Cost of living comparison

Ever wondered how much money you could save by living in a different city to the one you're currently in? We've broken down the main costs of living in the major cities across Australia, from housing and food to transport, and provided estimates of how much you're likely to pay.

Housing cost of living comparison

The most expensive place for housing in Australia is Sydney. Including utilities, it's 61% higher than the cost in Darwin, which is the least expensive capital city.

Monthly rent in a 2 bedroom apartment* is likely to cost you around $694 more a month in Sydney than in Melbourne. That increases to $1,020 if you want to live in an expensive area. You can save a small amount when it comes to utilities, however. Gas, electricity and water are $48 cheaper a month in Sydney and broadband costs are around the same.

The cheapest major city for housing in Australia is Darwin. Overall, it's 46% less expensive than in Sydney with rent being on average $1,557 cheaper a month. Almost all of the money you save is down to cheap rent though because utilities, Internet and other household goods in Darwin are among the most expensive in Australia.

Note: The figures in this guide are based on the average pricing found on the cost-of-living website Expatistan.

Most expensive cities for housing

Food cost of living comparison

Canberra is the most expensive city for food in Australia. On average, it's 8% more expensive than Melbourne which comes in second place and 26% more expensive than Darwin, the least expensive capital for food costs.

That said, the price of food across the country doesn't vary anywhere near as much as housing and rental prices.

In most cities, there's fairly little difference overall. For example, there's a 68c difference between the most expensive city for milk (Perth) and the cheapest (Syndey).

Most expensive cities for food

Here's a ranked list of the most expensive major cities for food.

• Canberra. Food is around 12% more expensive in Canberra than in other major cities
• Brisbane/Melbourne. Food in Brisbane and Melbourne costs around the same and is 8% cheaper than in Canberra
• Perth. Food in Perth is 4% cheaper than in Sydney
• Sydney. Food in Sydney is 13% cheaper than in Canberra
• Hobart. Food in Adelaide and Hobart costs around the same and is 11% cheaper than in Canberra
• Adelaide. Food in Adelaide is 15% cheaper than in Sydney.
• Darwin. Food in Darwin is 21% cheaper than in Canberra.

Transport cost of living comparison

Sydney is also the most expensive city for transport. Public transport in the country's most populated city is more expensive than in Adelaide by almost double (48%) although you'll pay about the same for a taxi. There's just a 4c difference between fuel in Sydney and Melbourne but the same car, simply bought in different cities, is likely to cost you almost $2,000 more.

Darwin and Hobart are much cheaper, particularly when it comes to public transport. They're 68% and 58% cheaper than in Sydney. You can get around both cities via public transport for less than $100 a month, which puts Sydney's staggering $200 bill into perspective.

Cheapest cities for transport

1. Darwin. The Northern Territory's capital is on average the cheapest major city in Australia when it comes to transport. It's 68% cheaper than in Sydney
2. Hobart. Transportation in Hobart is 57% cheaper than in Sydney
3. Adelaide. Coming in at just over the $100 mark, Adelaide is 48% cheaper than in Sydney.
4. Canberra. Transport costs 25% less than in Sydney
5. Perth. Transport costs 20% less than in Sydney
6. Melbourne. Transport in Victoria's capital is about 18% less than in Sydney
7. Brisbane. Transport is approximately 1% cheaper than Sydney.
8. Sydney. Last by some distance, Sydney is the most expensive city for all types of transport.

Overall cost of living comparison

The table below gives you an idea of the differences between the overall costs of living in Australia's state capital cities. Sydney is still the most expensive city in Australia — you'll pay around a quarter more for living expenses in Sydney than if you lived in Darwin or Melbourne, and even more if you stayed in Adelaide or Hobart.

The overall costs of living in Adelaide and Hobart are very similar. According to Finder stats, Hobart is marginally the cheapest capital city to live in, followed closely by Adelaide.

Did you know?

Finder research has found 11 million Australians are taking action to deal with rising costs, including 48% who have dropped their living standards.

Inflation by category

Average weekly household sped by category and state