Cost of living comparison
compared to
Lake Charles vs. Sydney Cost of Living Summary
Lake Charles is 29.7% cheaper than Sydney.
- Restaurants
-
pay 6.6% more in Lake Charles
- Groceries
-
pay 4.2% less in Lake Charles
- Transportation
-
pay 16.0% less in Lake Charles
- Housing
-
pay 45.0% less in Lake Charles
- Childcare
-
pay 49.4% less in Lake Charles
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 39.1% less in Lake Charles
- Clothing
-
pay 44.4% less in Lake Charles
Lake Charles vs. Sydney Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Lake Charles instead of Sydney, you would:
pay 6.6% more for restaurants
|
Sydney
|
Lake Charles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.41
A$25.33
|
$26.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.84
A$17.23
|
$11.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.81
A$4.09
|
$2.00
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.22
A$3.22
|
$1.25
|
|
Sydney vs. Lake Charles - Cost of restaurants
pay 4.2% less for groceries
|
Sydney
|
Lake Charles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.85
A$4.14
|
$4.12
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.93
A$8.64
|
$7.78
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.42
A$9.34
|
$5.14
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.56
A$8.08
|
$5.38
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.34
A$6.31
|
$4.61
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.81
A$2.63
|
$1.99
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.45
A$2.12
|
$0.59
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.56
A$2.27
|
$0.89
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.98
A$2.88
|
$2.53
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.48
A$2.15
|
$1.96
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.07
A$1.56
|
$0.99
|
|
Sydney vs. Lake Charles - Cost of groceries
pay 16.0% less for transportation
|
Sydney
|
Lake Charles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.40
A$7.86
|
$3.16
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$151.36
A$220.28
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$28,893.97
A$42,052.05
|
$35,578.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.24
A$23.63
|
$15.43
|
|
Sydney vs. Lake Charles - Cost of transportation
pay 45.0% less for housing
|
Sydney
|
Lake Charles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$56.21
A$81.81
|
$57.50
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,517.32
A$3,663.68
|
$1,020.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,743.66
A$2,537.71
|
$904.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$168.46
A$245.17
|
$200.34
|
|
Sydney vs. Lake Charles - Cost of housing
pay 49.4% less for childcare
|
Sydney
|
Lake Charles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,195.71
A$3,195.62
|
$1,563.89
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$28,441.13
A$41,393.00
|
$10,230.00
|
|
Sydney vs. Lake Charles - Cost of childcare
pay 39.1% less for entertainment and sports
|
Sydney
|
Lake Charles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.66
A$11.15
|
$5.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.97
A$5.78
|
$5.43
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$44.55
A$64.84
|
$8.50
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$75.28
A$109.56
|
$32.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$17.41
A$25.33
|
$12.00
|
|
Sydney vs. Lake Charles - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 44.4% less for clothing
|
Sydney
|
Lake Charles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$78.68
A$114.50
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$69.62
A$101.33
|
$43.07
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$111.40
A$162.13
|
$60.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$133.24
A$193.91
|
$120.31
|
|
Sydney vs. Lake Charles - 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 November 2026). How we calculate this
Change currency:
Compare further: Sydney vs. Lake Charles
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in Australia vs. United States.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Australia and United States.
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
Ask the Elsewhere Community
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Lake Charles or Sydney. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.