Cost of living comparison

 Washington (DC), United States
compared to
 Sydney, Australia
Sydney vs. Washington Cost of Living Summary

Sydney is 5.4% cheaper than Washington.

Restaurants
pay 17.5% less in Sydney
Groceries
pay 14.9% less in Sydney
Transportation
pay 34.7% more in Sydney
Housing
pay 15.3% less in Sydney
Childcare
pay 32.7% less in Sydney
Entertainment and Sports
pay 14.7% more in Sydney
Clothing
pay 6.5% less in Sydney

The cost of transportation and entertainment and sports in Sydney are more expensive than in Washington. Expenses including childcare, restaurants, housing, groceries, and clothing are lower in Sydney.

Sydney vs. Washington Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Sydney instead of Washington, you would:

pay 17.5% less for restaurants

 
Washington
Sydney
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $25.00
 
$16.48
A$26.03
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$12.00
 
$9.89
A$15.62
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.78
 
$2.49
A$3.94

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pay 14.9% less for groceries

 
Washington
Sydney
Bread
1 loaf
$4.34
 
$2.80
A$4.42
Local cheese (8 oz) $7.84
 
$5.66
A$8.94
Milk (1 gallon) $4.14
 
$6.60
A$10.43

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pay 34.7% more for transportation

 
Washington
Sydney
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.66
 
$4.95
A$7.82
Monthly public transit pass $75.00
 
$143.27
A$226.33
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $35,699.74
 
$29,276.08
A$46,249.74

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pay 15.3% less for housing

 
Washington
Sydney
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$66.46
 
$52.22
A$82.50
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $2,582.95
 
$2,177.38
A$3,439.78
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $2,028.70
 
$1,459.01
A$2,304.91

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pay 32.7% less for childcare

 
Washington
Sydney
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $2,273.25
 
$1,995.92
A$3,153.11
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $38,250.00
 
$17,906.19
A$28,287.83

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pay 14.7% more for entertainment and sports

 
Washington
Sydney
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $8.00
 
$6.59
A$10.41
Cappuccino in mid-range area $5.55
 
$3.47
A$5.48
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$11.75
 
$32.95
A$52.06

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pay 6.5% less for clothing

 
Washington
Sydney
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$74.13
 
$74.12
A$117.10
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$50.77
 
$53.36
A$84.29
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$105.47
 
$108.20
A$170.93

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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: March 2025
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