Cost of living comparison
compared to
Ballarat vs. Canberra Cost of Living Summary
Ballarat is 10.5% cheaper than Canberra.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.2% more in Ballarat
- Groceries
-
pay 2.0% more in Ballarat
- Transportation
-
pay 22.1% less in Ballarat
- Housing
-
pay 27.8% less in Ballarat
- Childcare
-
pay 5.4% less in Ballarat
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 11.6% less in Ballarat
- Clothing
-
pay 10.6% less in Ballarat
The cost of restaurants and groceries in Ballarat are more expensive than in Canberra. Expenses including housing, transportation, entertainment and sports, clothing, and childcare are lower in Ballarat.
Ballarat vs. Canberra Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Ballarat instead of Canberra, you would:
pay 2.2% more for restaurants
|
Canberra
|
Ballarat
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.34
A$24.57
|
$18.32
A$27.54
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.81
A$14.74
|
$9.81
A$14.75
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.59
A$3.89
|
$2.69
A$4.05
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.24
A$3.36
|
$2.07
A$3.11
|
|
Canberra vs. Ballarat - Cost of restaurants
pay 2.0% more for groceries
|
Canberra
|
Ballarat
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.71
A$4.07
|
$2.57
A$3.86
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.99
A$7.50
|
$4.60
A$6.91
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.50
A$8.26
|
$6.19
A$9.31
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.31
A$6.49
|
$4.17
A$6.27
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.17
A$6.27
|
$4.11
A$6.18
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.48
A$2.22
|
$1.52
A$2.28
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.35
A$2.02
|
$1.36
A$2.04
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.33
A$2.01
|
$1.29
A$1.93
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.86
A$2.80
|
$1.72
A$2.59
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.01
A$1.52
|
$1.29
A$1.94
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.04
A$1.57
|
$1.11
A$1.67
|
|
Canberra vs. Ballarat - Cost of groceries
pay 22.1% less for transportation
|
Canberra
|
Ballarat
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.42
A$6.64
|
$4.26
A$6.40
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$122.90
A$184.76
|
$66.07
A$99.33
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$29,041.09
A$43,657.68
|
$28,026.76
A$42,132.83
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.93
A$28.45
|
$12.30
A$18.49
|
|
Canberra vs. Ballarat - Cost of transportation
pay 27.8% less for housing
|
Canberra
|
Ballarat
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$51.97
A$78.13
|
$51.49
A$77.40
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,554.45
A$2,336.81
|
$856.97
A$1,288.29
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,160.39
A$1,744.42
|
$632.37
A$950.64
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$159.03
A$239.07
|
$127.27
A$191.33
|
|
Canberra vs. Ballarat - Cost of housing
pay 5.4% less for childcare
|
Canberra
|
Ballarat
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,754.20
A$2,637.10
|
$327.09
A$491.71
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$13,323.22
A$20,028.89
|
$22,736.38
A$34,179.76
|
|
Canberra vs. Ballarat - Cost of childcare
pay 11.6% less for entertainment and sports
|
Canberra
|
Ballarat
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.54
A$9.83
|
$6.21
A$9.34
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.41
A$5.12
|
$3.60
A$5.41
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$31.05
A$46.68
|
$31.40
A$47.20
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$58.70
A$88.24
|
$32.44
A$48.76
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.07
A$19.66
|
$11.12
A$16.72
|
|
Canberra vs. Ballarat - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 10.6% less for clothing
|
Canberra
|
Ballarat
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$69.40
A$104.33
|
$65.64
A$98.67
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$57.75
A$86.81
|
$53.21
A$80.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$94.06
A$141.40
|
$87.01
A$130.80
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$118.40
A$177.99
|
$92.67
A$139.32
|
|
Canberra vs. Ballarat - 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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