Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Sydney 
| Indices Difference |  |
|---|---|
| Consumer Prices in Sydney are 0.5% higher than in Melbourne (without rent) | |
| Consumer Prices Including Rent in Sydney are 12.5% higher than in Melbourne | |
| Rent Prices in Sydney are 39.4% higher than in Melbourne | |
| Restaurant Prices in Sydney are 1.3% lower than in Melbourne | |
| Groceries Prices in Sydney are 7.7% lower than in Melbourne | |
| Local Purchasing Power in Sydney is 3.2% higher than in Melbourne | |
Restaurants | Melbourne Edit |
Sydney Edit | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant | 25.00 A$ | 25.00 A$ | 0.0 % |
| Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course | 120.00 A$ | 130.00 A$ | +8.3 % |
| McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) | 15.00 A$ | 15.00 A$ | 0.0 % |
| Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) | 11.00 A$ | 10.00 A$ | -9.1 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) | 10.00 A$ | 10.00 A$ | 0.0 % |
| Cappuccino (regular) | 5.00 A$ | 4.69 A$ | -6.4 % |
| Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) | 3.92 A$ | 3.43 A$ | -12.5 % |
| Water (12 oz small bottle) | 3.45 A$ | 3.21 A$ | -7.0 % |
Markets | Melbourne Edit |
Sydney Edit | |
| Milk (regular), (1 gallon) | 8.20 A$ | 8.71 A$ | +6.2 % |
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) | 3.09 A$ | 3.36 A$ | +8.6 % |
| Rice (white), (1 lb) | 1.52 A$ | 1.37 A$ | -9.4 % |
| Eggs (regular) (12) | 5.50 A$ | 5.99 A$ | +8.8 % |
| Local Cheese (1 lb) | 6.89 A$ | 6.10 A$ | -11.5 % |
| Chicken Fillets (1 lb) | 6.08 A$ | 5.56 A$ | -8.5 % |
| Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) | 10.86 A$ | 9.09 A$ | -16.4 % |
| Apples (1 lb) | 2.15 A$ | 2.01 A$ | -6.3 % |
| Banana (1 lb) | 1.71 A$ | 1.65 A$ | -3.6 % |
| Oranges (1 lb) | 1.79 A$ | 1.79 A$ | -0.1 % |
| Tomato (1 lb) | 3.52 A$ | 3.45 A$ | -2.0 % |
| Potato (1 lb) | 1.85 A$ | 1.70 A$ | -8.0 % |
| Onion (1 lb) | 1.54 A$ | 1.49 A$ | -3.8 % |
| Lettuce (1 head) | 5.38 A$ | 4.17 A$ | -22.5 % |
| Water (1.5 liter bottle) | 2.41 A$ | 2.24 A$ | -7.2 % |
| Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) | 20.00 A$ | 18.00 A$ | -10.0 % |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) | 6.56 A$ | 6.52 A$ | -0.7 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) | 7.10 A$ | 7.07 A$ | -0.5 % |
| Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) | 40.00 A$ | 41.00 A$ | +2.5 % |
Transportation | Melbourne Edit |
Sydney Edit | |
| One-way Ticket (Local Transport) | 4.60 A$ | 4.97 A$ | +8.2 % |
| Monthly Pass (Regular Price) | 162.00 A$ | 217.39 A$ | +34.2 % |
| Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) | 5.00 A$ | 5.00 A$ | 0.0 % |
| Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) | 3.22 A$ | 4.35 A$ | +35.0 % |
| Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) | 34.08 A$ | 60.00 A$ | +76.1 % |
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | 7.99 A$ | 7.70 A$ | -3.7 % |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) | 33,000.00 A$ | 35,000.00 A$ | +6.1 % |
| Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) | 29,230.21 A$ | 29,870.95 A$ | +2.2 % |
Utilities (Monthly) | Melbourne Edit |
Sydney Edit | |
| Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment | 247.74 A$ | 252.58 A$ | +2.0 % |
| 1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local (No Discounts or Plans) | 0.48 A$ | 0.87 A$ | +79.8 % |
| Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) | 81.31 A$ | 79.57 A$ | -2.1 % |
Sports And Leisure | Melbourne Edit |
Sydney Edit | |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult | 74.05 A$ | 88.17 A$ | +19.1 % |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) | 20.00 A$ | 25.75 A$ | +28.7 % |
| Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat | 23.00 A$ | 23.00 A$ | 0.0 % |
Childcare | Melbourne Edit |
Sydney Edit | |
| Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child | 2,571.64 A$ | 2,522.89 A$ | -1.9 % |
| International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child | 27,988.89 A$ | 23,717.65 A$ | -15.3 % |
Clothing And Shoes | Melbourne Edit |
Sydney Edit | |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) | 120.53 A$ | 120.28 A$ | -0.2 % |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) | 77.76 A$ | 81.92 A$ | +5.4 % |
| 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) | 169.77 A$ | 171.53 A$ | +1.0 % |
| 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes | 185.32 A$ | 193.36 A$ | +4.3 % |
Rent Per Month | Melbourne Edit |
Sydney Edit | |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre | 2,003.91 A$ | 2,862.17 A$ | +42.8 % |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre | 1,675.41 A$ | 2,079.29 A$ | +24.1 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre | 3,773.68 A$ | 5,859.25 A$ | +55.3 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre | 2,575.20 A$ | 3,625.30 A$ | +40.8 % |
Buy Apartment Price | Melbourne Edit |
Sydney Edit | |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre | 976.09 A$ | 1,967.58 A$ | +101.6 % |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre | 867.82 A$ | 1,194.45 A$ | +37.6 % |
Salaries And Financing | Melbourne Edit |
Sydney Edit | |
| Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) | 5,473.21 A$ | 6,355.43 A$ | +16.1 % |
| Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate | 4.18 | 4.19 | +0.2 % |
| Last update: | February 2023 | February 2023 | |
| Contributors in the past 12 months: | 385 | 447 |
Moving to Melbourne? Explore:
Moving to Sydney? Explore:
Cities near Melbourne: | Cost of Living in Ballarat | 71.73 miles |
| Cost of Living in Wangaratta | 149.91 miles |
| Cost of Living in Albury | 195.47 miles |
Cities near Sydney: | Cost of Living in Gosford | 46.31 miles |
| Cost of Living in Wollongong | 51.90 miles |
| Cost of Living in Canberra | 178.59 miles |
| Cost of Living in Forster | 188.67 miles |