Australia, Sydney

Country Full Name: Commonwealth of Australia.

Location: Australia is in Oceania, a continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean.

Country Climate: Generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north.

Country Terrain: Mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast.

Major Languages: English.

Major Religions: Christianity.

Population: 4.6 million (2012 est.).

Country Economy: The economy of Australia is a prosperous, free market economy dominated by its services sector, representing 68% of Australian GDP. The agricultural and mining sectors (10% of GDP combined) account for 57% of the nation's exports.

Currency: Australian Dollar (AUD).

Inflation: 3.5% (2011 est.).

City: Sydney is the largest city in Australia, and the state capital of New South Wales.

City Economy: The largest economic sectors in Sydney, as measured by the number of people employed, include property and business services, retail, manufacturing, and health and community services. Since the 1980s, jobs have moved from manufacturing to the services and information sectors. Sydney provides approximately 25 percent of the country's total GDP.

The cost of living in Sydney in Australia is very high compared to other places. The overall cost of living is determined using the prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services across 13 Basket Groups. Sydney in Australia is currently ranked 24 overall out of 950 places (rank 1 is most expensive: rank 950 is least expensive). The cost of living rank for each of the 13 Basket Groups is as follows:

Alcohol & Tobacco costs are very high compared to other places for items such as alcoholic beverages, alcohol at a bar, beer, locally produced spirit, whiskey, and wine (where alcohol is legally sold) as well as for tobacco products such as cigarettes. There are 25 places that are more expensive, and 924 places that are less expensive for alcohol and or tobacco.

Clothing costs are average compared to other places for items such as clothing and footwear products, business suits, casual clothing, childrens clothing and footwear, coats and hats, evening wear, shoe repairs, and underwear. There are 412 places that are more expensive, and 537 places that are less expensive for clothing.

Communication costs are high compared to other places for various communication costs such as home telephone rental and call charges, internet connection and service provider fees, mobile / cellular phone contract, data, and calls. There are 332 places that are more expensive, and 617 places that are less expensive for communication.

Education costs are very high compared to other places for items such as creche / pre-school fees, high school / college fees, primary school fees, and tertiary study fees. There are 25 places that are more expensive, and 924 places that are less expensive for education.

Furniture & Appliance costs are very high compared to other places for items such as furniture, household equipment and appliances, DVD player, fridge freezer, iron, kettle, toaster, microwave, light bulbs, television, vacuum cleaner, and washing machine. There are 135 places that are more expensive, and 814 places that are less expensive for furniture and appliances.

Grocery costs are very high compared to other places for items such as food, non-alcoholic beverages and cleaning material items such as baby consumables, baked goods, baking, canned foods, cheese, cleaning products, dairy, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, fruit juices, meat, oil & vinegars, pet food, pre-prepared meals, sauces, seafood, snacks, soft drinks, spices & herbs . There are 47 places that are more expensive, and 902 places that are less expensive for groceries.

Healthcare costs are very high compared to other places for general healthcare, medical and medical insurance, general practitioner consultation rates, hospital private ward daily rate, non-prescription medicine, and private medical insurance / medical aid contributions. There are 8 places that are more expensive, and 941 places that are less expensive for healthcare.

Household Accommodation costs are very high compared to other places for items such as housing, water, electricity, household gas, household fuels, local rates and residential taxes, mortgage, house / flat rental, household electricity consumption, household gas / fuel consumption, household water consumption, and local property rates / taxes / levies. There are 59 places that are more expensive, and 890 places that are less expensive for household accommodation.

Miscellaneous costs are high compared to other places for items such as stationery, linen, general goods and services, domestic help, dry cleaning, linen, office supplies, newspapers and magazines, and postage stamps. There are 325 places that are more expensive, and 624 places that are less expensive for miscellaneous items.

Personal Care costs are very high compared to other places for items such as personal care products and services, cosmetics, hair care, moisturizer / sun block, nappies, pain relief tablets, toilet paper, toothpaste, and soap / shampoo / conditioner. There are 13 places that are more expensive, and 936 places that are less expensive for personal care.

Recreation and Culture costs are very high compared to other places for items such as books, camera film, cinema tickets, DVDs and CDs, sports goods, and theatre tickets. There are 8 places that are more expensive, and 941 places that are less expensive for recreation and culture.

Restaurants, Meals Out and Hotel costs are very high compared to other places for items such as a business dinner, dinner at a restaurant (non fast food), hotel rates, take away drinks and snacks (fast food). There are 34 places that are more expensive, and 915 places that are less expensive for restaurants, meals out and hotels.

Transport costs are very high compared to other places for items such as public transport, vehicle costs, vehicle fuel, vehicle insurance and vehicle maintenance, hire purchase / lease of vehicle, petrol / diesel, public transport service maintenance, tires, vehicle Insurance, and vehicle purchase. There are 47 places that are more expensive, and 902 places that are less expensive for transport.

Personalized cost of living indexes for Sydney in Australia are based on the basket groups and comparison location(s) selected in the Calculators.

In terms of the hardship people are likely to experience, assessed in global terms, Sydney in Australia is ranked as minimal hardship with a hardship index of 10%.

Personalized hardship index premiums for Sydney in Australia are based on the comparison location(s) selected in the Calculators.

Note: Xpatulator.com data is updated quarterly. The latest update is at at 1 January 2012. Create a personalized cost of living comparison report using the calculators:
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