Cost of Living Comparison Between Australia and United States

For major cities in those countries you get more relevant data by specifying cities.

City in Australia:
City in United States:

Indices Difference
Cost of Living in United States is 6.3% higher than in Australia (without rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in United States is 14.5% higher than in Australia
Rent Prices in United States are 35.4% higher than in Australia
Restaurant Prices in United States are 15.8% higher than in Australia
Groceries Prices in United States are 3.8% higher than in Australia
Local Purchasing Power in United States is 8.4% higher than in Australia

Currency: Sticky Currency Switch to metric measurement units

Restaurants	Australia Edit	United States Edit	Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant	25.00 A$ (15.71 $)	31.83 A$ (20.00 $)	+27.3 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	120.00 A$ (75.39 $)	119.37 A$ (75.00 $)	-0.5 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	15.00 A$ (9.42 $)	17.51 A$ (11.00 $)	+16.7 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught)	10.00 A$ (6.28 $)	9.55 A$ (6.00 $)	-4.5 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	11.00 A$ (6.91 $)	11.14 A$ (7.00 $)	+1.3 %
Cappuccino (regular)	5.35 A$ (3.36 $)	8.31 A$ (5.22 $)	+55.3 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle)	4.06 A$ (2.55 $)	4.06 A$ (2.55 $)	+0.1 %
Water (12 oz small bottle)	3.32 A$ (2.09 $)	3.31 A$ (2.08 $)	-0.4 %
Markets	Australia Edit	United States Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon)	8.91 A$ (5.60 $)	6.36 A$ (4.00 $)	-28.6 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb)	3.41 A$ (2.15 $)	5.24 A$ (3.29 $)	+53.4 %
Rice (white), (1 lb)	1.44 A$ (0.90 $)	3.31 A$ (2.08 $)	+130.1 %
Eggs (regular) (12)	6.52 A$ (4.10 $)	6.61 A$ (4.15 $)	+1.3 %
Local Cheese (1 lb)	6.26 A$ (3.94 $)	9.35 A$ (5.87 $)	+49.3 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	5.91 A$ (3.71 $)	8.77 A$ (5.51 $)	+48.5 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	9.70 A$ (6.09 $)	11.71 A$ (7.36 $)	+20.8 %
Apples (1 lb)	2.21 A$ (1.39 $)	3.81 A$ (2.39 $)	+71.8 %
Banana (1 lb)	1.90 A$ (1.19 $)	1.21 A$ (0.76 $)	-36.4 %
Oranges (1 lb)	2.03 A$ (1.28 $)	3.24 A$ (2.04 $)	+59.3 %
Tomato (1 lb)	2.96 A$ (1.86 $)	3.54 A$ (2.22 $)	+19.8 %
Potato (1 lb)	1.70 A$ (1.07 $)	2.11 A$ (1.33 $)	+24.0 %
Onion (1 lb)	1.49 A$ (0.93 $)	2.22 A$ (1.39 $)	+49.1 %
Lettuce (1 head)	3.35 A$ (2.10 $)	3.51 A$ (2.20 $)	+4.8 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	2.33 A$ (1.46 $)	3.54 A$ (2.22 $)	+52.1 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	20.00 A$ (12.57 $)	23.87 A$ (15.00 $)	+19.4 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	6.94 A$ (4.36 $)	3.09 A$ (1.94 $)	-55.5 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	7.60 A$ (4.77 $)	5.71 A$ (3.59 $)	-24.9 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)	48.00 A$ (30.16 $)	15.92 A$ (10.00 $)	-66.8 %
Transportation	Australia Edit	United States Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	4.70 A$ (2.95 $)	3.98 A$ (2.50 $)	-15.3 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	150.00 A$ (94.24 $)	103.46 A$ (65.00 $)	-31.0 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	5.90 A$ (3.71 $)	5.97 A$ (3.75 $)	+1.2 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff)	4.35 A$ (2.73 $)	4.46 A$ (2.80 $)	+2.6 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	58.00 A$ (36.44 $)	47.75 A$ (30.00 $)	-17.7 %
Gasoline (1 gallon)	6.95 A$ (4.37 $)	5.59 A$ (3.51 $)	-19.6 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	44,423.00 A$ (27,909.86 $)	47,749.80 A$ (30,000.00 $)	+7.5 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)	34,853.66 A$ (21,897.68 $)	41,318.30 A$ (25,959.25 $)	+18.5 %
Utilities (Monthly)	Australia Edit	United States Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment	269.69 A$ (169.44 $)	330.86 A$ (207.87 $)	+22.7 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data	40.72 A$ (25.59 $)	91.00 A$ (57.17 $)	+123.5 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	81.09 A$ (50.95 $)	113.74 A$ (71.46 $)	+40.3 %
Sports And Leisure	Australia Edit	United States Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	72.34 A$ (45.45 $)	74.08 A$ (46.54 $)	+2.4 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)	25.47 A$ (16.00 $)	34.79 A$ (21.86 $)	+36.6 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	21.00 A$ (13.19 $)	22.43 A$ (14.09 $)	+6.8 %
Childcare	Australia Edit	United States Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child	2,449.09 A$ (1,538.70 $)	2,189.08 A$ (1,375.34 $)	-10.6 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child	19,456.99 A$ (12,224.34 $)	36,017.35 A$ (22,628.80 $)	+85.1 %
Clothing And Shoes	Australia Edit	United States Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)	110.54 A$ (69.45 $)	82.78 A$ (52.01 $)	-25.1 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)	78.74 A$ (49.47 $)	67.83 A$ (42.62 $)	-13.9 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	156.80 A$ (98.51 $)	142.33 A$ (89.42 $)	-9.2 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes	168.95 A$ (106.14 $)	180.17 A$ (113.20 $)	+6.6 %
Rent Per Month	Australia Edit	United States Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	2,110.46 A$ (1,325.95 $)	2,775.71 A$ (1,743.91 $)	+31.5 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	1,682.07 A$ (1,056.80 $)	2,288.41 A$ (1,437.75 $)	+36.0 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	3,551.83 A$ (2,231.52 $)	4,629.88 A$ (2,908.84 $)	+30.4 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	2,631.56 A$ (1,653.34 $)	3,817.59 A$ (2,398.49 $)	+45.1 %
Buy Apartment Price	Australia Edit	United States Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	953.58 A$ (599.11 $)	477.88 A$ (300.24 $)	-49.9 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	711.19 A$ (446.82 $)	400.18 A$ (251.42 $)	-43.7 %
Salaries And Financing	Australia Edit	United States Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	5,561.29 A$ (3,494.02 $)	6,904.54 A$ (4,337.95 $)	+24.2 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate	6.37	6.57	+3.3 %
Last update:	March 2025	March 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:	1519	10337

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