๐ฆ๐บ Australia
Moving to Sydney
Sydney runs on Saturday inspections: a fifteen-minute window, a queue on the footpath, and a decision made that afternoon by whoever submitted the strongest application. Rent is advertised per week, which makes everything look cheaper than it is โ multiply by 4.33, not by 4. Having your documents ready is the difference between getting a place and watching them go.
- Visit
- โฌ49
- Starter
- โฌ899
- Premium
- โฌ1,900
Rent is quoted weekly, inspections last fifteen minutes, and you apply on the spot.
Where to live
Neighbourhoods in Sydney
Newtown & Marrickville
Young professionalsInner west, on the train line and the Metro at Sydenham, good food and live music, and cheaper than the east. Parts sit under the airport flight path, so listen at the inspection.
Bondi & Coogee
New arrivals, sharersThe classic landing spot. Beach, a deep share-house market, buses rather than trains, and a premium for the postcode.
Surry Hills & Redfern
ProfessionalsWalk to the city, terraces and warehouse conversions, central without being in the CBD. Terraces rarely have parking.
Crows Nest & North Sydney
Professionals, familiesThe lower north shore: apartments, harbour bays and good public schools, and since 2024 a Metro station that puts the CBD a few minutes away under the harbour.
Parramatta
Value seekers, familiesA second city centre with its own jobs, hospital and university, on fast trains and the new light rail, at a materially different price. Summer runs several degrees hotter than the coast.
What it costs to rent
Indicative rents
Quoted weekly, as is standard in Australia. Unfurnished, excluding bills.
- One-bed, city & eastA$650 โ A$900 / week
- One-bed, inner westA$500 โ A$700 / week
- Room in a shareA$300 โ A$450 / week
Indicative only ยท last checked ยท your Insider confirms before you commit.
What catches people out
Holding deposits for places nobody has seen
Fake listings on classifieds sites, an owner overseas, and a request for a bond transfer. Never pay before an inspection.
Weekly, not monthly
A$700 a week is about A$3,030 a month, not A$2,800. Budgets built on the wrong multiplier come apart quickly.
Applications are a competition
Agents want identification totalling 100 points, payslips, rental references and often a cover note. Arriving without a rental history in Australia is normal โ say so, and offer what you do have.
After the keys
The admin that follows a move
On Premium, your Insider does this with you rather than sending you a checklist.
How long a move to Sydney takes. Three to four weeks. Inspections cluster on Saturdays and applications close fast.
- Step 1
The bond is lodged with the state
Four weeks' rent at most, held by NSW Fair Trading through Rental Bonds Online rather than by the agent, plus no more than two weeks' rent in advance. If someone asks you to pay a bond directly to them, that is not how it works.
- Step 2
Tax file number
Apply online with the ATO once you arrive and have an address. It is free, and without one your employer must withhold tax at the top rate of 47%.
- Step 3
Electricity and internet
You choose your retailer, and prices differ. NBN internet quality depends on the connection type at the address โ worth asking before you sign.
- Step 4
Medicare, and the ambulance
Available to residents and to visitors from countries with a reciprocal agreement; otherwise arrange private cover, which most temporary visas require anyway. Either way, Medicare does not pay for an ambulance in New South Wales, so add ambulance cover in the first week.
LanguageEnglish throughout. Your Insider works with you in English and negotiates on your behalf in whatever the lease is written in.
Relocation tools
Plan the move to Sydney
Small tools built on this guide: what a month costs, the steps in order, what to pack and what to do when you land. Indicative figures, in the local currency.
- Cost calculatorA month in the city, three ways, in the local currency.Open
- Visa timelineYour route, step by step, with how long each part takes.Open
- Neighbourhood matchmakerFour questions, one neighbourhood, and what a one-bed costs there.Open
- Packing listA checklist for this city and the season you land in.Open
- First 48 hoursWhat to do first after landing, in the order that works.Open
- Local appsThe phone setup that runs daily life, and what each replaces.Open
- Dish finderWhat to order, by time of day, and what it is called.Open
- Weekend getawaysEasy escapes, by travel time and how you get there.Open
Pricing for Sydney
What a move to Sydney costs
These are the fees in Sydney, published before you start, in euros. No commission on your rent, no percentage of the lease, no success fee.
Visit
Your Insider visits for youโฌ49single ยท โฌ99 pack of 3- In-person visit by a local Insider
- Video walkthrough
- Area report
- Scam check
- Most popular
Starter
Full home searchโฌ899flat fee ยท Sydney- Personal shortlist
- Viewings with video
- Lease negotiation & review
- Handover & keys
- 50% to start, 50% at the keys
Premium
Home search + full setupโฌ1,900flat fee ยท Sydney- Everything in Starter
- Bank, SIM & registration
- Utilities & internet
- Healthcare & school search
- First-week orientation
The full guide
Five deep dives for someone arriving, not visiting
- Housing A weekly-priced, application-driven market where fifteen-minute Saturday inspections decide everything and the strongest paperwork wins.
- Paperwork A tax file number, a bank account and a myGov login cover most of it, and the tax number is the one that costs you money if you delay.
- Healthcare Medicare for those eligible through a reciprocal agreement or residency, private cover for everyone else, and an ambulance bill that catches people out.
- Schools Three sectors โ public, Catholic and independent โ where the public school you get is decided by the address you rent, and temporary visa holders pay fees for it.
- Getting around One tap-on system across trains, metro, buses, ferries and light rail, with weekly caps that make commuting cheaper than it first looks.
On the ground
Alfred, Antoine, Capu, Eva, Nico โ the people behind Insidoor.
Every Insider lives in their city and holds a verified ID. We match you on language and on who is coming with you.
Get started