Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Wagga Wagga

For one person, living is cheaper in Wagga Wagga: $1,870 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 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 Wagga Wagga
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Wagga Wagga Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Wagga Wagga

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,870

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Wagga Wagga

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

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $1,870 in Wagga Wagga, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Wagga Wagga $1,870

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $2,854 in Wagga Wagga, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Wagga Wagga $2,854

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $3,837 in Wagga Wagga, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Wagga Wagga $3,837

Sydney costs about 69% more than Wagga Wagga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Sydney and Wagga Wagga sit above the global median – Sydney by 133%, Wagga Wagga by 39%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$13.69 A$19.70

28.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$88.1 A$127

3.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$10.62 A$15.28

12.62%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$4.12 A$5.92

-1.21%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$3.15 A$4.54

-9.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$2.57 A$3.69

-12.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$8.13 A$11.70

-6.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$9.59 A$13.80

-22.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.56 A$2.25

6.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$3.29 A$4.73

-15.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$2.68 A$3.85

-9.70%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$5.17 A$7.44

9.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$12.88 A$18.53

-9.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$9.87 A$14.20

-2.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$15.35 A$22.09

9.12%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$3.89 A$5.60

4.63%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$3.08 A$4.44

5.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$3.57 A$5.14

-3.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$5.11 A$7.35

-16.24%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$3.05 A$4.38

7.54%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$2.72 A$3.91

-15.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$2.49 A$3.58

-7.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$1.33 A$1.92

-9.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$44.17 A$63.6

-1.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$13.86 A$19.95

0.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$4.59 A$6.60

-15.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$5.45 A$7.84

-28.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$3.17 A$4.56

-4.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$4.12 A$5.93

-17.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$1.64 A$2.35

-4.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$43.84 A$63.1

-8.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.33 A$1.91

5.26%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$26.7K A$38.4K

9.01%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$29.3K A$42.2K

2.78%

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

$223 A$320

$181 A$260

23.25%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$26.41 A$38.00

2.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$56.0 A$80.5

-0.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$27.38 A$39.40

172.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$15.57 A$22.40

12.78%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$2,183 A$3,142

0.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$19.9K A$28.7K

41.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$75.9 A$109

3.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$56.5 A$81.3

21.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$105 A$151

5.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$133 A$191

1.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$916 A$1,317

173.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$690 A$993

147.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$1,510 A$2,173

227.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$1,129 A$1,625

167.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$3,429 A$4,934

284.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$2,419 A$3,480

246.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

5.95

-1.85%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Wagga Wagga: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Wagga Wagga

$690 36.9% 59.6% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Wagga Wagga

$394 21.1% 4.1% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Wagga Wagga

$263 14.1% 13.9% $43

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Wagga Wagga

$273 14.6% 8.4% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Wagga Wagga

$167 8.9% 5.7% $10

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Wagga Wagga

$25 * 1.3% 85.6% $149

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Wagga Wagga

$59 3.1% 46.7% $51

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney versus $916 in Wagga Wagga. 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 $88.0 in Wagga Wagga. Groceries tell a different story – $379 in Sydney vs $394 in Wagga Wagga – so Sydney wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇦🇺 Wagga Wagga

🕒 Local time

03:08 3:08 AM

Same time as Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

49,686

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Sydney Wagga Wagga 380 km

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 Wagga Wagga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,152 in Sydney, $1,870 in Wagga Wagga – roughly 69% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,728 per month in Sydney and $2,805 in Wagga Wagga. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,152 in Sydney and $1,870 in Wagga Wagga. That's a gap of about 69%.

Kindergarten costs $2,196 per month in Sydney and $2,183 in Wagga Wagga. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Wagga Wagga, where all-in costs run around $1,870, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Wagga Wagga it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Wagga Wagga – 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 Wagga Wagga. 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.