Cost of living comparison
compared to
Canberra vs. Cairns Cost of Living Summary
Canberra is 3.4% more expensive than Cairns.
- Restaurants
-
pay 6.8% less in Canberra
- Groceries
-
pay 0.3% more in Canberra
- Transportation
-
pay 18.9% more in Canberra
- Housing
-
pay 13.1% more in Canberra
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 8.3% more in Canberra
- Clothing
-
pay 13.2% less in Canberra
The cost of transportation, housing, entertainment and sports, and groceries in Canberra are more expensive than in Cairns. Expenses including clothing and restaurants are lower in Canberra.
Canberra vs. Cairns Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Canberra instead of Cairns, you would:
pay 6.8% less for restaurants
|
Cairns
|
Canberra
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$13.74
A$21.02
|
$16.34
A$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.78
A$18.01
|
$9.81
A$15.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.14
A$4.80
|
$2.59
A$3.96
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.53
A$3.88
|
$2.24
A$3.42
|
|
Cairns vs. Canberra - Cost of restaurants
pay 0.3% more for groceries
|
Cairns
|
Canberra
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.62
A$4.00
|
$2.71
A$4.14
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.03
A$6.17
|
$4.99
A$7.63
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.81
A$10.42
|
$5.50
A$8.41
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.01
A$6.13
|
$4.31
A$6.60
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.76
A$7.29
|
$4.17
A$6.38
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.48
A$2.27
|
$1.48
A$2.26
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.03
A$1.58
|
$1.35
A$2.06
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.24
A$1.89
|
$1.33
A$2.04
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.84
A$4.34
|
$1.86
A$2.84
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.01
A$1.54
|
$1.01
A$1.55
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.09
A$1.66
|
$1.04
A$1.59
|
|
Cairns vs. Canberra - Cost of groceries
pay 18.9% more for transportation
|
Cairns
|
Canberra
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.29
A$6.56
|
$4.42
A$6.75
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.42
A$100.07
|
$122.90
A$188.01
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$22,896.08
A$35,025.35
|
$29,041.09
A$44,425.70
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$32.71
A$50.04
|
$18.93
A$28.95
|
|
Cairns vs. Canberra - Cost of transportation
pay 13.1% more for housing
|
Cairns
|
Canberra
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$59.69
A$91.32
|
$51.97
A$79.50
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,251.11
A$1,913.88
|
$1,554.45
A$2,377.92
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,105.55
A$1,691.22
|
$1,160.39
A$1,775.11
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$116.73
A$178.56
|
$159.03
A$243.28
|
|
Cairns vs. Canberra - Cost of housing
pay (unknown) more for childcare
|
Cairns
|
Canberra
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | ?? |
$1,754.20
A$2,683.50
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | ?? |
$13,323.22
A$20,381.24
|
Cairns vs. Canberra - Cost of childcare
pay 8.3% more for entertainment and sports
|
Cairns
|
Canberra
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.54
A$10.01
|
$6.54
A$10.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.09
A$6.25
|
$3.41
A$5.21
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$29.44
A$45.03
|
$31.05
A$47.50
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$38.38
A$58.71
|
$58.70
A$89.79
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.08
A$20.01
|
$13.07
A$20.00
|
|
Cairns vs. Canberra - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 13.2% less for clothing
|
Cairns
|
Canberra
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$84.82
A$129.76
|
$69.40
A$106.16
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$67.60
A$103.41
|
$57.75
A$88.34
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$100.09
A$153.11
|
$94.06
A$143.88
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$137.38
A$210.15
|
$118.40
A$181.12
|
|
Cairns 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
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