Cost of living comparison
compared to
Boston vs. Australia Cost of Living Summary
Boston is 44.7% more expensive than Australia overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 22.8% more in Boston
- Groceries
-
pay 61.8% more in Boston
- Transportation
-
pay 0.7% less in Boston
- Housing
-
pay 2.0 times more in Boston
- Childcare
-
pay 94.0% more in Boston
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 21.4% more in Boston
- Clothing
-
pay 9.9% more in Boston
The cost of housing, childcare, groceries, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and clothing in Boston are more expensive than in Australia. Notably, housing and childcare are significantly more expensive in Boston.
Boston vs. Australia Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Boston instead of Australia, you would:
pay 22.8% more for restaurants
|
Australia
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.15
A$25.82
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.64
A$14.51
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.63
A$3.96
|
$2.87
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.14
A$3.23
|
$2.40
|
|
Australia vs. Boston - Cost of restaurants
pay 61.8% more for groceries
|
Australia
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.39
A$3.60
|
$4.16
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.21
A$6.34
|
$8.92
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.84
A$8.80
|
$4.80
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.36
A$6.57
|
$4.93
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.87
A$5.83
|
$6.15
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.48
A$2.23
|
$2.70
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.27
A$1.91
|
$1.00
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.32
A$1.98
|
$2.83
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.93
A$2.90
|
$3.61
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.10
A$1.66
|
$2.09
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.97
A$1.47
|
$1.81
|
|
Australia vs. Boston - Cost of groceries
pay 0.7% less for transportation
|
Australia
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.48
A$6.74
|
$3.46
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$86.18
A$129.74
|
$90.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$27,666.22
A$41,653.46
|
$34,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.83
A$26.85
|
$16.52
|
|
Australia vs. Boston - Cost of transportation
pay 2.0 times more for housing
|
Australia
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$54.93
A$82.71
|
$77.28
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,188.50
A$1,789.37
|
$3,451.79
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$962.42
A$1,448.99
|
$2,596.36
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$133.71
A$201.31
|
$153.30
|
|
Australia vs. Boston - Cost of housing
pay 94.0% more for childcare
|
Australia
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,475.00
A$2,220.71
|
$2,793.33
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$13,848.50
A$20,849.89
|
$27,500.00
|
|
Australia vs. Boston - Cost of childcare
pay 21.4% more for entertainment and sports
|
Australia
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.47
A$9.74
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.56
A$5.36
|
$5.36
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$28.78
A$43.33
|
$13.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$51.13
A$76.98
|
$88.48
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.10
A$19.72
|
$15.00
|
|
Australia vs. Boston - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 9.9% more for clothing
|
Australia
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$69.65
A$104.86
|
$69.87
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$48.53
A$73.07
|
$43.75
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$99.22
A$149.38
|
$107.71
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$107.98
A$162.57
|
$152.08
|
|
Australia vs. Boston - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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