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 4.4% lower than in United States (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in Australia is 11.1% lower than in United States
Rent Prices in Australia are 24.5% lower than in United States
Restaurant Prices in Australia are 12.4% lower than in United States
Groceries Prices in Australia are 2.3% lower than in United States
Local Purchasing Power in Australia is 8.5% 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 $ (31.40 A$)	15.92 $ (25.00 A$)	-20.4 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	75.00 $ (117.75 A$)	76.43 $ (120.00 A$)	+1.9 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	11.00 $ (17.27 A$)	9.55 $ (15.00 A$)	-13.1 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught)	6.00 $ (9.42 A$)	6.37 $ (10.00 A$)	+6.2 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	7.00 $ (10.99 A$)	7.01 $ (11.00 A$)	+0.1 %
Cappuccino (regular)	5.22 $ (8.20 A$)	3.41 $ (5.36 A$)	-34.7 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle)	2.56 $ (4.02 A$)	2.58 $ (4.06 A$)	+1.0 %
Water (12 oz small bottle)	2.08 $ (3.27 A$)	2.12 $ (3.33 A$)	+1.8 %
Markets	United States Edit	Australia Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon)	4.00 $ (6.28 A$)	5.69 $ (8.93 A$)	+42.3 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb)	3.29 $ (5.16 A$)	2.18 $ (3.42 A$)	-33.8 %
Rice (white), (1 lb)	2.09 $ (3.28 A$)	0.92 $ (1.45 A$)	-55.9 %
Eggs (regular) (12)	4.21 $ (6.60 A$)	4.20 $ (6.59 A$)	-0.2 %
Local Cheese (1 lb)	5.87 $ (9.21 A$)	4.00 $ (6.28 A$)	-31.8 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	5.51 $ (8.66 A$)	3.77 $ (5.92 A$)	-31.6 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	7.38 $ (11.59 A$)	6.20 $ (9.73 A$)	-16.0 %
Apples (1 lb)	2.40 $ (3.76 A$)	1.41 $ (2.22 A$)	-41.0 %
Banana (1 lb)	0.76 $ (1.19 A$)	1.22 $ (1.92 A$)	+60.8 %
Oranges (1 lb)	2.04 $ (3.20 A$)	1.29 $ (2.03 A$)	-36.6 %
Tomato (1 lb)	2.23 $ (3.50 A$)	1.90 $ (2.98 A$)	-14.8 %
Potato (1 lb)	1.33 $ (2.09 A$)	1.09 $ (1.71 A$)	-17.9 %
Onion (1 lb)	1.40 $ (2.19 A$)	0.95 $ (1.50 A$)	-31.7 %
Lettuce (1 head)	2.21 $ (3.46 A$)	2.16 $ (3.39 A$)	-2.2 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	2.23 $ (3.50 A$)	1.48 $ (2.32 A$)	-33.7 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	15.00 $ (23.55 A$)	12.74 $ (20.00 A$)	-15.1 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	1.95 $ (3.06 A$)	4.38 $ (6.88 A$)	+124.7 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	3.60 $ (5.65 A$)	4.83 $ (7.58 A$)	+34.2 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)	10.00 $ (15.70 A$)	30.57 $ (48.00 A$)	+205.7 %
Transportation	United States Edit	Australia Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	2.50 $ (3.92 A$)	2.93 $ (4.60 A$)	+17.2 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	65.00 $ (102.05 A$)	95.54 $ (150.00 A$)	+47.0 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	3.75 $ (5.89 A$)	3.82 $ (6.00 A$)	+1.9 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff)	2.80 $ (4.40 A$)	2.77 $ (4.35 A$)	-1.2 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	30.00 $ (47.10 A$)	36.94 $ (58.00 A$)	+23.1 %
Gasoline (1 gallon)	3.51 $ (5.51 A$)	4.42 $ (6.94 A$)	+26.0 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	30,000.00 $ (47,099.10 A$)	28,295.45 $ (44,423.00 A$)	-5.7 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)	25,965.26 $ (40,764.68 A$)	22,251.54 $ (34,934.26 A$)	-14.3 %
Utilities (Monthly)	United States Edit	Australia Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment	208.35 $ (327.11 A$)	172.11 $ (270.21 A$)	-17.4 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data	57.20 $ (89.80 A$)	26.31 $ (41.31 A$)	-54.0 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	71.47 $ (112.21 A$)	51.83 $ (81.37 A$)	-27.5 %
Sports And Leisure	United States Edit	Australia Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	46.42 $ (72.88 A$)	46.65 $ (73.24 A$)	+0.5 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)	21.95 $ (34.46 A$)	16.44 $ (25.81 A$)	-25.1 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	14.25 $ (22.37 A$)	14.01 $ (22.00 A$)	-1.7 %
Childcare	United States Edit	Australia Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child	1,375.24 $ (2,159.08 A$)	1,548.83 $ (2,431.61 A$)	+12.6 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child	22,697.08 $ (35,633.73 A$)	12,205.71 $ (19,162.60 A$)	-46.2 %
Clothing And Shoes	United States Edit	Australia Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)	52.06 $ (81.73 A$)	70.35 $ (110.45 A$)	+35.1 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)	42.58 $ (66.85 A$)	50.06 $ (78.59 A$)	+17.6 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	89.63 $ (140.72 A$)	100.10 $ (157.16 A$)	+11.7 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes	113.18 $ (177.69 A$)	108.40 $ (170.19 A$)	-4.2 %
Rent Per Month	United States Edit	Australia Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	1,739.34 $ (2,730.71 A$)	1,355.54 $ (2,128.15 A$)	-22.1 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	1,436.78 $ (2,255.70 A$)	1,073.24 $ (1,684.96 A$)	-25.3 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	2,898.80 $ (4,551.02 A$)	2,280.37 $ (3,580.11 A$)	-21.3 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	2,402.49 $ (3,771.84 A$)	1,691.17 $ (2,655.08 A$)	-29.6 %
Buy Apartment Price	United States Edit	Australia Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	300.94 $ (472.47 A$)	615.00 $ (965.53 A$)	+104.4 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	251.29 $ (394.52 A$)	460.87 $ (723.55 A$)	+83.4 %
Salaries And Financing	United States Edit	Australia Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	4,334.57 $ (6,805.15 A$)	3,528.69 $ (5,539.93 A$)	-18.6 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate	6.51	6.36	-2.3 %
Last update:	April 2025	April 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:	10600	1540

Moving to United States? Explore:

Moving to Australia? Explore:

Other comparisons United States vs Australia:

About Numbeo in the News Newsletter API