Where you live now
BrisbaneAustralia
A$3,988
per month
Cost of living: Brisbane vs Sydney
Choose where you live now and another city. You'll see what a normal month costs in each: rent, food, transport, bills and going out.
Household
Rent
Popular:London vs New YorkLisbon vs LondonHong Kong vs SingaporeNew York vs TokyoBerlin vs LondonDubai vs London
Sydney is 24% more expensive than Brisbane.
Monthly cost for one person, renting in the city centre. Includes rent, food, transport, bills and going out.
City to compare
SydneyAustralia
A$4,960
per month
Monthly costs by category
Show amounts in
| Category | Brisbane | Sydney | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent | 2,419 | 3,273 | +35% |
| Groceries | 507 | 536 | +6% |
| Eating out | 411 | 455 | +11% |
| Getting around | 172 | 187 | +9% |
| Bills | 305 | 324 | +6% |
| Going out | 141 | 152 | +8% |
| Clothes | 32 | 33 | +2% |
| Total per month | 3,988 | 4,960 | +24% |
Sydney is 24% more expensive than Brisbane for one person renting in the city centre. The biggest gap is rent (+35%); clothes is the closest (+2%). Someone spending A$3,988 a month in Brisbane would need about A$4,960 in Sydney for the same lifestyle. Rent takes 66% of the monthly budget in Sydney and 61% in Brisbane.
Sydney: no reports yet, so these numbers are starting estimates from the city's overall price level.How this is calculated
Prices
Everyday prices in Sydney
The typical price people paid recently, and how it compares with Brisbane. "Estimated" means we don't have many reports yet.
Show amounts in
| Item | Typical price | What people paid | vs Brisbane | Reports |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cappuccino, regularEstimated | A$6.29 | +11% vs Brisbane | 0 reports | |
| Meal at an inexpensive restaurantEstimated | A$28.07 | +11% vs Brisbane | 0 reports | |
| Monthly public transport passEstimated | A$157 | +9% vs Brisbane | 0 reports | |
| 1-bedroom flat, city centreEstimated | A$3,273 | +35% vs Brisbane | 0 reports | |
| 1-bedroom flat, outside the centreEstimated | A$2,357 | +35% vs Brisbane | 0 reports | |
| Milk, 1 LEstimated | A$1.66 | +5% vs Brisbane | 0 reports | |
| Eggs, 12Estimated | A$6.26 | +6% vs Brisbane | 0 reports | |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kgEstimated | A$16.58 | +5% vs Brisbane | 0 reports | |
| Electricity, water, heating and cooling for 85 m²Estimated | A$258 | +7% vs Brisbane | 0 reports | |
| Home internet, 60 Mbps or fasterEstimated | A$81.42 | +6% vs Brisbane | 0 reports | |
| Mobile plan with calls and 10 GB+ dataEstimated | A$75.15 | +6% vs Brisbane | 0 reports | |
| Gym membership, monthlyEstimated | A$109 | +8% vs Brisbane | 0 reports | |
| Cinema ticketEstimated | A$21.74 | +8% vs Brisbane | 0 reports | |
| Jeans, Levi's 501 or similarEstimated | A$88.38 | +2% vs Brisbane | 0 reports |
Most reports (10th–90th percentile)
Middle half of reports
Same item in Brisbane
All prices in Sydney
Method
Where the numbers come from
People who live in each city share what they paid. Every price is checked before it counts.
People share prices
Anyone can add what they paid, in their own currency. No account needed. A quick automatic check keeps bots out.
We check every price
Typos, wrong currencies and impossible amounts are caught. An unusual price only counts after someone else reports something similar.
We work out the typical price
We use the middle price of recent reports. When a city has only a few reports, we estimate the rest and label it "Estimated".
No reports in the last 30 days yet. When they arrive, you'll see here how many were counted, held for a second opinion or turned down.
Rankings
Most and least expensive cities
Monthly cost for one person renting in the city centre, in Australian dollars. Pick a city to compare it with Brisbane. See all 118 cities
Most expensive
Comparisons
Popular comparisons
Cities people often weigh up against each other. Monthly cost for one person, rent in the centre included.
- London vs New YorkA$5,897 → A$8,099+37%
- Lisbon vs LondonA$3,190 → A$5,897+85%
- Hong Kong vs SingaporeA$4,695 → A$6,064+29%
- New York vs TokyoA$8,099 → A$2,812−65%
- Berlin vs LondonA$3,301 → A$5,897+79%
- Dubai vs LondonA$4,724 → A$5,897+25%
- Amsterdam vs BerlinA$4,700 → A$3,301−30%
- Barcelona vs MadridA$3,169 → A$3,061−3%
- Lisbon vs PortoA$3,190 → A$2,619−18%
- Melbourne vs SydneyA$3,988 → A$4,960+24%
- Toronto vs VancouverA$4,273 → A$4,415+3%
- Beijing vs ShanghaiA$2,452 → A$2,619+7%
- Osaka vs TokyoA$2,241 → A$2,812+25%
- Bangkok vs SingaporeA$1,855 → A$6,064+227%
- Mexico City vs New YorkA$2,390 → A$8,099+239%
- Seoul vs TokyoA$2,790 → A$2,812+1%
- London vs ParisA$5,897 → A$3,917−34%
- Dubai vs SingaporeA$4,724 → A$6,064+28%
- New York vs San FranciscoA$8,099 → A$6,902−15%
- Bangkok vs Chiang MaiA$1,855 → A$1,278−31%
- Buenos Aires vs São PauloA$1,873 → A$1,8800%
- London vs SydneyA$5,897 → A$4,960−16%
- Austin vs San FranciscoA$4,391 → A$6,902+57%
- Hong Kong vs TaipeiA$4,695 → A$2,027−57%
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Rent, groceries, eating out and monthly budgets for every city we cover.
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Middle East & Africa 17
FAQ
Brisbane vs Sydney: common questions
Is Sydney cheaper than Brisbane?
No. One person renting a 1-bedroom flat in the centre spends about A$4,960 a month in Sydney, against A$3,988 in Brisbane: 24% more.
How much is rent in Sydney compared with Brisbane?
A 1-bedroom flat in the centre of Sydney rents for about A$3,273 a month, +35% compared with A$2,419 in Brisbane. Outside the centre it's about A$2,357 against A$1,742.
How much money do I need to move from Brisbane to Sydney?
To keep the lifestyle that costs A$3,988 a month in Brisbane, plan on about A$4,960 in Sydney for one person. A family of four would need about A$13,500, compared with A$11,191 in Brisbane.
How much does eating out cost in Sydney vs Brisbane?
A meal at an inexpensive restaurant is about A$28.07 in Sydney and A$25.19 in Brisbane. A regular cappuccino is about A$6.29 against A$5.69.
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