Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Wellington

For one person, living is cheaper in Wellington: $2,342 a month against $3,182 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 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
114

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
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Wellington Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,182

/mo nomad

Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,342

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Wellington

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

A single person spends $3,182 per month in Sydney vs $2,342 in Wellington, rent included.

Sydney $3,182
Wellington $2,342

A couple spends around $4,696 per month in Sydney vs $3,316 in Wellington, rent included.

Sydney $4,696
Wellington $3,316

A family of three spends $6,210 per month in Sydney vs $4,291 in Wellington, rent included.

Sydney $6,210
Wellington $4,291

Sydney costs about 36% more than Wellington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sydney and Wellington sit above the global median – Sydney by 137%, Wellington by 75%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 A$25.28

$13.89 NZ$24.74

27.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.1 A$139

$64.2 NZ$114

51.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.94 A$17.09

$8.95 NZ$15.95

33.41%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.72

$3.29 NZ$5.86

21.58%

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

$2.84 A$4.06

$2.35 NZ$4.19

20.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 A$3.25

$1.67 NZ$2.97

35.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 A$11.29

$7.24 NZ$12.90

8.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 A$10.20

$6.75 NZ$12.03

5.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.90 NZ$3.38

-12.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 A$4.00

$2.15 NZ$3.83

29.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.33

$1.82 NZ$3.24

27.47%

Eggs

$5.53 A$7.92

$6.73 NZ$11.99

-17.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 A$17.28

$9.05 NZ$16.13

33.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.84 A$14.09

$9.54 NZ$17.01

3.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.61 A$23.78

$15.30 NZ$27.27

8.56%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 A$5.76

$3.16 NZ$5.64

27.22%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.51

$2.23 NZ$3.98

41.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 A$5.01

$2.97 NZ$5.28

17.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.47 A$6.39

$6.33 NZ$11.27

-29.38%

Potato (1kg)

$3.32 A$4.76

$2.06 NZ$3.67

61.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$1.24 NZ$2.20

85.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.35

$1.99 NZ$3.55

17.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 A$1.65

$1.19 NZ$2.13

-3.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.02 A$64.4

$25.37 NZ$45.20

77.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.96 A$19.97

$11.37 NZ$20.26

22.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.98 A$5.70

$3.17 NZ$5.65

25.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.07 A$5.82

$2.76 NZ$4.92

47.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.16 A$4.52

$2.74 NZ$4.88

15.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$215

$102 NZ$182

47.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.45 A$4.94

$1.82 NZ$3.24

89.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.33

$1.77 NZ$3.16

-7.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.98 A$57.2

$33.17 NZ$59.1

20.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.83 NZ$3.26

-23.50%

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

$28.4K A$40.7K

$25.6K NZ$45.7K

10.89%

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

$29.4K A$42.1K

$25.4K NZ$45.3K

15.69%

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

$220 A$315

$199 NZ$354

10.64%

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

$27.70 A$39.64

$32.79 NZ$58.4

-15.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 A$79.5

$53.5 NZ$95.3

3.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.3 A$106

$38.58 NZ$68.8

92.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.95 A$34.28

$16.40 NZ$29.22

46.04%

Cinema Ticket

$17.73 A$25.37

$12.14 NZ$21.64

46.05%

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

$2,157 A$3,087

$1,036 NZ$1,847

108.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K A$40.5K

$12.9K NZ$22.9K

119.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$112

$78.4 NZ$140

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.5 A$101

$28.23 NZ$50.3

149.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$159

$103 NZ$184

7.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$189

$155 NZ$276

-14.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,514 A$3,598

$1,228 NZ$2,187

104.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,732 A$2,478

$1,139 NZ$2,030

51.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,889 A$6,996

$2,171 NZ$3,869

125.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,039 A$4,349

$1,670 NZ$2,975

81.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$6,719 NZ$12.0K

96.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,117 A$11.6K

$3,505 NZ$6,246

131.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,082 A$5,842

$2,818 NZ$5,022

44.85%

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 5, 2026

Last update for Wellington: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.5%

Wellington

$1.1K 48.3% 34.2% $592

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$380 12%

Wellington

$343 14.5% 9.8% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$303 9.6%

Wellington

$285 12.1% 6% $18

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.4%

Wellington

$243 10.3% 18.7% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$176 5.6%

Wellington

$164 7% 7% $12

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Wellington

$124 5.2% 29% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Wellington

$63 2.7% 42.7% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,514 in Sydney versus $1,228 in Wellington. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 45% higher in Sydney, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $97.0 in Sydney versus $64.0 in Wellington. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $380 vs $343 – making Wellington the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇳🇿 Wellington

🕒 Local time

20:06 8:06 PM

22:06 10:06 PM

2 h ahead of Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

215,900 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.5 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 2 NZD (1 NZD = 0.5 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Sydney Wellington 2,230 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Wellington

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 Wellington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,182 in Sydney, $2,342 in Wellington – roughly 36% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,774 per month in Sydney and $3,513 in Wellington. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Wellington, 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 $97.0 in Sydney and $64.0 in Wellington. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,182 in Sydney and $2,342 in Wellington. That's a gap of about 36%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Wellington, where all-in costs run around $2,342, than in Sydney at $3,182. In Wellington it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Wellington has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,342 in Wellington to $3,182 in Sydney. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Wellington. 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.