Cost of Living Comparison Between United States and Australia

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

City in United States:
City in Australia:

Indices Difference
Cost of Living in Australia is 5.9% lower than in United States (without rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in Australia is 12.7% lower than in United States
Rent Prices in Australia are 26.2% lower than in United States
Restaurant Prices in Australia are 13.6% lower than in United States
Groceries Prices in Australia are 3.7% lower than in United States
Local Purchasing Power in Australia is 7.8% lower than in United States

Currency: Sticky Currency Switch to metric measurement units

Restaurants	United States Edit	Australia Edit	Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant	20.00 $ (31.83 A$)	15.71 $ (25.00 A$)	-21.5 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	75.00 $ (119.37 A$)	75.39 $ (120.00 A$)	+0.5 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	11.00 $ (17.51 A$)	9.42 $ (15.00 A$)	-14.3 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught)	6.00 $ (9.55 A$)	6.28 $ (10.00 A$)	+4.7 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	7.00 $ (11.14 A$)	6.91 $ (11.00 A$)	-1.3 %
Cappuccino (regular)	5.22 $ (8.31 A$)	3.36 $ (5.35 A$)	-35.6 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle)	2.55 $ (4.06 A$)	2.55 $ (4.06 A$)	-0.1 %
Water (12 oz small bottle)	2.08 $ (3.31 A$)	2.09 $ (3.32 A$)	+0.4 %
Markets	United States Edit	Australia Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon)	4.00 $ (6.36 A$)	5.60 $ (8.91 A$)	+40.0 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb)	3.29 $ (5.24 A$)	2.15 $ (3.41 A$)	-34.8 %
Rice (white), (1 lb)	2.08 $ (3.31 A$)	0.90 $ (1.44 A$)	-56.5 %
Eggs (regular) (12)	4.15 $ (6.61 A$)	4.10 $ (6.52 A$)	-1.2 %
Local Cheese (1 lb)	5.87 $ (9.35 A$)	3.94 $ (6.26 A$)	-33.0 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	5.51 $ (8.77 A$)	3.71 $ (5.91 A$)	-32.7 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	7.36 $ (11.71 A$)	6.09 $ (9.70 A$)	-17.2 %
Apples (1 lb)	2.39 $ (3.81 A$)	1.39 $ (2.21 A$)	-41.8 %
Banana (1 lb)	0.76 $ (1.21 A$)	1.19 $ (1.90 A$)	+57.2 %
Oranges (1 lb)	2.04 $ (3.24 A$)	1.28 $ (2.03 A$)	-37.2 %
Tomato (1 lb)	2.22 $ (3.54 A$)	1.86 $ (2.96 A$)	-16.5 %
Potato (1 lb)	1.33 $ (2.11 A$)	1.07 $ (1.70 A$)	-19.3 %
Onion (1 lb)	1.39 $ (2.22 A$)	0.93 $ (1.49 A$)	-32.9 %
Lettuce (1 head)	2.20 $ (3.51 A$)	2.10 $ (3.35 A$)	-4.6 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	2.22 $ (3.54 A$)	1.46 $ (2.33 A$)	-34.3 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	15.00 $ (23.87 A$)	12.57 $ (20.00 A$)	-16.2 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	1.94 $ (3.09 A$)	4.36 $ (6.94 A$)	+124.6 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	3.59 $ (5.71 A$)	4.77 $ (7.60 A$)	+33.1 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)	10.00 $ (15.92 A$)	30.16 $ (48.00 A$)	+201.6 %
Transportation	United States Edit	Australia Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	2.50 $ (3.98 A$)	2.95 $ (4.70 A$)	+18.1 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	65.00 $ (103.46 A$)	94.24 $ (150.00 A$)	+45.0 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	3.75 $ (5.97 A$)	3.71 $ (5.90 A$)	-1.2 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff)	2.80 $ (4.46 A$)	2.73 $ (4.35 A$)	-2.5 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	30.00 $ (47.75 A$)	36.44 $ (58.00 A$)	+21.5 %
Gasoline (1 gallon)	3.51 $ (5.59 A$)	4.37 $ (6.95 A$)	+24.3 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	30,000.00 $ (47,749.80 A$)	27,909.86 $ (44,423.00 A$)	-7.0 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)	25,959.25 $ (41,318.30 A$)	21,897.68 $ (34,853.66 A$)	-15.6 %
Utilities (Monthly)	United States Edit	Australia Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment	207.87 $ (330.86 A$)	169.44 $ (269.69 A$)	-18.5 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data	57.17 $ (91.00 A$)	25.59 $ (40.72 A$)	-55.2 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	71.46 $ (113.74 A$)	50.95 $ (81.09 A$)	-28.7 %
Sports And Leisure	United States Edit	Australia Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	46.54 $ (74.08 A$)	45.45 $ (72.34 A$)	-2.4 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)	21.86 $ (34.79 A$)	16.00 $ (25.47 A$)	-26.8 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	14.09 $ (22.43 A$)	13.19 $ (21.00 A$)	-6.4 %
Childcare	United States Edit	Australia Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child	1,375.34 $ (2,189.08 A$)	1,538.70 $ (2,449.09 A$)	+11.9 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child	22,628.80 $ (36,017.35 A$)	12,224.34 $ (19,456.99 A$)	-46.0 %
Clothing And Shoes	United States Edit	Australia Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)	52.01 $ (82.78 A$)	69.45 $ (110.54 A$)	+33.5 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)	42.62 $ (67.83 A$)	49.47 $ (78.74 A$)	+16.1 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	89.42 $ (142.33 A$)	98.51 $ (156.80 A$)	+10.2 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes	113.20 $ (180.17 A$)	106.14 $ (168.95 A$)	-6.2 %
Rent Per Month	United States Edit	Australia Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	1,743.91 $ (2,775.71 A$)	1,325.95 $ (2,110.46 A$)	-24.0 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	1,437.75 $ (2,288.41 A$)	1,056.80 $ (1,682.07 A$)	-26.5 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	2,908.84 $ (4,629.88 A$)	2,231.52 $ (3,551.83 A$)	-23.3 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	2,398.49 $ (3,817.59 A$)	1,653.34 $ (2,631.56 A$)	-31.1 %
Buy Apartment Price	United States Edit	Australia Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	300.24 $ (477.88 A$)	599.11 $ (953.58 A$)	+99.5 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	251.42 $ (400.18 A$)	446.82 $ (711.19 A$)	+77.7 %
Salaries And Financing	United States Edit	Australia Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	4,337.95 $ (6,904.54 A$)	3,494.02 $ (5,561.29 A$)	-19.5 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate	6.57	6.37	-3.1 %
Last update:	March 2025	March 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:	10337	1519

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