Sydney at a glance
- Sydney is the most expensive of Australia's 15 priced cities: $2,738 a month in essentials, 56% above Wollongong at $1,753.
- The average net salary of $4,218 covers that 1.5×.
- 105.1 men per 100 women aged 20–39, measured at SA3 (statistical area) level.
- PM2.5 averages 10.9 µg/m³ a year, 2× the WHO guideline of 5.
Green is the better side of each figure. Every line is computed from the tables below.
Monthly cost breakdown
Rent outside centre plus utilities, groceries, dining and local transport make up the essentials figure. Not a full lifestyle budget. The middle column is the median across the 15 Australia cities we track, so every row says whether Sydney is the cheap side of its own market or the dear one. Green is the better side of each row.
| Essentials, monthlyrent outside centre + bills + food + transit | $2,738 | $2,315 | $423 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $1,705 | $1,382 | $323 |
| Rent, 1-bed city centremonthly, USD | $2,484 | $1,737 | 1.43× as much |
| Groceriesmonthly, one person | $196 | $196 | same |
| Dining outmonthly, one person | $406 | $400 | $6 |
| Utilitiesmonthly: power, water, heating, internet | $278 | $244 | $34 |
| Local transportmonthly pass or fare equivalent | $153 | $93 | 1.65× as much |
| Average net salarymonthly, after tax; average, not median | $4,218 | $4,199 | $19 |
| Rent, 3-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $2,932 | $1,975 | 1.48× as much |
| Rent, 3-bed city centremonthly, USD | $4,950 | $2,517 | 1.97× as much |
Single person, USD. Data updated August 6, 2026.
Everyday prices
What single items cost in Sydney, in USD. The monthly figures above are built from these. Cheaper side of each row in green.
Eating out
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $17.56 | $17.63 | $0.07 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal for 2, mid-range, three courses | $95.20 | $84.30 | $10.90 |
| McMeal at McDonald's | $11.24 | $10.58 | $0.66 |
| Cappuccino, regular | $3.92 | $4.00 | $0.08 |
| Domestic beer, 0.5 L draught | $7.02 | $8.08 | $1.06 |
| Imported beer, 0.33 L bottle | $7.02 | $7.73 | $0.71 |
| Coke/Pepsi, 0.33 L | $2.65 | $2.85 | $0.20 |
| Water, 0.33 L bottle | $2.14 | $2.42 | $0.28 |
Groceries
| Milk, 1 L | $1.81 | $1.72 | $0.09 |
|---|---|---|---|
| White bread, 500 g | $2.56 | $2.66 | $0.10 |
| White rice, 1 kg | $2.32 | $2.14 | $0.18 |
| Eggs, 12 | $5.49 | $5.25 | $0.24 |
| Local cheese, 1 kg | $12.09 | $9.80 | $2.29 |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kg | $9.61 | $9.40 | $0.21 |
| Apples, 1 kg | $3.63 | $3.87 | $0.24 |
| Bananas, 1 kg | $3.04 | $2.96 | $0.08 |
| Tomatoes, 1 kg | $4.75 | $4.67 | $0.08 |
| Potatoes, 1 kg | $2.94 | $2.78 | $0.16 |
| Onions, 1 kg | $2.49 | $2.41 | $0.08 |
| Water, 1.5 L bottle | $1.21 | $1.63 | 1.35× as much |
Transport & bills
| One-way ticket, local transport | $3.93 | $3.00 | 1.31× as much |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly transit pass | $152.71 | $93.29 | 1.64× as much |
| Taxi start | $3.51 | $3.51 | same |
| Taxi, 1 km | $1.61 | $1.61 | same |
| Gasoline, 1 L | $1.34 | $1.28 | $0.06 |
| Basic utilities, 85 m² flat | $221.56 | $187.78 | $33.78 |
| Internet, 60 Mbps+ | $56.48 | $56.53 | $0.05 |
| Mobile plan, monthly | $24.00 | $28.89 | $4.89 |
Leisure
| Gym, monthly | $73.06 | $55.19 | 1.32× as much |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cinema, one seat | $17.56 | $15.52 | $2.04 |
Dating-age sex ratio
Sydney has 105.1 men per 100 women aged 20–39 (SA3 (statistical area) level). That is the 2nd-highest of 16 Australia cities we track. Australia's national figure is 102.1, so Sydney runs 3 above the country as a whole.
A supply figure, 20–39. The dating-pool model is in Pro.
How Sydney ranks against every city we track
Sydney sits ahead of 92% of the 545 cities we track on local salary. On salary against local costs it is ahead of 69% of 534. Its weakest measure is city-centre rent, ahead of only 4% of 553.
Longer is better on every row: bar length is where Sydney sits among all the cities carrying that measure, which is why the count differs by row.
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Photo: Benh LIEU SONG (Flickr), CC BY-SA 4.0.
