Sydney • Reality Check

Can You Afford Surry Hills?

Trendy urban village packed with specialty coffee, galleries, and some of Sydney's best restaurants.

🏠 $680/wk rent
☕ $5.8 flat white
🚊 $160/mo transport
$

Your Lifestyle

Daily Coffees
1/day
🍽️Dining Out
2x/wk
🚗Uber / Rideshare
2x/wk
🛍️Shopping / Thrifting
$100/mo
🎉Weekend Activities
Moderate
📺Streaming Services
3 subs

Your Survival Score

😅0

Getting By

Monthly Breakdown

🏠Rent$2,944
🛒Groceries$354
🚊Transport$160
Coffee$174
🍽️Dining Out$409
🚗Rideshare$156
🛍️Shopping$100
🎉Weekend Fun$270
📺Streaming$45
Take-home pay$4,451
Total expenses-$4,612
Savings-$161

Want to track your real spending and build financial confidence?

Download Richify — It's Free

Living in Surry Hills, Sydney

Trendy urban village packed with specialty coffee, galleries, and some of Sydney's best restaurants. If you're weighing a move to Surry Hills, the numbers matter more than the vibes. The median weekly rent here is $680, which annualises to roughly $35,360 per year. Using the 30% rent-to-income guideline, you'd want an annual gross salary around $118,000 to live in Surry Hills without housing eating your paycheck.

Day-to-day costs in Surry Hills are expensive for entertainment and slightly above-average the national average for groceries. A monthly public transport pass runs about $160, and a flat white at a local café costs roughly $5.80 — which adds up to $2,117 per year if you're on a one-a-day habit.

What does Surry Hills cost per month?

Rough monthly budget for a single renter on a median-income job, before lifestyle upgrades:

  • Rent (Surry Hills median)$2,944
  • Groceries (est.)$472
  • Transport pass$160
  • Coffee (1/day)$174
  • Entertainment (est.)$270

Numbers are indicative only and exclude tax. Use the interactive calculator above to plug in your own salary and lifestyle.

FAQ — Surry Hills

How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Surry Hills?

Using the standard 30% rent-to-income rule, a comfortable gross income for Surry Hills is around $118,000 per year. At this salary, median rent of $680/wk takes up less than a third of your take-home pay, leaving room for savings, transport, and everything else Sydney throws at you.

Is Surry Hills more expensive than the rest of Sydney?

Groceries in Surry Hills track slightly above-average the national average (index 1.18), and the entertainment scene is expensive (index 1.35). Median weekly rent of $680 places it within the Sydney market — use the calculator to compare specific neighbourhoods head-to-head.

What's the average annual rent cost in Surry Hills?

At a median weekly rent of $680, annual rent in Surry Hills works out to approximately $35,360 per year for a typical unit. Actual costs vary significantly by property size, condition, and proximity to transport.