Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Upper Hutt

For one person, living is cheaper in Upper Hutt: $1,830 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index
91

Cost of Living Index in Upper Hutt
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Upper Hutt Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Upper Hutt

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,830

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Upper Hutt

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

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $1,830 in Upper Hutt, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Upper Hutt $1,830

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $2,844 in Upper Hutt, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Upper Hutt $2,844

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $3,857 in Upper Hutt, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Upper Hutt $3,857

Sydney costs about 72% more than Upper Hutt, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sydney and Upper Hutt sit above the global median – Sydney by 133%, Upper Hutt by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$8.28 NZ$14.64

112.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$55.8 NZ$98.7

63.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$8.43 NZ$14.91

41.87%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.83 NZ$5.00

43.82%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$2.48 NZ$4.38

14.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$1.69 NZ$2.98

33.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$7.36 NZ$13.02

3.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$6.55 NZ$11.58

13.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.85 NZ$3.27

-10.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$2.13 NZ$3.77

30.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$1.89 NZ$3.35

28.04%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$6.72 NZ$11.88

-16.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$5.49 NZ$9.71

113.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$9.71 NZ$17.17

-0.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$15.01 NZ$26.55

11.59%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$3.14 NZ$5.55

29.62%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$2.14 NZ$3.78

51.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$2.96 NZ$5.23

16.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$6.54 NZ$11.56

-34.56%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$2.09 NZ$3.69

56.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$1.23 NZ$2.18

86.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$2.08 NZ$3.68

10.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$1.19 NZ$2.11

1.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$25.35 NZ$44.83

72.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$11.10 NZ$19.63

25.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$3.13 NZ$5.53

24.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$2.81 NZ$4.97

39.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$1.49 NZ$2.63

104.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$82.7 NZ$146

81.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$1.86 NZ$3.29

81.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$1.74 NZ$3.08

-10.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$33.07 NZ$58.5

20.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.87 NZ$3.31

-25.13%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$25.2K NZ$44.6K

15.46%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$25.1K NZ$44.3K

20.24%

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

$223 A$320

$109 NZ$192

105.10%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$25.17 NZ$44.52

7.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$53.1 NZ$93.9

5.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$36.65 NZ$64.8

103.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$12.00 NZ$21.22

46.33%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$1,074 NZ$1,899

104.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$12.8K NZ$22.7K

119.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$78.5 NZ$139

-0.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$28.14 NZ$49.77

143.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$103 NZ$183

7.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$155 NZ$274

-13.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$910 NZ$1,609

174.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$795 NZ$1,407

114.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$1,733 NZ$3,065

185.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$1,537 NZ$2,719

96.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$5,062 NZ$8,953

160.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$3,581 NZ$6,332

133.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

5.39

8.35%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Upper Hutt: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Upper Hutt

$795 43.5% 53.5% $914

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Upper Hutt

$332 18.1% 12.3% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Upper Hutt

$187 10.2% 38.9% $119

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Upper Hutt

$192 10.5% 35.7% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Upper Hutt

$164 9% 7% $12

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Upper Hutt

$99 5.4% 42.8% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Upper Hutt

$61 3.3% 44.7% $49

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney versus $910 in Upper Hutt. 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 $91.0 in Sydney versus $56.0 in Upper Hutt. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $332 – making Upper Hutt the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇳🇿 Upper Hutt

🕒 Local time

12:33 12:33 PM

14:33 2:33 PM

2 h ahead of Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

44,600

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sydney Upper Hutt 2,250 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Upper Hutt

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 Upper Hutt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,152 in Sydney, $1,830 in Upper Hutt – roughly 72% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,728 per month in Sydney and $2,746 in Upper Hutt. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Upper Hutt, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Sydney and $56.0 in Upper Hutt. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,152 in Sydney and $1,830 in Upper Hutt. That's a gap of about 72%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Upper Hutt, where all-in costs run around $1,830, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Upper Hutt it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Upper Hutt – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Upper Hutt. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sydney makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.