Cost of living comparison
California is 21.5% more expensive than Australia.
If you lived in California instead of Australia, you would:
pay 12.3% more for restaurants
Australia
|
California
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.79
A$25.60
|
$19.89
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.81
A$14.96
|
$11.74
|
|
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.56
A$3.91
|
$2.75
|
|
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.14
A$3.26
|
$2.23
|
|
pay 29.5% more for groceries
Australia
|
California
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.33
A$3.55
|
$4.10
|
|
Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.71
A$7.19
|
$6.78
|
|
Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.75
A$8.77
|
$4.57
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.86
A$5.88
|
$4.34
|
|
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.99
A$6.08
|
$5.53
|
|
Apples (1 lb) |
$1.43
A$2.18
|
$2.29
|
|
Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.25
A$1.90
|
$0.95
|
|
Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.39
A$2.11
|
$1.95
|
|
Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.00
A$3.05
|
$2.23
|
|
Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.13
A$1.72
|
$1.49
|
|
Onions (1 lb) |
$0.95
A$1.44
|
$1.45
|
|
pay 0.6% more for transportation
Australia
|
California
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.73
A$7.21
|
$4.84
|
|
Monthly public transit pass |
$84.46
A$128.75
|
$67.11
|
|
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$27,859.34
A$42,468.50
|
$29,950.13
|
|
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.12
A$27.63
|
$20.46
|
|
pay 61.1% more for housing
Australia
|
California
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$55.36
A$84.39
|
$69.38
|
|
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,258.08
A$1,917.80
|
$2,333.22
|
|
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$971.44
A$1,480.86
|
$2,022.14
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$141.88
A$216.29
|
$178.08
|
|
pay 60.1% more for childcare
Australia
|
California
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,377.23
A$2,099.43
|
$1,629.83
|
|
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$14,720.56
A$22,439.87
|
$29,739.09
|
|
pay 5.0% more for entertainment and sports
Australia
|
California
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.69
A$10.20
|
$7.06
|
|
Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.60
A$5.49
|
$5.27
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$28.13
A$42.89
|
$10.99
|
|
Monthly membership at local gym |
$53.84
A$82.07
|
$68.71
|
|
Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.24
A$20.18
|
$14.08
|
|
pay 18.4% less for clothing
Australia
|
California
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$75.27
A$114.75
|
$52.63
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$54.30
A$82.78
|
$41.12
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$102.43
A$156.14
|
$84.49
|
|
Men's business shoes (leather) |
$118.12
A$180.06
|
$115.90
|
|
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