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 3.9% lower than in United States (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in Australia is 10.5% lower than in United States
Rent Prices in Australia are 23.9% lower than in United States
Restaurant Prices in Australia are 12.4% lower than in United States
Groceries Prices in Australia are 1.6% lower than in United States
Local Purchasing Power in Australia is 8.1% 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 $ (31.19 A$)	16.03 $ (25.00 A$)	-19.9 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	75.00 $ (116.97 A$)	76.94 $ (120.00 A$)	+2.6 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	11.50 $ (17.94 A$)	9.62 $ (15.00 A$)	-16.4 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught)	6.00 $ (9.36 A$)	6.41 $ (10.00 A$)	+6.9 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	7.00 $ (10.92 A$)	7.05 $ (11.00 A$)	+0.8 %
Cappuccino (regular)	5.23 $ (8.16 A$)	3.43 $ (5.35 A$)	-34.5 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle)	2.56 $ (4.00 A$)	2.60 $ (4.05 A$)	+1.4 %
Water (12 oz small bottle)	2.09 $ (3.26 A$)	2.13 $ (3.33 A$)	+2.1 %
Markets	United States Edit	Australia Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon)	4.00 $ (6.24 A$)	5.74 $ (8.95 A$)	+43.4 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb)	3.29 $ (5.13 A$)	2.20 $ (3.42 A$)	-33.3 %
Rice (white), (1 lb)	2.09 $ (3.26 A$)	0.92 $ (1.44 A$)	-56.0 %
Eggs (regular) (12)	4.25 $ (6.63 A$)	4.25 $ (6.62 A$)	-0.1 %
Local Cheese (1 lb)	5.86 $ (9.14 A$)	4.01 $ (6.25 A$)	-31.6 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	5.53 $ (8.62 A$)	3.79 $ (5.91 A$)	-31.4 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	7.39 $ (11.52 A$)	6.22 $ (9.70 A$)	-15.8 %
Apples (1 lb)	2.40 $ (3.74 A$)	1.43 $ (2.23 A$)	-40.3 %
Banana (1 lb)	0.76 $ (1.19 A$)	1.23 $ (1.92 A$)	+61.9 %
Oranges (1 lb)	2.04 $ (3.19 A$)	1.31 $ (2.05 A$)	-35.8 %
Tomato (1 lb)	2.23 $ (3.47 A$)	1.92 $ (3.00 A$)	-13.6 %
Potato (1 lb)	1.33 $ (2.08 A$)	1.10 $ (1.72 A$)	-17.2 %
Onion (1 lb)	1.40 $ (2.18 A$)	0.96 $ (1.49 A$)	-31.5 %
Lettuce (1 head)	2.20 $ (3.43 A$)	2.19 $ (3.42 A$)	-0.4 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	2.23 $ (3.48 A$)	1.48 $ (2.31 A$)	-33.5 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	15.00 $ (23.39 A$)	12.82 $ (20.00 A$)	-14.5 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	1.95 $ (3.04 A$)	4.42 $ (6.89 A$)	+126.6 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	3.60 $ (5.61 A$)	4.88 $ (7.61 A$)	+35.6 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)	10.00 $ (15.60 A$)	30.78 $ (48.00 A$)	+207.8 %
Transportation	United States Edit	Australia Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	2.50 $ (3.90 A$)	2.89 $ (4.50 A$)	+15.4 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	65.00 $ (101.37 A$)	96.18 $ (150.00 A$)	+48.0 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	3.75 $ (5.85 A$)	3.85 $ (6.00 A$)	+2.6 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff)	2.80 $ (4.37 A$)	2.89 $ (4.51 A$)	+3.2 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	30.00 $ (46.79 A$)	37.57 $ (58.60 A$)	+25.2 %
Gasoline (1 gallon)	3.50 $ (5.46 A$)	4.43 $ (6.91 A$)	+26.5 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	30,000.00 $ (46,787.67 A$)	28,483.79 $ (44,423.00 A$)	-5.1 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)	25,968.21 $ (40,499.73 A$)	22,385.60 $ (34,912.33 A$)	-13.8 %
Utilities (Monthly)	United States Edit	Australia Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment	208.94 $ (325.86 A$)	175.13 $ (273.12 A$)	-16.2 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data	57.18 $ (89.18 A$)	26.52 $ (41.37 A$)	-53.6 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	71.58 $ (111.64 A$)	52.36 $ (81.67 A$)	-26.8 %
Sports And Leisure	United States Edit	Australia Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	46.40 $ (72.36 A$)	47.02 $ (73.34 A$)	+1.3 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)	22.05 $ (34.39 A$)	16.69 $ (26.02 A$)	-24.3 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	14.36 $ (22.40 A$)	14.11 $ (22.00 A$)	-1.8 %
Childcare	United States Edit	Australia Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child	1,373.86 $ (2,142.66 A$)	1,554.64 $ (2,424.60 A$)	+13.2 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child	22,581.03 $ (35,217.13 A$)	12,206.34 $ (19,036.88 A$)	-45.9 %
Clothing And Shoes	United States Edit	Australia Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)	52.11 $ (81.28 A$)	70.87 $ (110.53 A$)	+36.0 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)	42.57 $ (66.39 A$)	50.38 $ (78.58 A$)	+18.4 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	89.71 $ (139.92 A$)	101.04 $ (157.59 A$)	+12.6 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes	113.40 $ (176.85 A$)	108.62 $ (169.41 A$)	-4.2 %
Rent Per Month	United States Edit	Australia Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	1,741.88 $ (2,716.62 A$)	1,362.98 $ (2,125.69 A$)	-21.8 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	1,436.93 $ (2,241.03 A$)	1,082.30 $ (1,687.94 A$)	-24.7 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	2,896.64 $ (4,517.56 A$)	2,298.38 $ (3,584.53 A$)	-20.7 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	2,402.30 $ (3,746.60 A$)	1,708.54 $ (2,664.62 A$)	-28.9 %
Buy Apartment Price	United States Edit	Australia Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	298.99 $ (466.30 A$)	618.73 $ (964.97 A$)	+106.9 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	251.69 $ (392.54 A$)	458.72 $ (715.42 A$)	+82.3 %
Salaries And Financing	United States Edit	Australia Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	4,325.83 $ (6,746.52 A$)	3,555.70 $ (5,545.44 A$)	-17.8 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate	6.51	6.36	-2.3 %
Last update:	May 2025	May 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:	10842	1550

Moving to United States? Explore:

Moving to Australia? Explore:

Other comparisons United States vs Australia:

About Numbeo in the News Newsletter API