Cost of living comparison

Australia

compared to

United States

Palo Alto vs. Sydney Cost of Living Summary

Palo Alto is 39.5% more expensive than Sydney.

Restaurants: pay 38.7% more in Palo Alto
Groceries: pay 65.3% more in Palo Alto
Transportation: pay 6.4% less in Palo Alto
Housing: pay 57.0% more in Palo Alto
Childcare: pay 82.8% more in Palo Alto
Entertainment and Sports: pay 50.4% more in Palo Alto
Clothing: pay 11.2% less in Palo Alto

The cost of childcare, groceries, housing, entertainment and sports, and restaurants in Palo Alto are more expensive than in Sydney. Expenses including clothing and transportation are lower in Palo Alto. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Palo Alto.

Palo Alto vs. Sydney Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Palo Alto instead of Sydney, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 38.7% more for restaurants

	Sydney	Palo Alto
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$16.35 A$23.34	$30.00	+83.4%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$9.81 A$14.00	$12.00	+22.3%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$2.60 A$3.70	$3.30	+27.1%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$2.00 A$2.85	$2.44	+22.0%
Average			+38.7%

Sydney vs. Palo Alto - Cost of restaurants

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pay 65.3% more for groceries

	Sydney	Palo Alto
Bread 1 loaf	$2.63 A$3.75	$5.06	+92.4%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$4.92 A$7.02	$11.39	+131.4%
Milk (1 gallon)	$6.66 A$9.51	$5.85	-12.1%
Eggs 1 dozen	$5.21 A$7.43	$6.26	+20.3%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$3.86 A$5.51	$6.63	+71.8%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.46 A$2.08	$3.22	+121.4%
Bananas (1 lb)	$1.25 A$1.79	$1.18	-6.0%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.39 A$1.98	$2.37	+70.7%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$2.07 A$2.96	$3.01	+45.0%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$1.10 A$1.57	$1.94	+76.5%
Onions (1 lb)	$1.06 A$1.51	$2.19	+107.2%
Average			+65.3%

Sydney vs. Palo Alto - Cost of groceries

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pay 6.4% less for transportation

	Sydney	Palo Alto
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.66 A$6.65	$4.84	+3.9%
Monthly public transit pass	$142.21 A$202.93	$90.00	-36.7%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$29,060.36 A$41,467.42	$36,753.89	+26.5%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$23.55 A$33.60	$19.06	-19.1%
Average			-6.4%

Sydney vs. Palo Alto - Cost of transportation

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pay 57.0% more for housing

	Sydney	Palo Alto
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$52.18 A$74.46	$68.78	+31.8%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$2,157.42 A$3,078.51	$3,600.00	+66.9%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$1,515.46 A$2,162.48	$3,148.75	+107.8%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$147.91 A$211.06	$179.63	+21.4%
Average			+57.0%

Sydney vs. Palo Alto - Cost of housing

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pay 82.8% more for childcare

	Sydney	Palo Alto
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$2,079.13 A$2,966.79	$2,823.00	+35.8%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$18,278.49 A$26,082.33	$42,000.00	+129.8%
Average			+82.8%

Sydney vs. Palo Alto - Cost of childcare

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pay 50.4% more for entertainment and sports

	Sydney	Palo Alto
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$6.54 A$9.33	$8.00	+22.3%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$3.48 A$4.97	$5.83	+67.5%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$32.71 A$46.67	$11.50	-64.8%
Monthly membership at local gym	$66.50 A$94.89	$206.33	+210.3%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$13.74 A$19.60	$16.00	+16.5%
Average			+50.4%

Sydney vs. Palo Alto - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 11.2% less for clothing

	Sydney	Palo Alto
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$75.03 A$107.07	$67.50	-10.0%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$61.01 A$87.06	$46.00	-24.6%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$101.79 A$145.25	$88.89	-12.7%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$122.15 A$174.31	$125.00	+2.3%
Average			-11.2%

Sydney vs. Palo Alto - Cost of clothing

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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: June 2026

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