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 4.8% higher than in Australia (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in United States is 12.7% higher than in Australia
Rent Prices in United States are 32.6% higher than in Australia
Restaurant Prices in United States are 14.7% higher than in Australia
Groceries Prices in United States are 2.5% 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$ (15.90 $)	31.45 A$ (20.00 $)	+25.8 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	120.00 A$ (76.31 $)	117.94 A$ (75.00 $)	-1.7 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	15.00 A$ (9.54 $)	17.63 A$ (11.21 $)	+17.5 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught)	10.00 A$ (6.36 $)	9.44 A$ (6.00 $)	-5.6 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	11.00 A$ (7.00 $)	11.01 A$ (7.00 $)	+0.1 %
Cappuccino (regular)	5.36 A$ (3.41 $)	8.22 A$ (5.23 $)	+53.5 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle)	4.06 A$ (2.58 $)	4.03 A$ (2.56 $)	-0.7 %
Water (12 oz small bottle)	3.34 A$ (2.13 $)	3.29 A$ (2.09 $)	-1.7 %
Markets	Australia Edit	United States Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon)	8.92 A$ (5.67 $)	6.29 A$ (4.00 $)	-29.4 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb)	3.43 A$ (2.18 $)	5.18 A$ (3.29 $)	+50.9 %
Rice (white), (1 lb)	1.45 A$ (0.92 $)	3.29 A$ (2.09 $)	+127.4 %
Eggs (regular) (12)	6.60 A$ (4.20 $)	6.65 A$ (4.23 $)	+0.7 %
Local Cheese (1 lb)	6.28 A$ (3.99 $)	9.22 A$ (5.86 $)	+46.8 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	5.91 A$ (3.76 $)	8.68 A$ (5.52 $)	+46.8 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	9.72 A$ (6.18 $)	11.61 A$ (7.38 $)	+19.4 %
Apples (1 lb)	2.22 A$ (1.41 $)	3.76 A$ (2.39 $)	+69.3 %
Banana (1 lb)	1.92 A$ (1.22 $)	1.20 A$ (0.76 $)	-37.8 %
Oranges (1 lb)	2.03 A$ (1.29 $)	3.21 A$ (2.04 $)	+57.9 %
Tomato (1 lb)	2.99 A$ (1.90 $)	3.51 A$ (2.23 $)	+17.4 %
Potato (1 lb)	1.71 A$ (1.09 $)	2.09 A$ (1.33 $)	+22.6 %
Onion (1 lb)	1.49 A$ (0.95 $)	2.20 A$ (1.40 $)	+47.3 %
Lettuce (1 head)	3.39 A$ (2.16 $)	3.47 A$ (2.20 $)	+2.2 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	2.32 A$ (1.47 $)	3.50 A$ (2.23 $)	+51.2 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	20.00 A$ (12.72 $)	23.59 A$ (15.00 $)	+17.9 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	6.88 A$ (4.37 $)	3.07 A$ (1.95 $)	-55.4 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	7.57 A$ (4.81 $)	5.65 A$ (3.59 $)	-25.4 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)	48.00 A$ (30.52 $)	15.72 A$ (10.00 $)	-67.2 %
Transportation	Australia Edit	United States Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	4.60 A$ (2.93 $)	3.93 A$ (2.50 $)	-14.5 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	150.00 A$ (95.39 $)	102.21 A$ (65.00 $)	-31.9 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	6.00 A$ (3.82 $)	5.90 A$ (3.75 $)	-1.7 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff)	4.35 A$ (2.76 $)	4.40 A$ (2.80 $)	+1.3 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	58.00 A$ (36.88 $)	47.17 A$ (30.00 $)	-18.7 %
Gasoline (1 gallon)	6.93 A$ (4.41 $)	5.51 A$ (3.51 $)	-20.4 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	44,423.00 A$ (28,249.92 $)	47,175.00 A$ (30,000.00 $)	+6.2 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)	34,934.26 A$ (22,215.74 $)	40,827.22 A$ (25,963.26 $)	+16.9 %
Utilities (Monthly)	Australia Edit	United States Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment	270.21 A$ (171.83 $)	327.20 A$ (208.08 $)	+21.1 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data	41.26 A$ (26.24 $)	89.99 A$ (57.23 $)	+118.1 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	81.46 A$ (51.80 $)	112.41 A$ (71.49 $)	+38.0 %
Sports And Leisure	Australia Edit	United States Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	73.27 A$ (46.60 $)	73.13 A$ (46.50 $)	-0.2 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)	25.81 A$ (16.41 $)	34.45 A$ (21.91 $)	+33.5 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	22.00 A$ (13.99 $)	22.59 A$ (14.36 $)	+2.7 %
Childcare	Australia Edit	United States Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child	2,431.61 A$ (1,546.34 $)	2,164.76 A$ (1,376.64 $)	-11.0 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child	19,162.60 A$ (12,186.07 $)	35,545.65 A$ (22,604.54 $)	+85.5 %
Clothing And Shoes	Australia Edit	United States Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)	110.45 A$ (70.24 $)	81.96 A$ (52.12 $)	-25.8 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)	78.59 A$ (49.98 $)	66.94 A$ (42.57 $)	-14.8 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	157.33 A$ (100.05 $)	140.93 A$ (89.62 $)	-10.4 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes	170.19 A$ (108.23 $)	177.96 A$ (113.17 $)	+4.6 %
Rent Per Month	Australia Edit	United States Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	2,120.49 A$ (1,348.49 $)	2,740.86 A$ (1,742.99 $)	+29.3 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	1,689.22 A$ (1,074.23 $)	2,262.59 A$ (1,438.85 $)	+33.9 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	3,601.41 A$ (2,290.24 $)	4,570.86 A$ (2,906.75 $)	+26.9 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	2,662.67 A$ (1,693.27 $)	3,785.35 A$ (2,407.22 $)	+42.2 %
Buy Apartment Price	Australia Edit	United States Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	974.42 A$ (619.66 $)	476.03 A$ (302.72 $)	-51.1 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	727.29 A$ (462.50 $)	396.23 A$ (251.97 $)	-45.5 %
Salaries And Financing	Australia Edit	United States Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	5,543.98 A$ (3,525.58 $)	6,819.36 A$ (4,336.64 $)	+23.0 %
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:	1553	10758

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