Cost of living comparison
compared to
United States vs. Australia Cost of Living Summary
United States is 9.4% more expensive than Australia overall.
- Restaurants
- pay 4.9% more in United States
- Groceries
- pay 24.0% more in United States
- Transportation
- pay 7.9% less in United States
- Housing
- pay 31.3% more in United States
- Childcare
- pay 30.8% more in United States
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 5.2% less in United States
- Clothing
- pay 12.1% less in United States
United States vs. Australia Cost Breakdown
If you lived in United States instead of Australia, you would:
pay 4.9% more for restaurants
Australia | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $17.15 A$24.87 | $19.45 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $9.64 A$13.98 | $11.12 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.63 A$3.82 | $2.56 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.14 A$3.11 | $2.00 | |
Australia vs. United States - Cost of restaurants
pay 24.0% more for groceries
Australia | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $2.39 A$3.47 | $3.56 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $4.21 A$6.11 | $6.50 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $5.84 A$8.47 | $3.97 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $4.36 A$6.33 | $4.27 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $3.87 A$5.61 | $5.41 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $1.48 A$2.15 | $2.37 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $1.27 A$1.84 | $0.78 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.32 A$1.91 | $2.04 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $1.93 A$2.80 | $2.21 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.10 A$1.60 | $1.34 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $0.97 A$1.41 | $1.38 | |
Australia vs. United States - Cost of groceries
pay 7.9% less for transportation
Australia | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $4.48 A$6.49 | $3.41 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $86.18 A$124.98 | $65.85 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $27,666.22 A$40,125.04 | $32,336.38 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $17.83 A$25.86 | $17.61 | |
Australia vs. United States - Cost of transportation
pay 31.3% more for housing
Australia | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $54.93 A$79.67 | $68.97 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $1,188.50 A$1,723.72 | $1,664.59 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $962.42 A$1,395.82 | $1,416.15 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $133.71 A$193.93 | $150.19 | |
Australia vs. United States - Cost of housing
pay 30.8% more for childcare
Australia | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $1,475.00 A$2,139.22 | $1,387.27 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $13,848.50 A$20,084.83 | $23,196.46 | |
Australia vs. United States - Cost of childcare
pay 5.2% less for entertainment and sports
Australia | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $6.47 A$9.38 | $5.84 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $3.56 A$5.17 | $5.15 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $28.78 A$41.74 | $9.90 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $51.13 A$74.16 | $51.45 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $13.10 A$19.00 | $13.64 | |
Australia vs. United States - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 12.1% less for clothing
Australia | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $69.65 A$101.01 | $51.08 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $48.53 A$70.39 | $41.81 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $99.22 A$143.90 | $87.56 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $107.98 A$156.60 | $112.04 | |
Australia vs. United States - 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: June 2026
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