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 2.6% higher than in Australia (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in United States is 10.1% higher than in Australia
Rent Prices in United States are 29.2% higher than in Australia
Restaurant Prices in United States are 12.4% higher than in Australia
Groceries Prices in United States are 0.2% higher than in Australia
Local Purchasing Power in United States is 9.5% 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$ (16.28 $)	30.71 A$ (20.00 $)	+22.8 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	120.00 A$ (78.15 $)	115.16 A$ (75.00 $)	-4.0 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	15.00 A$ (9.77 $)	17.66 A$ (11.50 $)	+17.7 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught)	10.00 A$ (6.51 $)	9.21 A$ (6.00 $)	-7.9 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	11.00 A$ (7.16 $)	10.75 A$ (7.00 $)	-2.3 %
Cappuccino (regular)	5.38 A$ (3.50 $)	8.05 A$ (5.24 $)	+49.6 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle)	4.03 A$ (2.63 $)	3.94 A$ (2.56 $)	-2.3 %
Water (12 oz small bottle)	3.32 A$ (2.16 $)	3.21 A$ (2.09 $)	-3.6 %
Markets	Australia Edit	United States Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon)	8.95 A$ (5.83 $)	6.16 A$ (4.01 $)	-31.2 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb)	3.44 A$ (2.24 $)	5.07 A$ (3.30 $)	+47.5 %
Rice (white), (1 lb)	1.44 A$ (0.94 $)	3.22 A$ (2.09 $)	+123.9 %
Eggs (regular) (12)	6.69 A$ (4.36 $)	6.62 A$ (4.31 $)	-1.1 %
Local Cheese (1 lb)	6.15 A$ (4.00 $)	8.99 A$ (5.86 $)	+46.2 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	5.87 A$ (3.82 $)	8.50 A$ (5.54 $)	+44.8 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	9.72 A$ (6.33 $)	11.38 A$ (7.41 $)	+17.1 %
Apples (1 lb)	2.23 A$ (1.45 $)	3.68 A$ (2.39 $)	+64.9 %
Banana (1 lb)	1.92 A$ (1.25 $)	1.17 A$ (0.76 $)	-39.2 %
Oranges (1 lb)	2.04 A$ (1.33 $)	3.13 A$ (2.04 $)	+53.8 %
Tomato (1 lb)	3.00 A$ (1.95 $)	3.42 A$ (2.23 $)	+14.1 %
Potato (1 lb)	1.74 A$ (1.13 $)	2.05 A$ (1.33 $)	+17.6 %
Onion (1 lb)	1.50 A$ (0.98 $)	2.14 A$ (1.39 $)	+42.8 %
Lettuce (1 head)	3.43 A$ (2.23 $)	3.38 A$ (2.20 $)	-1.3 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	2.38 A$ (1.55 $)	3.43 A$ (2.23 $)	+44.4 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	20.00 A$ (13.03 $)	23.03 A$ (15.00 $)	+15.2 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	6.91 A$ (4.50 $)	3.01 A$ (1.96 $)	-56.5 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	7.60 A$ (4.95 $)	5.53 A$ (3.60 $)	-27.2 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)	48.00 A$ (31.26 $)	15.35 A$ (10.00 $)	-68.0 %
Transportation	Australia Edit	United States Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	4.50 A$ (2.93 $)	3.84 A$ (2.50 $)	-14.7 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	146.74 A$ (95.57 $)	99.81 A$ (65.00 $)	-32.0 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	5.80 A$ (3.78 $)	5.76 A$ (3.75 $)	-0.7 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff)	4.35 A$ (2.83 $)	4.30 A$ (2.80 $)	-1.1 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	58.40 A$ (38.03 $)	46.06 A$ (30.00 $)	-21.1 %
Gasoline (1 gallon)	6.86 A$ (4.46 $)	5.36 A$ (3.49 $)	-21.9 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	44,423.00 A$ (28,931.32 $)	46,063.92 A$ (30,000.00 $)	+3.7 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)	34,966.35 A$ (22,772.50 $)	39,907.54 A$ (25,990.54 $)	+14.1 %
Utilities (Monthly)	Australia Edit	United States Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment	272.38 A$ (177.39 $)	320.06 A$ (208.45 $)	+17.5 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data	40.74 A$ (26.53 $)	88.06 A$ (57.35 $)	+116.2 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	81.86 A$ (53.31 $)	110.26 A$ (71.81 $)	+34.7 %
Sports And Leisure	Australia Edit	United States Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	72.58 A$ (47.27 $)	70.71 A$ (46.05 $)	-2.6 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)	25.59 A$ (16.67 $)	33.58 A$ (21.87 $)	+31.2 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	21.50 A$ (14.00 $)	21.50 A$ (14.00 $)	-0.0 %
Childcare	Australia Edit	United States Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child	2,435.95 A$ (1,586.46 $)	2,108.13 A$ (1,372.96 $)	-13.5 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child	19,420.93 A$ (12,648.25 $)	34,724.49 A$ (22,614.98 $)	+78.8 %
Clothing And Shoes	Australia Edit	United States Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)	109.19 A$ (71.12 $)	80.19 A$ (52.23 $)	-26.6 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)	78.38 A$ (51.05 $)	65.43 A$ (42.61 $)	-16.5 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	156.42 A$ (101.87 $)	138.14 A$ (89.96 $)	-11.7 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes	169.40 A$ (110.33 $)	174.69 A$ (113.77 $)	+3.1 %
Rent Per Month	Australia Edit	United States Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	2,118.36 A$ (1,379.62 $)	2,661.32 A$ (1,733.24 $)	+25.6 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	1,671.17 A$ (1,088.38 $)	2,204.02 A$ (1,435.41 $)	+31.9 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	3,549.66 A$ (2,311.78 $)	4,416.37 A$ (2,876.25 $)	+24.4 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	2,690.54 A$ (1,752.26 $)	3,681.37 A$ (2,397.56 $)	+36.8 %
Buy Apartment Price	Australia Edit	United States Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	980.46 A$ (638.54 $)	459.22 A$ (299.08 $)	-53.2 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	732.03 A$ (476.75 $)	386.59 A$ (251.78 $)	-47.2 %
Salaries And Financing	Australia Edit	United States Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	5,506.11 A$ (3,585.96 $)	6,639.02 A$ (4,323.79 $)	+20.6 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate	6.35	6.51	+2.5 %
Last update:	9 June 2025	9 June 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:	1555	11267

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