Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Wairoa

For one person, living is cheaper in Wairoa: $1,932 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 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
90

Cost of Living Index in Wairoa
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Wairoa Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Wairoa

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,932

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Wairoa

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

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $1,932 in Wairoa, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Wairoa $1,932

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $2,867 in Wairoa, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Wairoa $2,867

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $3,802 in Wairoa, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Wairoa $3,802

Sydney costs about 63% more than Wairoa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Sydney and Wairoa sit above the global median – Sydney by 133%, Wairoa by 43%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$14.86 NZ$26.27

18.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$59.2 NZ$105

54.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$8.52 NZ$15.06

40.38%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$3.11 NZ$5.51

30.87%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$2.28 NZ$4.03

25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$1.66 NZ$2.94

35.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$6.69 NZ$11.83

13.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$6.30 NZ$11.15

17.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.92 NZ$3.40

-13.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$2.20 NZ$3.89

26.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$1.74 NZ$3.07

39.08%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$6.31 NZ$11.17

-10.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$8.79 NZ$15.54

33.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$8.65 NZ$15.30

11.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$15.26 NZ$26.99

9.76%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.96 NZ$5.24

37.50%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$2.21 NZ$3.90

47.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$2.62 NZ$4.63

31.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$5.45 NZ$9.63

-21.47%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$1.97 NZ$3.48

66.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$1.31 NZ$2.32

75.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$2.24 NZ$3.96

2.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$1.02 NZ$1.81

18.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$23.97 NZ$42.39

82.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$10.24 NZ$18.12

35.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$2.83 NZ$5.01

37.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$2.91 NZ$5.15

34.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$1.76 NZ$3.10

72.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$70.2 NZ$124

114.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$2.41 NZ$4.27

40.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$1.58 NZ$2.80

-1.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$28.67 NZ$50.7

39.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.72 NZ$3.04

-18.60%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$24.9K NZ$44.1K

16.91%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$19.8K NZ$35.0K

52.30%

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

$223 A$320

$98.1 NZ$174

126.82%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$24.87 NZ$43.98

9.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$57.2 NZ$101

-2.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$43.61 NZ$77.1

71.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$9.93 NZ$17.56

76.84%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$727 NZ$1,287

201.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$16.9K NZ$29.8K

67.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$53.8 NZ$95.1

45.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$36.83 NZ$65.1

85.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$102 NZ$181

8.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$114 NZ$202

17.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$1,016 NZ$1,796

146.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$894 NZ$1,582

91.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$1,600 NZ$2,830

209.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$1,443 NZ$2,552

109.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$5,236 NZ$9,260

151.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$3,126 NZ$5,528

167.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

5.57

4.85%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Wairoa: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Wairoa

$894 46.3% 47.7% $815

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Wairoa

$325 16.8% 14.2% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Wairoa

$180 9.3% 41% $125

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Wairoa

$244 12.6% 18.4% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Wairoa

$138 7.2% 21.7% $38

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Wairoa

$88 4.5% 49.6% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Wairoa

$63 3.3% 42.2% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney versus $1,016 in Wairoa. 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 $59.0 in Wairoa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $325 – making Wairoa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇳🇿 Wairoa

🕒 Local time

12:33 12:33 PM

14:33 2:33 PM

2 h ahead of Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

4,300

💱 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 Wairoa 2,410 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Wairoa

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 Wairoa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,152 in Sydney, $1,932 in Wairoa – roughly 63% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,728 per month in Sydney and $2,898 in Wairoa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Wairoa, 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 $59.0 in Wairoa. 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 $1,932 in Wairoa. That's a gap of about 63%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Wairoa, where all-in costs run around $1,932, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Wairoa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Wairoa – 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 Wairoa. 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.