Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Whanganui

For one person, living is cheaper in Whanganui: $1,854 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 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 Whanganui
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Whanganui Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Whanganui

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,854

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Whanganui

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

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $1,854 in Whanganui, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Whanganui $1,854

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $2,785 in Whanganui, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Whanganui $2,785

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $3,715 in Whanganui, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Whanganui $3,715

Sydney costs about 70% more than Whanganui, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sydney and Whanganui sit above the global median – Sydney by 133%, Whanganui by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$12.16 NZ$21.51

44.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$73.2 NZ$129

24.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$8.24 NZ$14.58

45.15%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$3.30 NZ$5.83

23.33%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$2.17 NZ$3.84

31.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$1.97 NZ$3.49

14.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$5.62 NZ$9.93

35.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$5.38 NZ$9.51

38.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.30 NZ$2.30

27.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$0.92 NZ$1.63

202.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$1.13 NZ$2.00

114.16%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$5.26 NZ$9.30

7.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$5.62 NZ$9.95

108.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$7.40 NZ$13.08

30.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$11.62 NZ$20.56

44.15%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.28 NZ$4.03

78.51%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$1.94 NZ$3.43

67.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$1.88 NZ$3.32

82.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$3.44 NZ$6.08

24.42%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$1.67 NZ$2.96

96.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$1.30 NZ$2.31

76.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$2.12 NZ$3.74

8.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.51 NZ$0.91

137.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$22.63 NZ$40.02

93.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$9.81 NZ$17.35

41.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$2.46 NZ$4.36

58.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$2.26 NZ$4.00

73.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$1.79 NZ$3.17

69.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$86.1 NZ$152

74.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$3.58 NZ$6.34

-5.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$1.72 NZ$3.04

-9.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$26.21 NZ$46.36

52.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.61 NZ$2.85

-13.04%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$27.0K NZ$47.7K

7.93%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$22.8K NZ$40.4K

32.02%

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

$223 A$320

$197 NZ$349

12.90%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$32.22 NZ$57.0

-15.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$47.49 NZ$84.0

17.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$38.33 NZ$67.8

94.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$5.53 NZ$9.78

217.54%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$655 NZ$1,158

235.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$22.6K NZ$40.0K

24.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$61.8 NZ$109

26.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$38.24 NZ$67.6

78.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$94.0 NZ$166

18.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$105 NZ$186

27.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$960 NZ$1,697

160.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$828 NZ$1,464

106.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$1,603 NZ$2,834

208.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$1,431 NZ$2,531

111.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$5,235 NZ$9,259

151.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$3,097 NZ$5,477

170.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

6.8

-14.12%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Whanganui: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Whanganui

$828 44.7% 51.6% $882

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Whanganui

$243 13.1% 35.8% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Whanganui

$277 14.9% 9.4% $29

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Whanganui

$217 11.7% 27.3% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Whanganui

$135 7.3% 23.7% $42

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Whanganui

$105 5.7% 39.3% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Whanganui

$49 2.7% 55% $60

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney versus $960 in Whanganui. 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 $73.0 in Whanganui. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $243 – making Whanganui the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇳🇿 Whanganui

🕒 Local time

11:01 11:01 AM

13:01 1:01 PM

2 h ahead of Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

42,300

💱 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 Whanganui 2,220 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Whanganui

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 Whanganui: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,152 in Sydney, $1,854 in Whanganui – roughly 70% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,728 per month in Sydney and $2,781 in Whanganui. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Whanganui, 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 $73.0 in Whanganui. 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 $1,854 in Whanganui. That's a gap of about 70%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Whanganui, where all-in costs run around $1,854, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Whanganui it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Whanganui – 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 Whanganui. 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.