Cost of living comparison
compared to
Darwin vs. Sydney Cost of Living Summary
Darwin is 8.4% cheaper than Sydney.
- Restaurants
-
pay 26.4% more in Darwin
- Groceries
-
pay 3.1% less in Darwin
- Transportation
-
pay 39.7% less in Darwin
- Housing
-
pay 0.8% less in Darwin
- Childcare
-
pay 40.8% less in Darwin
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 1.6% more in Darwin
- Clothing
-
pay 2.7% less in Darwin
The cost of restaurants and entertainment and sports in Darwin are more expensive than in Sydney. Expenses including childcare, transportation, groceries, clothing, and housing are lower in Darwin.
Darwin vs. Sydney Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Darwin instead of Sydney, you would:
pay 26.4% more for restaurants
|
Sydney
|
Darwin
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.35
A$24.62
|
$19.63
A$29.55
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.81
A$14.77
|
$11.78
A$17.73
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.60
A$3.91
|
$2.75
A$4.14
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
A$3.01
|
$3.19
A$4.80
|
|
Sydney vs. Darwin - Cost of restaurants
pay 3.1% less for groceries
|
Sydney
|
Darwin
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.63
A$3.96
|
$2.76
A$4.16
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.92
A$7.41
|
$4.25
A$6.40
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.66
A$10.03
|
$4.95
A$7.46
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.21
A$7.84
|
$4.08
A$6.14
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.86
A$5.81
|
$3.71
A$5.58
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.46
A$2.19
|
$1.67
A$2.51
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.25
A$1.88
|
$1.31
A$1.96
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.39
A$2.09
|
$1.17
A$1.76
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.07
A$3.12
|
$2.04
A$3.07
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.10
A$1.65
|
$1.41
A$2.12
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.06
A$1.59
|
$1.01
A$1.52
|
|
Sydney vs. Darwin - Cost of groceries
pay 39.7% less for transportation
|
Sydney
|
Darwin
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.66
A$7.01
|
$4.30
A$6.47
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$142.21
A$214.11
|
$45.59
A$68.64
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$29,060.36
A$43,752.43
|
$29,060.36
A$43,752.43
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$23.55
A$35.46
|
$13.32
A$20.05
|
|
Sydney vs. Darwin - Cost of transportation
pay 0.8% less for housing
|
Sydney
|
Darwin
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$52.18
A$78.56
|
$59.42
A$89.46
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,157.42
A$3,248.15
|
$1,635.43
A$2,462.26
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,515.46
A$2,281.64
|
$1,301.70
A$1,959.81
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$147.91
A$222.69
|
$179.46
A$270.20
|
|
Sydney vs. Darwin - Cost of housing
pay 40.8% less for childcare
|
Sydney
|
Darwin
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,079.13
A$3,130.27
|
$1,570.02
A$2,363.77
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$18,278.49
A$27,519.57
|
$7,850.08
A$11,818.86
|
|
Sydney vs. Darwin - Cost of childcare
pay 1.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
Sydney
|
Darwin
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.54
A$9.85
|
$6.54
A$9.85
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.48
A$5.24
|
$3.53
A$5.32
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$32.71
A$49.25
|
$25.19
A$37.92
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$66.50
A$100.12
|
$75.50
A$113.67
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.74
A$20.68
|
$15.70
A$23.64
|
|
Sydney vs. Darwin - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 2.7% less for clothing
|
Sydney
|
Darwin
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$75.03
A$112.97
|
$79.32
A$119.42
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$61.01
A$91.85
|
$45.79
A$68.94
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$101.79
A$153.25
|
$103.03
A$155.12
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$122.15
A$183.91
|
$130.83
A$196.98
|
|
Sydney vs. Darwin - Cost of clothing
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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