Cost of living comparison
compared to
Sydney vs. Massachusetts Cost of Living Summary
Sydney is 5.6% more expensive than Massachusetts.
Sydney vs. Massachusetts Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Sydney instead of Massachusetts, you would:
pay 8.9% less for restaurants
|
Massachusetts
|
Sydney
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$21.38
|
$17.41
A$24.76
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.97
|
$11.84
A$16.84
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.74
|
$2.81
A$4.00
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.20
|
$2.22
A$3.15
|
|
Massachusetts vs. Sydney - Cost of restaurants
pay 7.1% less for groceries
|
Massachusetts
|
Sydney
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.86
|
$2.85
A$4.05
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.01
|
$5.93
A$8.44
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.07
|
$6.42
A$9.13
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.58
|
$5.56
A$7.90
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.52
|
$4.34
A$6.17
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.55
|
$1.81
A$2.57
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.91
|
$1.45
A$2.07
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.13
|
$1.56
A$2.22
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.43
|
$1.98
A$2.82
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.54
|
$1.48
A$2.10
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.47
|
$1.07
A$1.52
|
|
Massachusetts vs. Sydney - Cost of groceries
pay 26.8% more for transportation
|
Massachusetts
|
Sydney
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.83
|
$5.40
A$7.68
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$71.50
|
$151.36
A$215.30
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,766.23
|
$28,893.97
A$41,100.95
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.36
|
$16.24
A$23.10
|
|
Massachusetts vs. Sydney - Cost of transportation
pay 0.1% less for housing
|
Massachusetts
|
Sydney
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$73.63
|
$56.21
A$79.96
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,181.37
|
$2,517.32
A$3,580.82
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,944.96
|
$1,743.66
A$2,480.32
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$170.22
|
$168.46
A$239.63
|
|
Massachusetts vs. Sydney - Cost of housing
pay 1.8% more for childcare
|
Massachusetts
|
Sydney
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,041.15
|
$2,195.71
A$3,123.34
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$29,539.47
|
$28,441.13
A$40,456.80
|
|
Massachusetts vs. Sydney - Cost of childcare
pay 26.9% more for entertainment and sports
|
Massachusetts
|
Sydney
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.35
|
$7.66
A$10.89
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.18
|
$3.97
A$5.65
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.90
|
$44.55
A$63.37
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$54.54
|
$75.28
A$107.09
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.30
|
$17.41
A$24.76
|
|
Massachusetts vs. Sydney - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 40.0% more for clothing
|
Massachusetts
|
Sydney
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.91
|
$78.68
A$111.91
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$36.86
|
$69.62
A$99.04
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$92.15
|
$111.40
A$158.46
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$119.99
|
$133.24
A$189.52
|
|
Massachusetts vs. Sydney - Cost of clothing
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this
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