If you looking at Sydney as a potential place to live, you may want to consider one of the suburbs as the price of Sydney Real Estate will be considerable lower there and therefore more affordable.
If you are looking at the eastern suburbs, between the central business district and the beach, on the central business district side of the bridge, you will find the most expensive Sydney Real Estate. The areas along the harbour are nice places to live however the rental costs are astronomical;
On the ocean side, Bondi can be quite costly but can be an enjoyable place to live with easy access to the city and l Lots of good cafes, a good place to brunch on a Sunday. Also there is a train service to Bondi Junction. The beach suburbs going south of Bondi, namely Bronte, Coogee Beach and Maroubra, are all very enjoyable places to reside. However as the train service does terminate at Bondi Junction, you would have to get a bus from these suburbs and then the train from Bondi Junction to be able to get to your work in the city.
The northern suburbs, especially between the Pacific Highway and the sea, are also very appealing. On the ocean side, Manly has very good transport links with ferry as well as buses. On the other hand, if you go north; to Dee Why or Palm Beach you will have to commute and this can mean a long drive from there to get to the central business district while contenting with the rush hour.
It all depends on whether you want the cheaper Sydney Real Estate and the relaxed environment of the suburbs at the expense of a potentially long commute to work.
New South Wales has an organisation to help with rentals called TenantsNSW which explains your rights and responsibilities as a tenant and this can be a valuable source of information.
Further information if you are thinking of moving to New South Wales can be found on the government website at http://www.nsw.gov.au/
If you want to search for rental properties in Sydney it is worth visiting the Sydney Morning Herald Classifieds on the Internet at http://classifieds.fairfax.com.au/smh.html