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 5.0% higher than in Australia (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in United States is 12.8% higher than in Australia
Rent Prices in United States are 32.9% higher than in Australia
Restaurant Prices in United States are 14.5% higher than in Australia
Groceries Prices in United States are 2.7% higher than in Australia
Local Purchasing Power in United States is 9.2% 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$ (15.87 $)	31.50 A$ (20.00 $)	+26.0 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	120.00 A$ (76.20 $)	118.11 A$ (75.00 $)	-1.6 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	15.00 A$ (9.52 $)	17.32 A$ (11.00 $)	+15.5 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught)	10.00 A$ (6.35 $)	9.45 A$ (6.00 $)	-5.5 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	11.00 A$ (6.98 $)	11.02 A$ (7.00 $)	+0.2 %
Cappuccino (regular)	5.36 A$ (3.40 $)	8.23 A$ (5.22 $)	+53.5 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle)	4.06 A$ (2.58 $)	4.03 A$ (2.56 $)	-0.6 %
Water (12 oz small bottle)	3.33 A$ (2.11 $)	3.28 A$ (2.08 $)	-1.5 %
Markets	Australia Edit	United States Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon)	8.93 A$ (5.67 $)	6.30 A$ (4.00 $)	-29.5 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb)	3.42 A$ (2.17 $)	5.18 A$ (3.29 $)	+51.4 %
Rice (white), (1 lb)	1.45 A$ (0.92 $)	3.29 A$ (2.09 $)	+127.5 %
Eggs (regular) (12)	6.59 A$ (4.18 $)	6.63 A$ (4.21 $)	+0.6 %
Local Cheese (1 lb)	6.28 A$ (3.99 $)	9.24 A$ (5.86 $)	+47.1 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	5.91 A$ (3.75 $)	8.69 A$ (5.52 $)	+46.9 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	9.73 A$ (6.18 $)	11.63 A$ (7.38 $)	+19.5 %
Apples (1 lb)	2.22 A$ (1.41 $)	3.77 A$ (2.40 $)	+69.9 %
Banana (1 lb)	1.92 A$ (1.22 $)	1.20 A$ (0.76 $)	-37.6 %
Oranges (1 lb)	2.03 A$ (1.29 $)	3.22 A$ (2.04 $)	+58.4 %
Tomato (1 lb)	2.98 A$ (1.89 $)	3.51 A$ (2.23 $)	+17.7 %
Potato (1 lb)	1.71 A$ (1.09 $)	2.09 A$ (1.33 $)	+22.2 %
Onion (1 lb)	1.50 A$ (0.95 $)	2.20 A$ (1.40 $)	+46.9 %
Lettuce (1 head)	3.39 A$ (2.15 $)	3.47 A$ (2.20 $)	+2.5 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	2.32 A$ (1.47 $)	3.51 A$ (2.23 $)	+51.4 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	20.00 A$ (12.70 $)	23.62 A$ (15.00 $)	+18.1 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	6.88 A$ (4.37 $)	3.07 A$ (1.95 $)	-55.4 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	7.57 A$ (4.81 $)	5.66 A$ (3.60 $)	-25.2 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)	48.00 A$ (30.48 $)	15.75 A$ (10.00 $)	-67.2 %
Transportation	Australia Edit	United States Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	4.60 A$ (2.92 $)	3.94 A$ (2.50 $)	-14.4 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	150.00 A$ (95.25 $)	102.37 A$ (65.00 $)	-31.8 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	6.00 A$ (3.81 $)	5.91 A$ (3.75 $)	-1.6 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff)	4.35 A$ (2.76 $)	4.41 A$ (2.80 $)	+1.5 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	58.00 A$ (36.83 $)	47.25 A$ (30.00 $)	-18.5 %
Gasoline (1 gallon)	6.94 A$ (4.41 $)	5.52 A$ (3.51 $)	-20.4 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	44,423.00 A$ (28,207.71 $)	47,245.59 A$ (30,000.00 $)	+6.4 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)	34,934.26 A$ (22,182.55 $)	40,891.47 A$ (25,965.26 $)	+17.1 %
Utilities (Monthly)	Australia Edit	United States Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment	270.21 A$ (171.58 $)	328.11 A$ (208.35 $)	+21.4 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data	41.31 A$ (26.23 $)	90.07 A$ (57.19 $)	+118.0 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	81.37 A$ (51.67 $)	112.58 A$ (71.49 $)	+38.3 %
Sports And Leisure	Australia Edit	United States Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	73.24 A$ (46.50 $)	73.21 A$ (46.49 $)	-0.0 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)	25.81 A$ (16.39 $)	34.57 A$ (21.95 $)	+33.9 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	22.00 A$ (13.97 $)	22.47 A$ (14.27 $)	+2.2 %
Childcare	Australia Edit	United States Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child	2,431.61 A$ (1,544.03 $)	2,164.81 A$ (1,374.61 $)	-11.0 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child	19,162.60 A$ (12,167.86 $)	35,739.66 A$ (22,693.97 $)	+86.5 %
Clothing And Shoes	Australia Edit	United States Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)	110.45 A$ (70.14 $)	81.97 A$ (52.05 $)	-25.8 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)	78.59 A$ (49.90 $)	67.00 A$ (42.55 $)	-14.7 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	157.16 A$ (99.79 $)	141.15 A$ (89.63 $)	-10.2 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes	170.19 A$ (108.07 $)	178.28 A$ (113.20 $)	+4.8 %
Rent Per Month	Australia Edit	United States Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	2,128.27 A$ (1,351.41 $)	2,740.59 A$ (1,740.22 $)	+28.8 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	1,684.96 A$ (1,069.91 $)	2,263.81 A$ (1,437.47 $)	+34.4 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	3,580.11 A$ (2,273.30 $)	4,567.50 A$ (2,900.27 $)	+27.6 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	2,655.08 A$ (1,685.92 $)	3,785.41 A$ (2,403.66 $)	+42.6 %
Buy Apartment Price	Australia Edit	United States Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	965.68 A$ (613.19 $)	478.40 A$ (303.77 $)	-50.5 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	723.66 A$ (459.51 $)	398.55 A$ (253.07 $)	-44.9 %
Salaries And Financing	Australia Edit	United States Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	5,536.75 A$ (3,515.73 $)	6,823.01 A$ (4,332.47 $)	+23.2 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate	6.36	6.51	+2.3 %
Last update:	April 2025	April 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:	1542	10627

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