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 4.1% higher than in Australia (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in United States is 11.8% higher than in Australia
Rent Prices in United States are 31.3% higher than in Australia
Restaurant Prices in United States are 13.9% higher than in Australia
Groceries Prices in United States are 1.7% higher than in Australia
Local Purchasing Power in United States is 9.3% 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$ (16.03 $)	31.19 A$ (20.00 $)	+24.7 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	120.00 A$ (76.96 $)	116.94 A$ (75.00 $)	-2.5 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	15.00 A$ (9.62 $)	17.77 A$ (11.39 $)	+18.5 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught)	10.00 A$ (6.41 $)	9.36 A$ (6.00 $)	-6.4 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	11.00 A$ (7.05 $)	10.91 A$ (7.00 $)	-0.8 %
Cappuccino (regular)	5.36 A$ (3.44 $)	8.16 A$ (5.23 $)	+52.2 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle)	4.06 A$ (2.60 $)	4.00 A$ (2.56 $)	-1.5 %
Water (12 oz small bottle)	3.34 A$ (2.14 $)	3.26 A$ (2.09 $)	-2.5 %
Markets	Australia Edit	United States Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon)	8.92 A$ (5.72 $)	6.24 A$ (4.00 $)	-30.0 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb)	3.43 A$ (2.20 $)	5.13 A$ (3.29 $)	+49.9 %
Rice (white), (1 lb)	1.44 A$ (0.93 $)	3.26 A$ (2.09 $)	+126.0 %
Eggs (regular) (12)	6.61 A$ (4.24 $)	6.61 A$ (4.24 $)	+0.0 %
Local Cheese (1 lb)	6.26 A$ (4.01 $)	9.14 A$ (5.86 $)	+46.0 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	5.92 A$ (3.79 $)	8.61 A$ (5.52 $)	+45.5 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	9.71 A$ (6.23 $)	11.51 A$ (7.38 $)	+18.6 %
Apples (1 lb)	2.22 A$ (1.42 $)	3.74 A$ (2.40 $)	+68.2 %
Banana (1 lb)	1.92 A$ (1.23 $)	1.19 A$ (0.76 $)	-38.2 %
Oranges (1 lb)	2.03 A$ (1.30 $)	3.18 A$ (2.04 $)	+56.6 %
Tomato (1 lb)	2.99 A$ (1.92 $)	3.48 A$ (2.23 $)	+16.3 %
Potato (1 lb)	1.71 A$ (1.10 $)	2.07 A$ (1.33 $)	+21.3 %
Onion (1 lb)	1.49 A$ (0.96 $)	2.18 A$ (1.40 $)	+45.9 %
Lettuce (1 head)	3.40 A$ (2.18 $)	3.44 A$ (2.21 $)	+1.1 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	2.32 A$ (1.49 $)	3.47 A$ (2.23 $)	+49.6 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	20.00 A$ (12.83 $)	23.39 A$ (15.00 $)	+16.9 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	6.85 A$ (4.39 $)	3.04 A$ (1.95 $)	-55.6 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	7.59 A$ (4.87 $)	5.60 A$ (3.59 $)	-26.1 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)	48.00 A$ (30.78 $)	15.59 A$ (10.00 $)	-67.5 %
Transportation	Australia Edit	United States Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	4.50 A$ (2.89 $)	3.90 A$ (2.50 $)	-13.4 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	150.00 A$ (96.20 $)	101.35 A$ (65.00 $)	-32.4 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	6.00 A$ (3.85 $)	5.85 A$ (3.75 $)	-2.5 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff)	4.35 A$ (2.79 $)	4.37 A$ (2.80 $)	+0.5 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	58.00 A$ (37.20 $)	46.78 A$ (30.00 $)	-19.3 %
Gasoline (1 gallon)	6.93 A$ (4.45 $)	5.47 A$ (3.51 $)	-21.1 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	44,423.00 A$ (28,489.80 $)	46,777.80 A$ (30,000.00 $)	+5.3 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)	34,987.80 A$ (22,438.72 $)	40,486.99 A$ (25,965.51 $)	+15.7 %
Utilities (Monthly)	Australia Edit	United States Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment	271.07 A$ (173.84 $)	324.81 A$ (208.31 $)	+19.8 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data	41.26 A$ (26.46 $)	89.23 A$ (57.23 $)	+116.3 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	81.50 A$ (52.27 $)	111.50 A$ (71.51 $)	+36.8 %
Sports And Leisure	Australia Edit	United States Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	73.19 A$ (46.94 $)	72.61 A$ (46.56 $)	-0.8 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)	25.81 A$ (16.55 $)	34.33 A$ (22.02 $)	+33.0 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	22.00 A$ (14.11 $)	22.40 A$ (14.36 $)	+1.8 %
Childcare	Australia Edit	United States Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child	2,431.61 A$ (1,559.47 $)	2,148.79 A$ (1,378.08 $)	-11.6 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child	19,465.42 A$ (12,483.75 $)	35,297.39 A$ (22,637.27 $)	+81.3 %
Clothing And Shoes	Australia Edit	United States Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)	110.64 A$ (70.95 $)	81.32 A$ (52.15 $)	-26.5 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)	78.91 A$ (50.61 $)	66.46 A$ (42.62 $)	-15.8 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	157.50 A$ (101.01 $)	139.79 A$ (89.65 $)	-11.2 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes	170.21 A$ (109.16 $)	176.57 A$ (113.24 $)	+3.7 %
Rent Per Month	Australia Edit	United States Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	2,127.98 A$ (1,364.73 $)	2,717.11 A$ (1,742.57 $)	+27.7 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	1,689.40 A$ (1,083.46 $)	2,242.12 A$ (1,437.94 $)	+32.7 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	3,603.16 A$ (2,310.82 $)	4,529.37 A$ (2,904.82 $)	+25.7 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	2,665.16 A$ (1,709.25 $)	3,751.33 A$ (2,405.84 $)	+40.8 %
Buy Apartment Price	Australia Edit	United States Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	971.06 A$ (622.77 $)	470.51 A$ (301.75 $)	-51.5 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	724.31 A$ (464.52 $)	392.40 A$ (251.65 $)	-45.8 %
Salaries And Financing	Australia Edit	United States Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	5,539.71 A$ (3,552.78 $)	6,767.24 A$ (4,340.03 $)	+22.2 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate	6.36	6.51	+2.4 %
Last update:	April 2025	April 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:	1569	10838

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