Cost of living comparison
compared to
Bethesda vs. Canberra Cost of Living Summary
Bethesda is 38.6% more expensive than Canberra.
- Restaurants
-
pay 3.4% less in Bethesda
- Groceries
-
pay 5.5% more in Bethesda
- Transportation
-
pay 22.7% less in Bethesda
- Housing
-
pay 18.9% more in Bethesda
- Childcare
-
pay 3.3 times more in Bethesda
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 29.7% more in Bethesda
- Clothing
-
pay 7.8% more in Bethesda
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, housing, clothing, and groceries in Bethesda are more expensive than in Canberra. Expenses including transportation and restaurants are lower in Bethesda. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Bethesda.
Bethesda vs. Canberra Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Bethesda instead of Canberra, you would:
pay 3.4% less for restaurants
|
Canberra
|
Bethesda
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.34
A$23.30
|
$16.50
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.81
A$13.98
|
$8.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.59
A$3.69
|
$2.50
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.24
A$3.19
|
$2.40
|
|
Canberra vs. Bethesda - Cost of restaurants
pay 5.5% more for groceries
|
Canberra
|
Bethesda
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.71
A$3.86
|
$3.97
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.99
A$7.11
|
$4.38
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.50
A$7.83
|
$3.58
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.31
A$6.15
|
$4.33
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.17
A$5.95
|
$4.87
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.48
A$2.11
|
$2.08
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.35
A$1.92
|
$0.63
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.33
A$1.90
|
$1.86
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.86
A$2.65
|
$1.90
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.01
A$1.44
|
$0.99
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.04
A$1.48
|
$1.22
|
|
Canberra vs. Bethesda - Cost of groceries
pay 22.7% less for transportation
|
Canberra
|
Bethesda
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.42
A$6.29
|
$3.16
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$122.90
A$175.23
|
$100.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$29,041.09
A$41,404.47
|
$23,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.93
A$26.98
|
$14.58
|
|
Canberra vs. Bethesda - Cost of transportation
pay 18.9% more for housing
|
Canberra
|
Bethesda
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$51.97
A$74.10
|
$62.50
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,554.45
A$2,216.21
|
$2,250.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,160.39
A$1,654.39
|
$1,866.67
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$159.03
A$226.73
|
$79.25
|
|
Canberra vs. Bethesda - Cost of housing
pay 3.3 times more for childcare
|
Canberra
|
Bethesda
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,754.20
A$2,501.00
|
$3,175.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$13,323.22
A$18,995.18
|
$65,000.00
|
|
Canberra vs. Bethesda - Cost of childcare
pay 29.7% more for entertainment and sports
|
Canberra
|
Bethesda
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.54
A$9.32
|
$5.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.41
A$4.86
|
$5.60
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$31.05
A$44.27
|
$14.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$58.70
A$83.69
|
$141.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.07
A$18.64
|
$16.00
|
|
Canberra vs. Bethesda - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 7.8% more for clothing
|
Canberra
|
Bethesda
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$69.40
A$98.94
|
$70.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$57.75
A$82.33
|
$56.67
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$94.06
A$134.10
|
$115.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$118.40
A$168.80
|
$130.00
|
|
Canberra vs. Bethesda - 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: February 2026
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