Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Melbourne 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Consumer Prices in Melbourne are 8.3% lower than in Sydney (without rent)
Consumer Prices Including Rent in Melbourne are 14.9% lower than in Sydney
Rent Prices in Melbourne are 24.9% lower than in Sydney
Restaurant Prices in Melbourne are 0.1% higher than in Sydney
Groceries Prices in Melbourne are 11.0% lower than in Sydney
Local Purchasing Power in Melbourne is 19.9% higher than in Sydney
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
Sydney Edit Melbourne 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$ 120.00 A$      0.0 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 15.00 A$ 15.00 A$      0.0 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 11.00 A$ 12.00 A$      +9.1 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 12.00 A$ 10.50 A$      -12.5 %
Cappuccino (regular) 5.07 A$ 5.21 A$      +2.7 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 4.03 A$ 3.98 A$      -1.4 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 3.30 A$ 3.57 A$      +8.4 %
Markets
Sydney Edit Melbourne Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 8.91 A$ 8.17 A$      -8.4 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 3.86 A$ 3.61 A$      -6.4 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 1.58 A$ 1.53 A$      -3.2 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 6.22 A$ 5.77 A$      -7.2 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 8.63 A$ 6.74 A$      -22.0 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 5.88 A$ 5.92 A$      +0.7 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 10.40 A$ 8.64 A$      -16.9 %
Apples (1 lb) 2.21 A$ 2.08 A$      -6.0 %
Banana (1 lb) 1.90 A$ 1.74 A$      -8.2 %
Oranges (1 lb) 2.16 A$ 1.80 A$      -16.7 %
Tomato (1 lb) 2.98 A$ 2.45 A$      -17.8 %
Potato (1 lb) 1.70 A$ 1.52 A$      -10.5 %
Onion (1 lb) 1.59 A$ 1.48 A$      -6.6 %
Lettuce (1 head) 3.40 A$ 3.24 A$      -4.6 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 2.52 A$ 2.03 A$      -19.3 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 20.00 A$ 17.50 A$      -12.5 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 7.88 A$ 7.36 A$      -6.5 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 8.68 A$ 8.67 A$      -0.1 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 50.00 A$ 45.00 A$      -10.0 %
Transportation
Sydney Edit Melbourne Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 5.00 A$ 5.30 A$      +6.0 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 220.00 A$ 192.50 A$      -12.5 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 8.00 A$ 6.50 A$      -18.8 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 7.24 A$ 4.83 A$      -33.3 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 90.00 A$ 65.00 A$      -27.8 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 7.78 A$ 7.32 A$      -5.9 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 42,500.00 A$ 40,500.00 A$      -4.7 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 34,138.62 A$ 32,701.29 A$      -4.2 %
Utilities (Monthly)
Sydney Edit Melbourne Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 332.33 A$ 291.09 A$      -12.4 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 40.88 A$ 43.09 A$      +5.4 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 83.06 A$ 81.18 A$      -2.3 %
Sports And Leisure
Sydney Edit Melbourne Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 98.58 A$ 88.27 A$      -10.5 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 32.82 A$ 25.96 A$      -20.9 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 24.00 A$ 22.00 A$      -8.3 %
Childcare
Sydney Edit Melbourne Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 3,207.62 A$ 2,460.05 A$      -23.3 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 26,337.50 A$ 29,600.00 A$      +12.4 %
Clothing And Shoes
Sydney Edit Melbourne Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 122.60 A$ 131.46 A$      +7.2 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 102.35 A$ 88.22 A$      -13.8 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 174.30 A$ 167.34 A$      -4.0 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 215.46 A$ 197.57 A$      -8.3 %
Rent Per Month
Sydney Edit Melbourne Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 3,381.11 A$ 2,532.09 A$      -25.1 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 2,366.09 A$ 2,015.88 A$      -14.8 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 6,794.25 A$ 4,801.75 A$      -29.3 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 3,897.56 A$ 3,001.38 A$      -23.0 %
Buy Apartment Price
Sydney Edit Melbourne Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 2,394.13 A$ 1,231.16 A$      -48.6 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 1,519.17 A$ 1,049.23 A$      -30.9 %
Salaries And Financing
Sydney Edit Melbourne Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 5,980.84 A$ 6,103.54 A$      +2.1 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 6.45 6.59      +2.2 %
Last update: April 2024April 2024
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