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 3.8% lower than in United States (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in Australia is 10.4% lower than in United States
Rent Prices in Australia are 23.8% lower than in United States
Restaurant Prices in Australia are 12.2% lower than in United States
Groceries Prices in Australia are 1.6% lower than in United States
Local Purchasing Power in Australia is 7.9% 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 $ (31.13 A$)	16.06 $ (25.00 A$)	-19.7 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	75.00 $ (116.73 A$)	77.10 $ (120.00 A$)	+2.8 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	11.50 $ (17.90 A$)	9.64 $ (15.00 A$)	-16.2 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught)	6.00 $ (9.34 A$)	6.43 $ (10.00 A$)	+7.1 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	7.00 $ (10.89 A$)	7.07 $ (11.00 A$)	+1.0 %
Cappuccino (regular)	5.24 $ (8.15 A$)	3.44 $ (5.36 A$)	-34.3 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle)	2.56 $ (3.99 A$)	2.60 $ (4.05 A$)	+1.4 %
Water (12 oz small bottle)	2.09 $ (3.25 A$)	2.14 $ (3.33 A$)	+2.5 %
Markets	United States Edit	Australia Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon)	4.01 $ (6.24 A$)	5.72 $ (8.90 A$)	+42.7 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb)	3.29 $ (5.13 A$)	2.20 $ (3.42 A$)	-33.2 %
Rice (white), (1 lb)	2.09 $ (3.25 A$)	0.92 $ (1.43 A$)	-56.1 %
Eggs (regular) (12)	4.28 $ (6.66 A$)	4.26 $ (6.63 A$)	-0.4 %
Local Cheese (1 lb)	5.86 $ (9.13 A$)	4.00 $ (6.23 A$)	-31.8 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	5.53 $ (8.61 A$)	3.78 $ (5.89 A$)	-31.6 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	7.40 $ (11.51 A$)	6.22 $ (9.68 A$)	-15.9 %
Apples (1 lb)	2.40 $ (3.73 A$)	1.43 $ (2.23 A$)	-40.2 %
Banana (1 lb)	0.76 $ (1.19 A$)	1.23 $ (1.92 A$)	+61.8 %
Oranges (1 lb)	2.04 $ (3.18 A$)	1.32 $ (2.05 A$)	-35.5 %
Tomato (1 lb)	2.23 $ (3.47 A$)	1.92 $ (2.99 A$)	-13.6 %
Potato (1 lb)	1.33 $ (2.07 A$)	1.11 $ (1.73 A$)	-16.6 %
Onion (1 lb)	1.40 $ (2.17 A$)	0.96 $ (1.49 A$)	-31.2 %
Lettuce (1 head)	2.20 $ (3.43 A$)	2.19 $ (3.42 A$)	-0.3 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	2.23 $ (3.47 A$)	1.48 $ (2.31 A$)	-33.5 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	15.00 $ (23.35 A$)	12.85 $ (20.00 A$)	-14.3 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	1.96 $ (3.04 A$)	4.42 $ (6.87 A$)	+125.8 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	3.60 $ (5.60 A$)	4.88 $ (7.60 A$)	+35.8 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)	10.00 $ (15.56 A$)	30.84 $ (48.00 A$)	+208.4 %
Transportation	United States Edit	Australia Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	2.50 $ (3.89 A$)	2.89 $ (4.50 A$)	+15.7 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	65.00 $ (101.17 A$)	96.38 $ (150.00 A$)	+48.3 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	3.75 $ (5.84 A$)	3.86 $ (6.00 A$)	+2.8 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff)	2.80 $ (4.36 A$)	3.00 $ (4.67 A$)	+7.1 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	30.00 $ (46.69 A$)	37.65 $ (58.60 A$)	+25.5 %
Gasoline (1 gallon)	3.50 $ (5.45 A$)	4.44 $ (6.90 A$)	+26.7 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	30,000.00 $ (46,692.48 A$)	28,541.86 $ (44,423.00 A$)	-4.9 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)	25,972.74 $ (40,424.38 A$)	22,429.16 $ (34,909.11 A$)	-13.6 %
Utilities (Monthly)	United States Edit	Australia Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment	208.52 $ (324.55 A$)	174.50 $ (271.59 A$)	-16.3 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data	57.28 $ (89.15 A$)	26.44 $ (41.16 A$)	-53.8 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	71.63 $ (111.48 A$)	52.44 $ (81.62 A$)	-26.8 %
Sports And Leisure	United States Edit	Australia Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	46.28 $ (72.03 A$)	46.95 $ (73.08 A$)	+1.5 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)	21.91 $ (34.10 A$)	16.48 $ (25.65 A$)	-24.8 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	14.47 $ (22.52 A$)	14.14 $ (22.00 A$)	-2.3 %
Childcare	United States Edit	Australia Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child	1,373.83 $ (2,138.25 A$)	1,550.46 $ (2,413.16 A$)	+12.9 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child	22,558.60 $ (35,110.56 A$)	12,231.23 $ (19,036.88 A$)	-45.8 %
Clothing And Shoes	United States Edit	Australia Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)	52.17 $ (81.20 A$)	71.03 $ (110.54 A$)	+36.1 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)	42.52 $ (66.17 A$)	50.49 $ (78.58 A$)	+18.7 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	89.94 $ (139.98 A$)	101.14 $ (157.42 A$)	+12.5 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes	113.52 $ (176.68 A$)	108.60 $ (169.03 A$)	-4.3 %
Rent Per Month	United States Edit	Australia Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	1,746.09 $ (2,717.64 A$)	1,363.07 $ (2,121.50 A$)	-21.9 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	1,439.75 $ (2,240.85 A$)	1,083.06 $ (1,685.70 A$)	-24.8 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	2,896.90 $ (4,508.78 A$)	2,306.46 $ (3,589.81 A$)	-20.4 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	2,403.91 $ (3,741.48 A$)	1,713.39 $ (2,666.75 A$)	-28.7 %
Buy Apartment Price	United States Edit	Australia Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	300.14 $ (467.14 A$)	619.61 $ (964.37 A$)	+106.4 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	252.27 $ (392.64 A$)	465.27 $ (724.16 A$)	+84.4 %
Salaries And Financing	United States Edit	Australia Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	4,329.00 $ (6,737.72 A$)	3,569.61 $ (5,555.79 A$)	-17.5 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate	6.51	6.36	-2.3 %
Last update:	20 May 2025	20 May 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:	11148	1602

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