Cost of living comparison
compared to
Canberra vs. Boston Cost of Living Summary
Canberra is 14.6% cheaper than Boston.
- Restaurants
-
pay 17.3% less in Canberra
- Groceries
-
pay 28.7% less in Canberra
- Transportation
-
pay 16.1% more in Canberra
- Housing
-
pay 34.8% less in Canberra
- Childcare
-
pay 44.4% less in Canberra
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 7.5% more in Canberra
- Clothing
-
pay 0.9% less in Canberra
The cost of transportation and entertainment and sports in Canberra are more expensive than in Boston. Expenses including childcare, housing, groceries, restaurants, and clothing are lower in Canberra.
Canberra vs. Boston Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Canberra instead of Boston, you would:
pay 17.3% less for restaurants
|
Boston
|
Canberra
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$25.00
|
$16.34
A$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.00
|
$9.81
A$15.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.87
|
$2.59
A$3.96
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.40
|
$2.24
A$3.42
|
|
Boston vs. Canberra - Cost of restaurants
pay 28.7% less for groceries
|
Boston
|
Canberra
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.16
|
$2.71
A$4.14
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$8.92
|
$4.99
A$7.63
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.80
|
$5.50
A$8.41
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.93
|
$4.31
A$6.60
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.15
|
$4.17
A$6.38
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.70
|
$1.48
A$2.26
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.00
|
$1.35
A$2.06
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.83
|
$1.33
A$2.04
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$3.61
|
$1.86
A$2.84
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$2.09
|
$1.01
A$1.55
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.81
|
$1.04
A$1.59
|
|
Boston vs. Canberra - Cost of groceries
pay 16.1% more for transportation
|
Boston
|
Canberra
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.46
|
$4.42
A$6.75
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$90.00
|
$122.90
A$188.01
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$34,000.00
|
$29,041.09
A$44,425.70
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.52
|
$18.93
A$28.95
|
|
Boston vs. Canberra - Cost of transportation
pay 34.8% less for housing
|
Boston
|
Canberra
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$77.28
|
$51.97
A$79.50
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$3,451.79
|
$1,554.45
A$2,377.92
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,596.36
|
$1,160.39
A$1,775.11
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$153.30
|
$159.03
A$243.28
|
|
Boston vs. Canberra - Cost of housing
pay 44.4% less for childcare
|
Boston
|
Canberra
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,793.33
|
$1,754.20
A$2,683.50
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$27,500.00
|
$13,323.22
A$20,381.24
|
|
Boston vs. Canberra - Cost of childcare
pay 7.5% more for entertainment and sports
|
Boston
|
Canberra
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$6.54
A$10.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.36
|
$3.41
A$5.21
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$13.00
|
$31.05
A$47.50
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$88.48
|
$58.70
A$89.79
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.00
|
$13.07
A$20.00
|
|
Boston vs. Canberra - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 0.9% less for clothing
|
Boston
|
Canberra
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$69.87
|
$69.40
A$106.16
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$43.75
|
$57.75
A$88.34
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$107.71
|
$94.06
A$143.88
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$152.08
|
$118.40
A$181.12
|
|
Boston vs. Canberra - 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
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in United States vs. Australia.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within United States and Australia.
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Canberra or Boston. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.