Cost of Living in Sydney

I would say, 4000AUD a month should be ok for a single person. I pay 370$/week for a room in the city and spend around 300$/week for food, gym, mobile etc. If I go out for drink, 100$ is easy.

I lived in Cairns, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.
The food prices in the supermarkets are the same, doesn't matter where you are.The prices indicated on the website are accurate.

Eating out, Cairns and Melbourne are very expensive, even the price of the daily lunch menu is way more than here.

In Sydney, I would say eating out at a normal bar/pub is quite reasonable compared to the other cities in Australia. Most places offer great deals, like $10 burgers and $12-15 steak, even at prime locations like Darling Harbour.

There are two expensive things in Sydney:

1. transportation
The first 8 rides are full prices, after the 8th the rides are at half prices. The weekly cap is around $60.
I live only 20 minutes away from work, however I have never payed less than the $60 cap.

2. Accommodation
If you are single, you need to be very well off to afford a 1 bedroom unit in the city. Below $500 per week without utilities it is impossible to find something.
Two-bedroom apartments are around $7-800 per week.

I work in an office in IT, my hourly wage is $25 which is quite average in an office environment. I work 37.5 hours a week, that equals to $937.5 per week, but this is before tax. My net wage is around $700 per week.

I rent a room in a 6 bedroom shared house for $250 including bills.
Mobile: $6 per week
Insurance: $12 per week
Transport: $60 per week

Total fix spending: $328 per week

Tax rates in 2018:
Tax rate

0–$18,200

No tax

$18,201–$37,000

19c for each $1 over $18,200

$37,001–$80,000

$3,572 plus 32.5c for each $1 over $37,000

And taxes - kind of interesting system, gradebale.
https://www.ato.gov.au/Calculators-and-tools/Host/?anchor=STC&anchor=STC#STC/questions - check here your taxes.

@#SM

Hey man, your degree may not be recognized but PMP is international and I just got hired as a developer, so good news for IT. Lots of job in the area and a degree doesn't seem to be an issue.
The package I'm seeing through some jobs on linkedin, indeed and others range from 60-90k/year for mid level, 100-180k/year for senior and management roles. Good luck! By the way, try stackoverflow jobs!

I'm single age of 35 and having of 4+ years experince in development sectors. I want to migrate in Aus for better job, may I have any chance without ielts

No jobs in Sydney or anywhere in Australia unless you're in the medical field or allied health.

hi,
i gotta offer from a company located in sydney, (Level 23, Gateway, 1 Macquarie Place, Circular Quay, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia) salary 3925AUD,
i am single, please anyone advise me the cost of living ( rent + food)/month.

We have live in Sydney for 5 years. When we arrived it was expensive. Now property is unaffordable. It's increased by 70% in 4 years. Driven by Chinese investment and tax incentives for renting your property.
As a family we earn $250,000 per year before tAx but with 4 children cannot afford to save anything and will never be able to buy a house in a reasonable nice part of the city within 40 mins commute from the CBD.
LONDON is similar but have much better public transport infrastructure.
If you're coming from a city like London where your house is worth 1m pounds then you might be able to buy in a nice suburb. If not don't plan on staying. just come short term And enjoy the sunshine and beaches. But Sydney is not a great nightlife city. Go to Melbourne for that!

wow Vanessa, you seem to contradict yourself in what you are looking for in a place. I have never heard anyone run Sydney down like that. It is still one of the best cities in the world and absolutely beautiful. I don't know why you would make out that it is so dangerous but yet you also complain that they cleaned up places like the cross. strange. maybe you haven't travelled much.

I just spoke with my cousin who I haven't heard from for yrs said that her son in law with duo degrees in engineering makes 300k in mismanagement position. That sounds too good to be true as I searched on the avg salary in Sydney. Is that possible? What is the avg salary for electrical engineer with duo degrees like? I think my cousin was exaggerating. What u all think?

Hello..
Been offered a job in Sydney. Moving from Auckland with 2 kids (4Y and 2Y). Are living expenses cheaper in Sydney than Auckland?
How about daycare? How much would I have to pay for daycare for a week?
What eould the average pay be for an Accountant with 10+ experiance.

I worked in Sydney as a Software Engineer for almost 6 years.
One factor this website doesn't count for is Job Security.
You might get a 100K+ job in Sydney but that might not last long.
For permanent and more secure jobs these days they're offering as low as 70K-80K package, for a senior software engineer.

