Sydney is 1.3°C (2.3°F) warmer by day, Sydney has 4.5°C (8.1°F) warmer nights, Tokyo gets 647 mm (25.5 in) more rain a year.
Sydney is at its warmest in January and coolest in July, while Tokyo peaks in August and bottoms out in January. Month for month, Sydney is the warmer of the two in 6 of 11 months.
Tokyo is the wetter of the two, collecting 1,610 mm (63.4 in) of rain a year against 963 mm (37.9 in) in Sydney. The most comfortable time to visit is March, April and December in Sydney and May, June and October in Tokyo.
| Sydney | Metric | Tokyo |
|---|---|---|
| 🌡️ Temperature | ||
| 21.1°C | 🌡️Average daytime high | 19.8°C |
| 16.1°C | 🌙Average nighttime low | 11.6°C |
| January | 🔥Hottest month | August |
| July | ❄️Coldest month | January |
| 🌧️ Rain | ||
| 963 mm | 🌧️Annual rainfall | 1,610 mm |
| February | ☔Wettest month | September |
| September | 🏜️Driest month | December |
| 💨 Climate | ||
| 73% | 💧Average humidity | 79% |
| 3.2 m/s | 💨Average wind speed | 2.6 m/s |
Overnight, Sydney typically falls to around 16.1°C (61°F) while Tokyo settles near 11.6°C (52.9°F).
Sydney is hottest in January and coldest in July, whereas Tokyo peaks in August and is coolest in January.
Sydney sees the most rain in February and the least in September; Tokyo is wettest in September and driest in December.
Tokyo feels the more humid of the two, averaging 79% relative humidity against 73%.
For Tokyo, the pick of the year is May, June and October.
Month by month, here is the coldest night, the average day and the hottest afternoon each city can expect. Switch Compare to read rainfall, humidity, wind or solar instead, and Period to move between the long-term 45-year average and any single year — the shading is a quick warm-to-cool guide.
| Month | Sydney | Tokyo | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Min | Avg | Max | Min | Avg | Max | |
| January | 20.2 | 22.8🔥 | 25.4 | 0.9 | 5❄️ | 9.2 |
| February | 20.5 | 22.8 | 25.1 | 1.2 | 5.5 | 9.9 |
| March | 19.6 | 21.8 | 24 | 4 | 8.7 | 13.4 |
| April | 17.5 | 19.7 | 21.9 | 8.9 | 13.6 | 18.4 |
| May | 15 | 17.2 | 19.3 | 13.9 | 18.3 | 22.7 |
| June | 12.6 | 14.7 | 16.8 | 18.1 | 21.9 | 25.7 |
| July | 11.4 | 13.8❄️ | 16.1 | 22.1 | 25.8 | 29.4 |
| August | 11.7 | 14.4 | 17.1 | 23.6 | 27.3🔥 | 31 |
| September | 13.4 | 16.3 | 19.3 | 20.5 | 24 | 27.5 |
| October | 15.2 | 18.2 | 21.2 | 14.4 | 18.2 | 22 |
| November | 16.9 | 19.7 | 22.5 | 8.7 | 12.8 | 16.9 |
| December | 18.7 | 21.5 | 24.3 | 3.4 | 7.6 | 11.8 |
| Annual Avg | 16.1 | 18.6 | 21.1 | 11.6 | 15.7 | 19.8 |
Min / mean / max temperature (°C). 🔥 marks each city's hottest month, ❄️ its coldest; shading runs cool blue to warm red.
The same figures plotted out, so the shape of a typical year is easier to see than in a grid. Where the two lines run close together Sydney and Tokyo feel alike; where they separate, they are genuinely different places to be.
Hover or tap any point to read the exact figures. Sydney Tokyo
See how Sydney and Tokyo stack up against other cities. Swipe for more.
Choose which city to keep, then search for any other city in our database — we'll build the comparison for you.
Quick answers to the questions people ask most when comparing Sydney and Tokyo — each drawn straight from the climate figures above.
Sydney is the warmer of the two. It averages daytime highs of 21.1°C (70°F) against 19.8°C (67.6°F) in Tokyo — roughly 1.3°C (2.3°F) warmer by day. Nights are milder in Sydney, with average lows of 16.1°C (61°F) versus 11.6°C (52.9°F).
Sydney is hottest in January, averaging highs of about 25.4°C (77.7°F), while Tokyo peaks in August at around 31°C (87.7°F). That makes Tokyo the hotter of the two at the height of summer.
Tokyo gets colder. In its coldest month (January) overnight lows average about 0.9°C (33.6°F), compared with 11.4°C (52.6°F) at the low point of the year in Sydney.
Tokyo is the wetter city, collecting about 1,610 mm (63.4 in) of rain a year versus 963 mm (37.9 in) in Sydney. Sydney is wettest in February and driest in September; Tokyo is wettest in September and driest in December.
Tokyo is the more humid of the two, averaging 79% relative humidity over the year against 73% in Sydney.
The most comfortable months in Sydney are March, April and December, when average temperatures are at their mildest.
Tokyo is at its most pleasant around May, June and October, based on the mildest average temperatures of the year.
Sydney is the warmer city in 6 of the 11 months of the year. The gap is widest in January, about 17.8°C (32°F), and narrowest in October, about 0°C (0°F).
Tokyo has the bigger seasonal swing, about 22.3°C (40.1°F) between its coldest and hottest months versus 9°C (16.2°F) in Sydney — so Sydney has the steadier, more even climate.
On climate alone, Sydney comes out ahead — it offers warmer days, less rain and lower humidity than Tokyo. Tokyo is the better fit only if you'd actually prefer cooler weather, more rainfall and a more humid climate.
Every figure on this page is calculated from NASA POWER satellite climate data spanning 1981–2025 (45 years). The averages describe the long-term climate of Sydney and Tokyo, not a single year's weather or a short-range forecast.
