Cost of living comparison

compared to

Sydney vs. Austin Cost of Living Summary

Sydney is 24.0% more expensive than Austin.

Restaurants
pay 9.1% less in Sydney
Groceries
pay 2.0% more in Sydney
Transportation
pay 87.1% more in Sydney
Housing
pay 1.5% less in Sydney
Childcare
pay 18.8% more in Sydney
Entertainment and Sports
pay 45.4% more in Sydney
Clothing
pay 25.5% more in Sydney

The cost of transportation, entertainment and sports, clothing, childcare, and groceries in Sydney are more expensive than in Austin. Expenses including restaurants and housing are lower in Sydney. Notably, transportation is significantly more expensive in Sydney.

Sydney vs. Austin Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Sydney instead of Austin, you would:

pay 9.1% less for restaurants

 
Austin
Sydney
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $20.00
 
$16.35
A$25.02
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$11.00
 
$9.81
A$15.01
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.67
 
$2.60
A$3.97

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pay 2.0% more for groceries

 
Austin
Sydney
Bread
1 loaf
$3.40
 
$2.63
A$4.03
Local cheese (8 oz) $6.17
 
$4.92
A$7.53
Milk (1 gallon) $3.93
 
$6.66
A$10.19

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pay 87.1% more for transportation

 
Austin
Sydney
Gasoline (1 gallon) $2.79
 
$4.66
A$7.12
Monthly public transit pass $41.38
 
$142.21
A$217.55
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $27,900.00
 
$29,060.36
A$44,455.17

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pay 1.5% less for housing

 
Austin
Sydney
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$68.20
 
$52.18
A$79.82
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $2,134.75
 
$2,157.42
A$3,300.32
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,434.41
 
$1,515.46
A$2,318.29

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pay 18.8% more for childcare

 
Austin
Sydney
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $1,343.18
 
$2,079.13
A$3,180.55
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $22,093.75
 
$18,278.49
A$27,961.58

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pay 45.4% more for entertainment and sports

 
Austin
Sydney
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $6.00
 
$6.54
A$10.01
Cappuccino in mid-range area $5.56
 
$3.48
A$5.32
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$9.00
 
$32.71
A$50.04

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pay 25.5% more for clothing

 
Austin
Sydney
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$52.74
 
$75.03
A$114.78
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$43.79
 
$61.01
A$93.33
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$87.55
 
$101.79
A$155.71

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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