Hey, I am a software engineer working on SAP having 10 years of experience in the same. I am planning to migrate
Australia. Appreciate your suggestions on jobs, cost of living and other things that to consider. Thanks in advance!

Ahmed

thanks vanessa for your story.. gosh ... i suppose anywhere can be tough when you're going it alone and especially if you're on a budget

if you are wealthy then you're insulated from the drama of finding money for rent, bills, food, transport and pleasure.. the rich can live a party lifestyle in sydney, london, los angeles or new york

the thing is, whenever you go back to a place hoping it's like what it used to be years before.. usually it's a big disappointment.. everywhere is gentrified and over priced now.. and because rents are so high.. there's not the diversity on shops anymore..

what's the answer?

Sydney has it all ! From fine restaurants to the best movie cinemas and hotels. Prices differ from location to location. If your on holidays and looking for some interesting ways to spend some time, I'd recommend joining meetup.com where you will find lots of interesting groups hosted by locals. If you've just moved here and own a car, why not join the alfaclubnsw.org and join the fun. There are various events throughout the year and joining only costs $99.

Good website with lots of information which is useful for my assignment. :) thank you

Urban Camper that's ridiculous, as if we're going to live inside our car while we build a life in Sydney.. talk about uncomfortable and cramped it would be..

Even Air BnB might be a worthwhile alternative for those doing a short stay..

Hi Richard, how can you live 100% rent free? I'm just curious. I loved Sydney and would like to live and work there for a while.

Stana they are interesting comments and I will provide my take on life in Australia.

You're right about houses/flats.. mine freezes in winter and boils in summer...

1. House prices are incredibly expensive.. $750K - $3M for a reasonable house in a nice and safer area. (apartments/flats $280K - $800K are available in suburbs..)

2. Eating out at restaurants and fast food joints is costly, especially restaurants..
Expect to pay $60 - $120 per person for a medium rated restaurant .. (drinks extra).

3. Electricity and Gas is very expensive because not only do you pay a premium for the usage but you also pay between $1.20 - $1.40 per day for each of the utilities PER DAY just for the connection fee.

4. The cities can be dangerous because of a) drugs, b) mental illness, c) angry and brutal people, d) thugs & crooks e) violence for no reason

Here's what is good once you understand survival in the urban jungle.

1. Public transport in cities like Melbourne is much better than what a lot of people think ..
It's much more affordable now that there was a restructure and if you buy a yearly ticket then it works out at less than $4 per day (full fare) for Unlimited Travel.

2. Suburbs with lot's of Indian/Sri Lankan immigrants have the best value for money restaurants at the best prices..
You can get lunchtime specials for Thali, rice and curry etc for $7 - $8, masala dosa for $7.50

3. If you avoid the trouble spots and avoid the usual risks (late night wandering and gallivanting in the city and parks and other risky places..) you can enjoy your life here.. the high cost of getting by can wear you down at times but that's also true of London, Los Angeles, New York and most other developed cities.

4. Australia has a very large mixed population of cultures, particularly Chinese and Indian but also extends to other Asian countries and other regions of the world.

5. Radio Broadcasting in the 1611 - 1701 kHz AM band is available for broadcast entrepreneurs wishing to construct a non-commercial radio station. Assignments depend on frequencies available in the area they wish to operate from. Currently country/regional Australia has frequency assignments available .. especially for 1692 and 1701 kHz AM.

6. Setting up business in Australia is relatively straightforward and the main thing is to register for GST and file your tax returns.

7. If you're smart, lucky and work hard and sensible with your money you can enjoy a nice comfortable lifestyle even if it is an expensive country.

8. Hot summers and cold winters... but Australia is a big country, if you want a tropical lifestyle then you can move north and enjoy that climate.

Hi, Im moving to Sydney with an offer of 70k (including Super) along with my wife. We are looking to rent a 2BHK apartment outside the CBD, maybe inner West or a little further. We plan t use the Public transport for the first few months and will eat out maybe once a week. With this income would we be able to save something and have a comfortable life (not flamboyant or luxurious)?

J I read your comments and it made me smile... This notion of living the dream is so 70s..

Back then houses with pools and lot's of space could be had by almost anyone.. now it's a big ticket item.. I live in a 2 bedroom unit and that's a reality I am now used to.. it's no big deal.. If you want to laze in a pool then use a public one or zip down to the beach..

Switch your map of reality and learn to enjoy living in a smaller space, the big wide wonderful world is waiting for you just outside your door regardless...

