Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toowoomba and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Toowoomba: $2,110 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in Toowoomba
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Toowoomba Living Index
155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index

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Toowoomba

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,110

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toowoomba and in Sydney

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Toowoomba and in Sydney actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,110 per month in Toowoomba vs $3,152 in Sydney, rent included.

Toowoomba $2,110
Sydney $3,152

A couple spends around $2,921 per month in Toowoomba vs $4,710 in Sydney, rent included.

Toowoomba $2,921
Sydney $4,710

A family of three spends $3,732 per month in Toowoomba vs $6,268 in Sydney, rent included.

Toowoomba $3,732
Sydney $6,268

Toowoomba is about 33% cheaper than Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Toowoomba and Sydney sit above the global median – Toowoomba by 56%, Sydney by 133%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.56 A$23.82

$17.57 A$25.29

-5.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.1 A$104

$91.5 A$132

-21.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.30 A$13.38

$11.96 A$17.21

-22.24%

Cappuccino

$3.81 A$5.48

$4.07 A$5.85

-6.39%

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

$2.71 A$3.90

$2.85 A$4.10

-4.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 A$3.37

$2.25 A$3.24

4.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.78 A$9.75

$7.60 A$10.94

-10.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 A$10.22

$7.43 A$10.69

-4.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.16

$1.66 A$2.38

-9.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 A$3.27

$2.78 A$4.00

-18.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 A$2.80

$2.42 A$3.49

-19.83%

Eggs

$4.55 A$6.55

$5.64 A$8.12

-19.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.62 A$12.40

$11.71 A$16.85

-26.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.89 A$12.79

$9.66 A$13.89

-7.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.73 A$16.87

$16.75 A$24.10

-29.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$4.07 A$5.85

-22.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 A$2.58

$3.25 A$4.68

-44.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 A$1.97

$3.44 A$4.96

-60.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 A$3.09

$4.28 A$6.16

-49.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.59

$3.28 A$4.72

-24.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 A$3.20

$2.30 A$3.30

-3.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.39 A$3.45

$2.30 A$3.31

3.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 A$1.42

$1.21 A$1.74

-18.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$34.77 A$50.0

$43.71 A$62.9

-20.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.72 A$19.75

$13.88 A$19.97

-1.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.59 A$6.60

$3.90 A$5.62

17.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.53 A$9.39

$3.91 A$5.63

67.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 A$3.20

$3.38 A$4.86

-34.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 A$2.31

$1.56 A$2.24

3.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.11 A$49.08

$40.01 A$57.6

-14.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 A$1.90

$1.40 A$2.01

-5.71%

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

$26.7K A$38.4K

$29.1K A$41.9K

-8.36%

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

$23.3K A$33.5K

$30.1K A$43.4K

-22.63%

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

$74.5 A$107

$223 A$320

-66.54%

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

$30.11 A$43.33

$27.16 A$39.08

10.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.1 A$77.8

$55.8 A$80.3

-3.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.16 A$59.2

$74.6 A$107

-44.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.69 A$25.46

$23.99 A$34.52

-26.26%

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 A$19.92

$17.56 A$25.27

-21.13%

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

$2,039 A$2,934

$2,196 A$3,160

-7.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,996 A$10.1K

$28.2K A$40.6K

-75.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.1 A$108

$78.4 A$113

-4.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.8 A$77.4

$68.4 A$98.5

-21.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.8 A$108

$111 A$160

-32.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 A$176

$134 A$193

-8.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 A$1,748

$2,500 A$3,598

-51.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,130 A$1,626

$1,709 A$2,460

-33.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,618 A$2,328

$4,946 A$7,117

-67.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,028

$3,022 A$4,349

-53.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 A$4,881

$13.2K A$18.9K

-74.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,674 A$3,847

$8,370 A$12.0K

-68.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,869 A$5,567

$4,113 A$5,919

-5.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.69

5.84

-2.57%

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

Last update for Toowoomba: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toowoomba

$1.1K 53.6%

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2% 51.2% $579

Groceries & Markets

Toowoomba

$309 14.6%

Sydney

$379 12% 22.6% $70

Eating Out

Toowoomba

$274 13%

Sydney

$299 9.5% 8.8% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toowoomba

$159 7.5%

Sydney

$306 9.7% 92.6% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Toowoomba

$147 7%

Sydney

$177 5.6% 20.4% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Toowoomba

$69 3.3%

Sydney

$110 3.5% 59.4% $41

Getting Around

Toowoomba

$22 * 1.1%

Sydney

$174 5.5% 674% $151

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,215 in Toowoomba versus $2,500 in Sydney. 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 6% 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 $72.0 in Toowoomba versus $91.0 in Sydney. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $309 vs $379 – making Toowoomba the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Toowoomba

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

22:40 10:40 PM

23:40 11:40 PM

1 h ahead of Toowoomba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

108,398

4,840,600

💱 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

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Toowoomba Sydney 710 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Toowoomba
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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

Toowoomba vs Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,110 in Toowoomba, $3,152 in Sydney – roughly 49% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,165 per month in Toowoomba and $4,728 in Sydney. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Toowoomba, 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 $2,110 in Toowoomba and $3,152 in Sydney. That's a gap of about 49%.

Kindergarten costs $2,039 per month in Toowoomba and $2,196 in Sydney. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Toowoomba, where all-in costs run around $2,110, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Toowoomba it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Toowoomba – 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 Toowoomba. 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.