Cost of living comparison

compared to

Sydney vs. Gold Coast Cost of Living Summary

Sydney is 27.3% more expensive than Gold Coast.

Restaurants
pay 10.1% less in Sydney
Groceries
pay 5.1% more in Sydney
Transportation
pay 81.7% more in Sydney
Housing
pay 3.4% more in Sydney
Childcare
pay 76.0% more in Sydney
Entertainment and Sports
pay 19.6% more in Sydney
Clothing
pay 15.2% more in Sydney

The cost of transportation, childcare, entertainment and sports, clothing, groceries, and housing in Sydney are more expensive than in Gold Coast. Notably, transportation and childcare are significantly more expensive in Sydney.

Sydney vs. Gold Coast Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Sydney instead of Gold Coast, you would:

pay 10.1% less for restaurants

 
Gold Coast
Sydney
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $17.99
A$27.08
$16.35
A$24.62
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$9.81
A$14.77
$9.81
A$14.77
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.78
A$4.19
$2.60
A$3.91

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pay 5.1% more for groceries

 
Gold Coast
Sydney
Bread
1 loaf
$2.58
A$3.88
$2.63
A$3.96
Local cheese (8 oz) $3.78
A$5.69
$4.92
A$7.41
Milk (1 gallon) $5.29
A$7.97
$6.66
A$10.03

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pay 81.7% more for transportation

 
Gold Coast
Sydney
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.42
A$6.65
$4.66
A$7.01
Monthly public transit pass $52.33
A$78.79
$142.21
A$214.11
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $29,060.36
A$43,752.43
$29,060.36
A$43,752.43

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pay 3.4% more for housing

 
Gold Coast
Sydney
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$55.20
A$83.10
$52.18
A$78.56
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,818.60
A$2,738.04
$2,157.42
A$3,248.15
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,341.06
A$2,019.06
$1,515.46
A$2,281.64

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pay 76.0% more for childcare

 
Gold Coast
Sydney
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $2,150.05
A$3,237.05
$2,079.13
A$3,130.27
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $7,156.66
A$10,774.86
$18,278.49
A$27,519.57

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pay 19.6% more for entertainment and sports

 
Gold Coast
Sydney
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $6.54
A$9.85
$6.54
A$9.85
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.52
A$5.29
$3.48
A$5.24
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$32.05
A$48.26
$32.71
A$49.25

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pay 15.2% more for clothing

 
Gold Coast
Sydney
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$60.84
A$91.60
$75.03
A$112.97
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$48.28
A$72.69
$61.01
A$91.85
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$90.28
A$135.92
$101.79
A$153.25

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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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