 A$130

$103 A$148

-12.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.87 A$16.96

$11.07 A$15.81

7.23%

Cappuccino

$4.09 A$5.85

$4.40 A$6.29

-7.05%

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

$2.80 A$3.99

$2.93 A$4.18

-4.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 A$3.11

$2.48 A$3.54

-12.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.25 A$11.77

$7.79 A$11.13

5.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.99 A$9.98

$7.48 A$10.68

-6.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 A$2.39

$1.65 A$2.35

1.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.88 A$4.12

$2.72 A$3.89

5.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 A$3.36

$2.31 A$3.30

1.73%

Eggs

$5.39 A$7.70

$4.97 A$7.10

8.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.06 A$15.80

$9.41 A$13.43

17.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.92 A$12.74

$9.45 A$13.50

-5.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.48 A$23.54

$14.98 A$21.39

10.01%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 A$5.92

$4.22 A$6.03

-1.90%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.60

$3.02 A$4.31

6.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.78

$3.33 A$4.76

0.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 A$6.20

$4.79 A$6.85

-9.39%

Potato (1kg)

$3.38 A$4.83

$2.72 A$3.89

24.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.43 A$3.47

$2.41 A$3.44

0.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.37 A$3.38

$2.51 A$3.59

-5.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 A$1.67

$1.53 A$2.18

-23.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.01 A$62.9

$38.92 A$55.6

13.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.23 A$20.33

$12.69 A$18.12

12.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.14 A$5.91

$5.29 A$7.56

-21.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 A$6.26

$5.04 A$7.20

-12.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.08 A$4.40

$2.68 A$3.82

14.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 A$217

$85.1 A$121

78.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.72 A$5.31

$2.14 A$3.06

73.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 A$2.55

$1.58 A$2.25

13.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.82 A$59.7

$36.57 A$52.2

14.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 A$2.06

$1.31 A$1.87

9.92%

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

$29.6K A$42.3K

$29.7K A$42.5K

-0.28%

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

$27.5K A$39.3K

$25.5K A$36.4K

7.82%

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

$262 A$374

$160 A$229

63.29%

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

$28.69 A$40.98

$25.96 A$37.07

10.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.0 A$82.9

$53.0 A$75.6

9.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.9 A$107

$56.1 A$80.2

33.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.21 A$33.14

$17.43 A$24.89

33.16%

Cinema Ticket

$17.70 A$25.28

$13.36 A$19.07

32.49%

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

$2,424 A$3,461

$1,981 A$2,829

22.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.3K A$47.6K

$11.8K A$16.8K

182.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.3 A$112

$76.1 A$109

2.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.1 A$98.7

$44.81 A$64.0

54.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 A$160

$105 A$150

7.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 A$180

$111 A$158

13.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,602 A$3,715

$1,398 A$1,996

86.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 A$2,559

$1,226 A$1,751

46.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,247 A$7,493

$2,262 A$3,230

131.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,196 A$4,565

$1,816 A$2,593

76.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K A$19.4K

$5,826 A$8,320

132.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,711 A$12.4K

$4,932 A$7,043

76.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,107 A$5,865

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.02

5.69

5.80%

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

Last update for Sydney: November 2, 2026

Last update for Tweed Heads: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.7%

Tweed Heads

$1.2K 48.8% 31.6% $566

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$375 11.5%

Tweed Heads

$373 14.9% 0.6% $2.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$348 10.6%

Tweed Heads

$239 9.5% 31.4% $109

Eating Out

Sydney

$298 9.1%

Tweed Heads

$333 13.3% 11.7% $35

Getting Around

Sydney

$177 5.4%

Tweed Heads

$106 4.2% 40.1% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$174 5.3%

Tweed Heads

$151 6% 12.7% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.4%

Tweed Heads

$83 3.3% 24.9% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,602 in Sydney versus $1,398 in Tweed Heads. 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 $91 in Sydney versus $103 in Tweed Heads. Groceries tell a different story – $375 in Sydney vs $373 in Tweed Heads – so Tweed Heads wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇦🇺 Tweed Heads

🕒 Local time

00:48 12:48 AM

Same time as Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

9,017

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sydney Tweed Heads 670 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Tweed Heads

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 Tweed Heads: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,274 in Sydney, $2,511 in Tweed Heads – Tweed Heads comes out roughly 23% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,912 per month in Sydney and $3,767 in Tweed Heads. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tweed Heads, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,398 there versus $2,602 in Sydney.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,274 in Sydney and $2,511 in Tweed Heads. That makes Tweed Heads about 23% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $2,424 per month in Sydney and $1,981 in Tweed Heads. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,274 in Sydney and $2,511 in Tweed Heads. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Tweed Heads – 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.