Cost of living comparison
compared to
North Carolina vs. Australia Cost of Living Summary
North Carolina is 6.7% more expensive than Australia overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 5.0% less in North Carolina
- Groceries
-
pay 33.2% more in North Carolina
- Transportation
-
pay 7.4% less in North Carolina
- Housing
-
pay 21.9% more in North Carolina
- Childcare
-
pay 31.8% more in North Carolina
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 13.0% less in North Carolina
- Clothing
-
pay 14.9% less in North Carolina
The cost of groceries, childcare, and housing in North Carolina are more expensive than in Australia. Expenses including clothing, entertainment and sports, transportation, and restaurants are lower in North Carolina.
North Carolina vs. Australia Cost Breakdown
If you lived in North Carolina instead of Australia, you would:
pay 5.0% less for restaurants
|
Australia
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.15
A$26.23
|
$17.06
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.64
A$14.74
|
$10.47
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.63
A$4.03
|
$2.28
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.14
A$3.28
|
$1.82
|
|
Australia vs. North Carolina - Cost of restaurants
pay 33.2% more for groceries
|
Australia
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.39
A$3.66
|
$3.79
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.21
A$6.45
|
$6.80
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.84
A$8.94
|
$3.73
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.36
A$6.68
|
$3.98
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.87
A$5.92
|
$5.20
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.48
A$2.27
|
$2.47
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.27
A$1.94
|
$0.71
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.32
A$2.01
|
$2.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.93
A$2.95
|
$2.38
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.10
A$1.68
|
$1.74
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.97
A$1.49
|
$1.80
|
|
Australia vs. North Carolina - Cost of groceries
pay 7.4% less for transportation
|
Australia
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.48
A$6.85
|
$2.98
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$86.18
A$131.83
|
$60.67
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$27,666.22
A$42,322.49
|
$33,588.64
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.83
A$27.28
|
$19.99
|
|
Australia vs. North Carolina - Cost of transportation
pay 21.9% more for housing
|
Australia
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$54.93
A$84.03
|
$72.77
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,188.50
A$1,818.11
|
$1,488.15
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$962.42
A$1,472.26
|
$1,261.77
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$133.71
A$204.55
|
$132.31
|
|
Australia vs. North Carolina - Cost of housing
pay 31.8% more for childcare
|
Australia
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,475.00
A$2,256.38
|
$1,261.89
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$13,848.50
A$21,184.78
|
$24,633.15
|
|
Australia vs. North Carolina - Cost of childcare
pay 13.0% less for entertainment and sports
|
Australia
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.47
A$9.90
|
$5.12
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.56
A$5.45
|
$4.82
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$28.78
A$44.02
|
$7.77
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$51.13
A$78.22
|
$48.40
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.10
A$20.04
|
$12.98
|
|
Australia vs. North Carolina - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 14.9% less for clothing
|
Australia
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$69.65
A$106.54
|
$49.30
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$48.53
A$74.24
|
$37.76
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$99.22
A$151.78
|
$88.37
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$107.98
A$165.18
|
$111.01
|
|
Australia vs. North Carolina - 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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