✦ Compare
San Francisco vs
Sydney
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
San Francisco, CA vs Sydney, AU at a glance — Sydney, AU is 8% more expensive than San Francisco, CA overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $2,200/mo versus $3,300/mo. Top income tax: 45% vs 37%.
To keep the same standard of living in Sydney, AU, you'd need
$80,923 / year
Sydney, AU is 8% more expensive overall
Category breakdown (Sydney, AU vs San Francisco, CA)
- Housing-7%
- Food & groceries+22%
- Transport+14%
- Utilities+26%
- Healthcare+3%
- Goods & services+22%
Median 1-bed rent
$3,300 /mo
San Francisco, CA overview →
Median 1-bed rent
$2,200 /mo
Sydney, AU overview →
◎ How San Francisco, CA and Sydney, AU compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| San Francisco, CA | Sydney, AU | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 118 | 128 |
| Housing | 174 | 162 |
| Food | 94 | 115 |
| Transport | 92 | 105 |
| Utilities | 87 | 110 |
| Healthcare | 92 | 95 |
| Goods & services | 98 | 120 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $3,300/mo | $2,200/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $2,500/mo | $1,650/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $6,500/mo | $4,200/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $14,000 | $12,000 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $846 | $784 |
| Inexpensive meal | $22 | $18 |
| Monthly transit pass | $98 | $130 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 37% | 45% |
| VAT / sales tax | 0% | 10% |
| Social security (employee) | 7.7% | — |
| Corporate tax | 21% | 30% |
| Capital gains | 20% | — |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $4,300/mo | $3,900/mo |
| Minimum wage | $1,257/mo✓ | $2,600/mo |
| GDP per capita | $90,027✓ | $65,130✓ |
| Inflation (annual) | — | 2.9%✓ |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | No | No |
| English proficiency | Native | Native |
| Coworking spaces | 150 | 90 |
| Time zone | UTC-8 | UTC+10 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Quality of life (overall) | 70 | 74 |
| Safety index | 45 | 74 |
| Healthcare index | 80 | 85 |
| Pollution index | 40 | 30 |
| Internet speed | 220 Mbps | 90 Mbps |
| Walkability | 88 | 78 |
| Public transport | 80 | 80 |
| Family-friendly | 55 | 76 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Health insurance | $500/mo | — |
| Life expectancy | 79 yr✓ | 83 yr✓ |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | High |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +11 °C | +23 °C |
| July avg | +17 °C | +13 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 256 | 236 |
| Rainfall / year | 600 mm | 1,210 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1 h | 3 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: United States vs Australia. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
✓ = official statistics (US DOL (federal), World Bank 2025, World Bank 2024). Unmarked figures are CostTrek estimates. How we calculate these figures →
Cost of living: San Francisco vs Sydney — in your currency
Converted from USD at approximate rates (2026-09).
Good to know before you move to San Francisco
Tech's global capital — the highest salaries in the US, and rents to match, wrapped in fog and hills.
- Currency
- US dollar ($ USD)
- Languages
- English
- Time zone
- UTC-8
- Internet
- 220 Mbps
- English
- Native language
- Safety
- 45/100
- Climate
- ❄ 11°C · ☀ 17°C · 256 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- A/B · 120V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Mission · SoMa · Hayes Valley
Good to know before you move to Sydney
Beaches, sunshine and a high quality of life — for a price, with housing among the least affordable in the developed world.
- Currency
- Australian dollar ($ AUD)
- Languages
- English
- Time zone
- UTC+10
- Internet
- 90 Mbps
- English
- Native language
- Safety
- 74/100
- Climate
- ❄ 23°C · ☀ 13°C · 236 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- I · 230V
- Driving
- Left-hand side
- Popular areas
- Surry Hills · Bondi · Newtown
Plan your move to San Francisco
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Parking & carWay.com
Sponsored
Plan your move to Sydney
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from San Francisco to Sydney: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from San Francisco to Sydney, your cost of living will be roughly 8% more expensive. Sydney’s cost-of-living index is 128 versus 118 for San Francisco (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is San Francisco cheaper than Sydney?
Sydney is about 8% more expensive than San Francisco overall — its cost-of-living index is 128 versus 118 for San Francisco.
Which is more expensive, San Francisco or Sydney?
Sydney is more expensive than San Francisco. Its cost-of-living index is 128 vs 118 (US = 100) — about 8% higher.
Is rent cheaper in San Francisco or Sydney?
Rent is cheaper in Sydney — about $2,200/month for a one-bedroom in the city centre, vs $3,300 in San Francisco.
How much do you need to earn in Sydney to live like in San Francisco?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in San Francisco is worth about $80,923 in Sydney. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, San Francisco or Sydney?
United States has the lower top income-tax rate — 37% versus 45% in Australia.
◷ More comparisons from San Francisco
How we calculate these figures →
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.