I am the sort of person that can live on the smell of an oily rag (more or less), but people with an penchant for fancy cars, exotic holidays, flash apartments/houses, a taste for fine dinning, bar cocktails and café lounge society and to attend all the right sports, cultural and leisure events,weekends away and one or two annual long-distance exotic holiday experiences... will need a good healthy paycheck.. In fact I would say probably around $150+ plus..

Of course a lot of people buy or rent apartments and their cost is considerably less... Also, if you choose to live further out in a suburb like Blacktown which is approx 35 km from Sydney central business district (CBD) you can buy houses anywhere from $300k - $600k or rent 3 bedroom houses for around $360 - $420 per week.

So you can live in Sydney more affordably so long as you realise you won't be in the 5 star locations.

Here are some reviews
http://finance.ninemsn.com.au/suburb.aspx?suburbID=4552

Note: I do not live in Sydney but I did a quick but of research...

Hi all! Need a piece of advice about Sydney cost of living and stuff.
We are a family of three from Russia. Me(28), being an IT guy (prev. long history of System administrating. Now about 4 years of management/coordinating positions in IT integration/banking ), my wife(29), being a doctor (neurologist. medical residency finished in 2011. yeah-yeah, i know the sad part about passing exams and internship for her or she won't be allowed to practice) and our wonderfull son, who turns 1 in several weeks (no degree yet %) ).

Being dissapointed with goverment actions we are planning to move out soon, using visa subclass 189, applying for permanent residenship. Since we have some friends in Sydney + it seems like a tough place, but having lots of opportunities, we are concentrating on Sydney.

From what i see, from different sites, i can try to get from 60k (if not lucky enough and will be able to find smth only in system administration and will qualify low (had no practice for a long time now - management work, blah-blah-blah)) to 80-90k (if lucky enough to get an IT junior management job). I would like to continue to develop myself to management, but ready to return to "ground-level". Since I'm a newcomer and being a realist i understand that i may be not the best catch for an employer, without having some Australian work experience.

So, starting from this info, what do you think about comfort level we can get? My friends in Sydney get 70k and after taxes, renting out 1 bdrm in Meadowbank, renting a car, food and some fun expenses, he even has around 1k free.
Of course we have a lot of hopes for my wife to get her degree approved and after that, i think, everything will start to be ok, but some time will pass before that. She needs to upgrade her english level, to study for exams...

Will be thankfull for any comments! Have a nice day!

I am planing to go in Sydney in Aprill with work holiday visa. I'm from Croatia and i have high school of economic. My question is what job can i find there with high school and what salary?

Hi, I am wondering if any body can provide me information regarding elementary school enrollment.
1) if a child born on March 2008, which grade she supposed to be in Australian education system?
2) what are the processes?
3)when is the starting day of a new school year in Australia?

Thanks in advance.
Zinat

Hi Miles, there's opportunities in the music business in Sydney and Melbourne and really anywhere now because it's no longer
run by local distributors and manufactures but has pretty well gone over to the Internet with iTunes, Spotify etc..

So you could be anywhere ... as long as you're making the right music and get lucky along the way.

Luck does play a part and if you work hard and long enough you're eventually bound to get lucky...

Sydney is an expensive town and if you're a little more on the broke side then you're gonna have to house/room share
because rents are damn high.

Sydney is a vibrant city with lot's of social elements as well as corporate ladder climbing and the chase for money...

Good luck and I hope you too get lucky !!! :)

Thanks a lot for your kind words buddy (Boy from Nugegoda).There's one more thing I needed to know brother.Are there no opportunities for band music in Sydney?
Will I be able to make money through creating new EDMs'(Electronic Dance Music)?
If yes,then how much it could be per month?
So,you're tellin' me not to come to Sydney but aren't there any opportunities for musicians' in Sydney?
Is it only possible in Melboune?

By the way,your words were pretty clear and inspirable as well.That really helped me to paint a picture about the present condition of Melboune music industry.Hope your words would come true that someday I got a chance to make millions. :p

many many regards
Miles

I am a vocal of a rock band in Bangladesh.I want to come to Sydney as an international student and I really want to have a singing career in Australia.Will Sydney be the right choice for me to come?Is there any opportunities still there to have a musical career?Will there be any job for me? and if there,then how much they will be paying me every hour?
I'm in a fix.I need the answers ASAP.Can anyone please give me the answers?

As a graduate student, will I be able to live ok in Sidney on $35,000/year?