Best lunches in Sydney CBD for under $10

Living in Sydney can sometimes feel like you're being hung upside down and shaken until every last note and coin fall from your pockets. Rents are high, buying a property is a distant dream for many and trying to save cash can seem impossible. Even buying a sandwich can result in severe wallet bleed, but all is not lost - lunchtime bargains do exist, even in the CBD.

Dumplings

Hit up Chinatown for a filling feed for under $10. Chinese Noodle Restaurant (8 Quay Street, Haymarket) does a serve of 12 giant pork and chive dumplings for $9.80. They're northern Chinese-style, so have thicker skins than your average dim-sum dumpling but arrive steaming hot, filled with soup and a generous amount of meat. Douse in black vinegar and chilli and rejoice. If variety is what you're after try Ho's Dim Sum Kitchen (429a Pitt Street, Sydney) where you can fill a bag or a box with your choice of super cheap buns and dumplings for well under $10. You can also grab a frozen bag to take home for a cheap dinner.

Sandwiches

Increasingly the price point of the humble sanger has been heading north of $10 in Sydney, but not everywhere. Encasa Deli (135 Bathurst Street, Sydney) has a few excellent varieties of Bocadillo for a tenner – the Sobrasada, honey and queso fresco is amazing, and vegetarians will love the ''Escalivada" stuffed with unctuous roast eggplant and capsicum. It's well worth enduring the ever-present queues at Big Bite on Pitt (250 Pitt Street, Sydney) as the sheer size of the sandwiches (all delicious, most $10, try the chilli chicken) means you have a good shot at stretching one out over two days with the help of a fridge and some cling wrap. Norths (Shop 1a, 2 Bridge Street, Sydney) is also incredibly popular and good value – the Cajun chicken is their biggest seller.

Soups

Don't be afraid of food courts – some of the best cheap eats in the CBD are tucked away into shopping centres or train stations. The Hunter Connection food court (7 Hunter Street, Sydney) has a few gems – the wonton or vegetable laksas from C & I Noodle Kitchen are both $10, slurpy and fantastic, as are the huge variety of pho soups at Pho Ha Noi upstairs. The Sussex Street Food Court in Haymarket (401 Sussex Street, Haymarket) is also worth a visit – Happy Chef has a heap of noodley options for under a tenner – the beef wonton noodle soup is a cheap and cheerful highlight. For chilli fiends, a visit to Do Dee Paideng (9/37 Ultimo Rd, Haymarket) is highly recommended for a bowl of one of its authentic Thai tom yum $9 soups. Staff will probably start giving you serious health and wellbeing warnings if you order this at a spice level higher than three. It goes up to seven but consider yourself warned.

Banh mi

If you're trying to eat on a budget, this Vietnamese classic will become a good friend. Banh Mi Co in Pyrmont (76 Harris Street, Pyrmont) has what can only be described as a cult following – the pork roll ($7) and grilled beef rolls ($8.50) are epic and make sure to ask for extra pâte. Sydney Pork Rolls (627 George Street, Sydney) isn't anything flashy but $4.50 for a classic pork roll out of this hole-in-the-wall joint means no one is complaining. We also love the nearby Banh Mi K (Shop G2 at 730-742 George Street, Sydney) as the rolls are cheap (most around the $5.50 mark), the bread baked fresh and there's usually seating available.

Sushi

Hit up Sushi Hub in the Wintergarden Plaza (1 O'Connell Street, Sydney) for the spicy chicken roll, prawn and avocado roll or tuna salad inari. All are under $3 each. If it's a more complete Japanese meal you're after, Takara (8 Quay Street, Haymarket) does a whole bento box for $10 – options include prawn katsu, teriyaki fish or karaage chicken served with rice, soup and salad. Sushi Hotaru in the Galeries Victoria (500 George Street, Sydney) is one of the freshest and best sushi trains in the city, but just remember to keep track of how many plates you've ordered to avoid a surprise bill at the end.

Other

The city outpost of Mary's Burgers (154 Castlereagh Street, Sydney) does a truly epic hamburger or cheeseburger for $10, but add fries or a shake and you'll bust that budget fast. The Tuesday taco special at Contrabando (21 Bent Street, Sydney) gets you seriously good $3 tacos between 12pm-3pm. The roti canai at Mamak (15 Goulburn Street, Haymarket) is regularly touted as one of Sydney's "must-eat" experiences. The fact that this fluffy, spicy and indulgent combination of roti bread and curry sauces is still under $10 is nothing short of a miracle.