Australia vs United States - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Australia United States
🚶 Cost of living one person
$2241
$2516
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$5240
$5730
🏠 One person rent
$1321
$1598
🏘️ Family rent
$2189
$2655
🍽️ Food expenses
$544
$651
🚐 Transport expenses
$236
$101
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$3826
$4539
💸 GDP per capita
$64407
$85810
😃 Human freedom index
8.8
8.64
❤️ Life expectancy
83.1
78.4
👮 Corruption perceptions index
77
65
🌐 English speaking %
92.8%
95.3%
🎓 Higher education
98
100
😀 Quality of life
94
87
🏙️ Population
27.2M
340M

The average cost of living in Australia ($2241) is 11% less expensive than in the United States ($2516). Australia ranked 13th vs 9th for the United States in the list of the most expensive countries in the world.

The average after-tax salary is enough to cover living expenses for 1.7 months in Australia compared to 1.8 months in the United States. Ranked 5th and 20th best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in Australia vs United States infographic

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Prices in Australia vs the United States

We calculate prices for Australia and the United States as a population-weighted mean of 64 and 2202 cities, respectively. Since large cities tend to have a higher cost of living, it's better to visit specific city pages below for more relevant information.

Australia United States
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$14.4
$19.5
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$72.4
$76.5
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$9.9
$11.5
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$7.36
$6.31
 Cappuccino
$3.59
$5.34
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$2.62
$2.65
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$1490
$1659
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$1089
$1336
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$2729
$3048
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1844
$2458
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$103
$125
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$159
$193
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$49.4
$67.5
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
6.19%
6.41%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$8230
$4491
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$5761
$3675
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$2.79
$2.35
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$93.9
$69.5
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$19.4
$18.4
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.22
$0.92
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.49
$1.11
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$2.26
$3.57
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.93
$4.43
🥚 Eggs, x12
$5
$4.7
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$10.6
$13.4
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$8.81
$12.3
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$13.7
$16.8
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.26
$5.12
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.85
$1.85
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.05
$4.48
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.15
$4.77
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.53
$2.83
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.27
$2.9
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.98
$1.48
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$2.49
$2.74
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$13.4
$14.5
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$4.55
$2.41
🚬 Cigarette pack
$25.9
$10.7
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$7.34
$10.5
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$5.25
$6.66
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$2.83
$4.53
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$2.78
$2.2
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$47.7
$52.3
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$14.5
$14.5
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$55.8
$124
💇 Haircut, simple
$20.4
$21.6
👖 Brand Jeans
$72.6
$53.2
👟 Brand Sneakers
$103
$92.4
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$1786
$1428
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$16550
$20562

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in Australia vs the United States

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

In Australia

City Cost of living Population
Sydney
$2640
5.45M
Melbourne
$2308
5.35M
Brisbane
$2065
2.71M
Perth
$2338
2.14M
Adelaide
$2117
1.39M
Gold Coast
$2297
608K
Canberra
$2019
381K
Wollongong
$1580
262K
Sunshine Coast
$1697
284K
Ipswich
$1662
233K
Townsville
$1683
174K
Hobart
$2127
197K
Geelong
$2058
180K
Newcastle
$1839
153K
Darwin
$1647
140K
Cairns
$1513
147K
Ballarat
$1464
116K
Bunbury
$1701
75.2K
Bendigo
$1362
103K
Toowoomba
$1639
108K
Launceston
$1660
80.9K
Melton
$1738
76.3K
Coffs Harbour
$1988
74.2K
Rockhampton
$1482
63.2K
Pakenham
$1725
54.1K
Tarneit
$1673
56.4K
Hervey Bay
$1712
57.7K
Berwick
$1706
50.3K
Blacktown
$1599
51K
Orange
$1364
41.2K

In the United States

City Cost of living Population
New York City
$4203
8.8M
Los Angeles
$3361
3.9M
Chicago
$2799
2.75M
Houston
$2240
2.3M
San Diego
$3469
1.39M
Philadelphia
$2584
1.6M
Phoenix
$2340
1.61M
Dallas
$2447
1.3M
San Francisco
$4110
874K
San Jose
$3952
1.01M
San Antonio
$2023
1.43M
Seattle
$3162
737K
Austin
$2416
962K
Washington
$3328
690K
Boston
$3652
676K
Indianapolis
$2382
888K
Hempstead
$2655
793K
Fort Worth
$2217
919K
Jacksonville
$2222
950K
Charlotte
$2423
875K
Columbus
$2181
906K
Denver
$2775
716K
Portland
$2684
653K
Nashville
$2524
689K
Las Vegas
$2414
642K
Oklahoma City
$1872
681K
Atlanta
$2641
499K
Oakland
$3254
441K
Baltimore
$2323
586K
Sacramento
$2825
525K