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
Consumer Prices in Australia are 6.2% higher than in United States (without rent)
Consumer Prices Including Rent in Australia are 2.2% lower than in United States
Rent Prices in Australia are 16.5% lower than in United States
Restaurant Prices in Australia are 3.4% lower than in United States
Groceries Prices in Australia are 2.3% higher than in United States
Local Purchasing Power in Australia is 15.9% lower than in United States

Currency: Sticky Currency Switch to metric measurement units

Restaurants	United States Edit	Australia Edit	Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant	18.00 $ (27.06 A$)	16.63 $ (25.00 A$)	-7.6 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	70.00 $ (105.23 A$)	73.17 $ (110.00 A$)	+4.5 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	9.99 $ (15.02 A$)	9.31 $ (14.00 A$)	-6.8 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught)	5.00 $ (7.52 A$)	6.12 $ (9.20 A$)	+22.4 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	6.50 $ (9.77 A$)	6.65 $ (10.00 A$)	+2.3 %
Cappuccino (regular)	4.68 $ (7.04 A$)	3.36 $ (5.05 A$)	-28.3 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle)	2.31 $ (3.47 A$)	2.53 $ (3.80 A$)	+9.6 %
Water (12 oz small bottle)	1.82 $ (2.74 A$)	2.13 $ (3.20 A$)	+16.6 %
Markets	United States Edit	Australia Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon)	3.88 $ (5.83 A$)	5.47 $ (8.23 A$)	+41.2 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb)	2.97 $ (4.46 A$)	1.97 $ (2.96 A$)	-33.7 %
Rice (white), (1 lb)	1.89 $ (2.84 A$)	0.93 $ (1.40 A$)	-50.5 %
Eggs (regular) (12)	4.12 $ (6.19 A$)	3.67 $ (5.52 A$)	-10.9 %
Local Cheese (1 lb)	5.32 $ (8.00 A$)	4.01 $ (6.03 A$)	-24.6 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	5.41 $ (8.13 A$)	3.69 $ (5.55 A$)	-31.8 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	6.82 $ (10.25 A$)	6.55 $ (9.84 A$)	-4.0 %
Apples (1 lb)	2.19 $ (3.30 A$)	1.44 $ (2.17 A$)	-34.4 %
Banana (1 lb)	0.73 $ (1.10 A$)	1.14 $ (1.72 A$)	+56.6 %
Oranges (1 lb)	1.88 $ (2.82 A$)	1.31 $ (1.96 A$)	-30.4 %
Tomato (1 lb)	2.06 $ (3.09 A$)	2.16 $ (3.25 A$)	+5.1 %
Potato (1 lb)	1.24 $ (1.87 A$)	1.08 $ (1.63 A$)	-12.7 %
Onion (1 lb)	1.25 $ (1.87 A$)	0.91 $ (1.37 A$)	-26.7 %
Lettuce (1 head)	2.11 $ (3.17 A$)	2.48 $ (3.72 A$)	+17.5 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	1.94 $ (2.91 A$)	1.70 $ (2.55 A$)	-12.2 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	13.00 $ (19.54 A$)	11.97 $ (18.00 A$)	-7.9 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	2.69 $ (4.05 A$)	4.31 $ (6.48 A$)	+60.2 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	3.35 $ (5.04 A$)	4.68 $ (7.03 A$)	+39.5 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)	9.00 $ (13.53 A$)	26.61 $ (40.00 A$)	+195.6 %
Transportation	United States Edit	Australia Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	2.50 $ (3.76 A$)	2.99 $ (4.50 A$)	+19.7 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	70.00 $ (105.23 A$)	107.76 $ (162.00 A$)	+53.9 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	3.50 $ (5.26 A$)	3.06 $ (4.60 A$)	-12.6 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff)	2.70 $ (4.06 A$)	2.32 $ (3.49 A$)	-14.0 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	30.00 $ (45.10 A$)	36.59 $ (55.00 A$)	+22.0 %
Gasoline (1 gallon)	3.78 $ (5.68 A$)	5.05 $ (7.59 A$)	+33.6 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	25,000.00 $ (37,582.68 A$)	22,221.01 $ (33,405.00 A$)	-11.1 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)	23,328.46 $ (35,069.83 A$)	19,306.15 $ (29,023.06 A$)	-17.2 %
Utilities (Monthly)	United States Edit	Australia Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment	183.15 $ (275.32 A$)	192.15 $ (288.86 A$)	+4.9 %
1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local (No Discounts or Plans)	0.17 $ (0.25 A$)	0.46 $ (0.69 A$)	+173.9 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	69.56 $ (104.57 A$)	55.80 $ (83.88 A$)	-19.8 %
Sports And Leisure	United States Edit	Australia Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	41.90 $ (62.99 A$)	49.49 $ (74.39 A$)	+18.1 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)	18.35 $ (27.59 A$)	15.60 $ (23.45 A$)	-15.0 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	12.00 $ (18.04 A$)	13.30 $ (20.00 A$)	+10.9 %
Childcare	United States Edit	Australia Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child	1,169.56 $ (1,758.21 A$)	1,486.71 $ (2,234.99 A$)	+27.1 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child	16,550.68 $ (24,880.75 A$)	12,773.57 $ (19,202.60 A$)	-22.8 %
Clothing And Shoes	United States Edit	Australia Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)	46.44 $ (69.81 A$)	76.72 $ (115.34 A$)	+65.2 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)	36.63 $ (55.07 A$)	49.18 $ (73.94 A$)	+34.3 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	80.19 $ (120.55 A$)	110.32 $ (165.84 A$)	+37.6 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes	109.94 $ (165.27 A$)	121.47 $ (182.61 A$)	+10.5 %
Rent Per Month	United States Edit	Australia Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	1,704.47 $ (2,562.34 A$)	1,490.33 $ (2,240.42 A$)	-12.6 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	1,377.23 $ (2,070.39 A$)	1,155.65 $ (1,737.29 A$)	-16.1 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	2,846.91 $ (4,279.77 A$)	2,452.23 $ (3,686.45 A$)	-13.9 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	2,246.00 $ (3,376.43 A$)	1,725.18 $ (2,593.47 A$)	-23.2 %
Buy Apartment Price	United States Edit	Australia Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	422.21 $ (634.71 A$)	661.78 $ (994.86 A$)	+56.7 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	284.24 $ (427.31 A$)	483.52 $ (726.88 A$)	+70.1 %
Salaries And Financing	United States Edit	Australia Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	4,219.67 $ (6,343.47 A$)	3,467.02 $ (5,211.99 A$)	-17.8 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate	5.38	4.66	-13.4 %
Last update:	March 2023	March 2023
Contributors in the past 12 months:	12245	1790

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