You keep talking about the maximum price, but that isn't what the vast majority of people will be paying every day.

As I said, it's been about 10 years since my last Sydney trip, though they were a few times per year from about 2003-2013. Usually flying in on Monday morning, out on Friday afternoon. My longest stay was three months.

Train fares were covered by work, so I didn't really care what it cost. But it was over $10 per day 20 years ago, which I found scandalous.