Cost of living comparison
compared to
New York City vs. Sydney Cost of Living Summary
New York City is 44.9% more expensive than Sydney.
- Restaurants
-
pay 33.7% more in New York City
- Groceries
-
pay 56.3% more in New York City
- Transportation
-
pay 3.1% less in New York City
- Housing
-
pay 46.0% more in New York City
- Childcare
-
pay 2.3 times more in New York City
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 43.2% more in New York City
- Clothing
-
pay 6.0% more in New York City
The cost of childcare, groceries, housing, entertainment and sports, restaurants, and clothing in New York City are more expensive than in Sydney. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in New York City.
New York City vs. Sydney Cost Breakdown
If you lived in New York City instead of Sydney, you would:
pay 33.7% more for restaurants
|
Sydney
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.35
A$25.02
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.81
A$15.01
|
$13.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.60
A$3.97
|
$3.09
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
A$3.06
|
$2.61
|
|
Sydney vs. New York City - Cost of restaurants
pay 56.3% more for groceries
|
Sydney
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.63
A$4.03
|
$4.75
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.92
A$7.53
|
$8.89
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.66
A$10.19
|
$6.05
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.21
A$7.97
|
$7.20
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.86
A$5.90
|
$7.07
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.46
A$2.23
|
$3.29
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.25
A$1.91
|
$1.08
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.39
A$2.12
|
$2.60
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.07
A$3.17
|
$2.68
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.10
A$1.68
|
$1.63
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.06
A$1.62
|
$1.78
|
|
Sydney vs. New York City - Cost of groceries
pay 3.1% less for transportation
|
Sydney
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.66
A$7.12
|
$3.47
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$142.21
A$217.55
|
$132.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$29,060.36
A$44,455.17
|
$36,344.69
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$23.55
A$36.03
|
$22.39
|
|
Sydney vs. New York City - Cost of transportation
pay 46.0% more for housing
|
Sydney
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$52.18
A$79.82
|
$67.59
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,157.42
A$3,300.32
|
$4,037.06
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,515.46
A$2,318.29
|
$2,496.67
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$147.91
A$226.26
|
$151.98
|
|
Sydney vs. New York City - Cost of housing
pay 2.3 times more for childcare
|
Sydney
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,079.13
A$3,180.55
|
$3,154.10
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$18,278.49
A$27,961.58
|
$57,250.00
|
|
Sydney vs. New York City - Cost of childcare
pay 43.2% more for entertainment and sports
|
Sydney
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.54
A$10.01
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.48
A$5.32
|
$5.71
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$32.71
A$50.04
|
$19.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$66.50
A$101.73
|
$150.04
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.74
A$21.02
|
$20.00
|
|
Sydney vs. New York City - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 6.0% more for clothing
|
Sydney
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$75.03
A$114.78
|
$67.80
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$61.01
A$93.33
|
$49.94
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$101.79
A$155.71
|
$115.58
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$122.15
A$186.87
|
$168.76
|
|
Sydney vs. New York City - 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
Change currency:
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 New York City or Sydney. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.