Cost of living comparison
compared to
District of Columbia vs. Sydney Cost of Living Summary
District of Columbia is 24.6% more expensive than Sydney.
- Restaurants
-
pay 34.5% more in District of Columbia
- Groceries
-
pay 39.9% more in District of Columbia
- Transportation
-
pay 18.9% less in District of Columbia
- Housing
-
pay 22.2% more in District of Columbia
- Childcare
-
pay 73.6% more in District of Columbia
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 22.9% more in District of Columbia
- Clothing
-
pay 1.9% less in District of Columbia
The cost of childcare, groceries, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and housing in District of Columbia are more expensive than in Sydney. Expenses including transportation and clothing are lower in District of Columbia.
District of Columbia vs. Sydney Cost Breakdown
If you lived in District of Columbia instead of Sydney, you would:
pay 34.5% more for restaurants
|
Sydney
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.35
A$24.71
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.81
A$14.83
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.60
A$3.92
|
$3.20
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
A$3.02
|
$2.79
|
|
Sydney vs. District of Columbia - Cost of restaurants
pay 39.9% more for groceries
|
Sydney
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.63
A$3.98
|
$4.43
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.92
A$7.44
|
$8.04
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.66
A$10.07
|
$4.19
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.21
A$7.87
|
$4.55
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.86
A$5.83
|
$7.74
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.46
A$2.20
|
$2.95
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.25
A$1.89
|
$0.92
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.39
A$2.09
|
$2.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.07
A$3.13
|
$3.00
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.10
A$1.66
|
$1.35
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.06
A$1.60
|
$1.64
|
|
Sydney vs. District of Columbia - Cost of groceries
pay 18.9% less for transportation
|
Sydney
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.66
A$7.04
|
$3.53
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$142.21
A$214.89
|
$77.50
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$29,060.36
A$43,911.22
|
$35,699.74
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$23.55
A$35.59
|
$16.73
|
|
Sydney vs. District of Columbia - Cost of transportation
pay 22.2% more for housing
|
Sydney
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$52.18
A$78.85
|
$69.41
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,157.42
A$3,259.93
|
$2,568.48
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,515.46
A$2,289.92
|
$2,088.16
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$147.91
A$223.50
|
$146.54
|
|
Sydney vs. District of Columbia - Cost of housing
pay 73.6% more for childcare
|
Sydney
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,079.13
A$3,141.63
|
$2,650.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$18,278.49
A$27,619.44
|
$40,166.67
|
|
Sydney vs. District of Columbia - Cost of childcare
pay 22.9% more for entertainment and sports
|
Sydney
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.54
A$9.88
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.48
A$5.26
|
$6.07
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$32.71
A$49.42
|
$13.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$66.50
A$100.48
|
$103.76
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.74
A$20.76
|
$16.75
|
|
Sydney vs. District of Columbia - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 1.9% less for clothing
|
Sydney
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$75.03
A$113.38
|
$76.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$61.01
A$92.19
|
$48.40
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$101.79
A$153.81
|
$104.31
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$122.15
A$184.58
|
$133.22
|
|
Sydney vs. District of Columbia - 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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