Cost of living comparison
compared to
Columbia vs. Canberra Cost of Living Summary
Columbia is 19.0% more expensive than Canberra.
- Restaurants
-
pay 7.3% more in Columbia
- Groceries
-
pay 37.2% more in Columbia
- Transportation
-
pay 25.1% less in Columbia
- Housing
-
pay 31.8% more in Columbia
- Childcare
-
pay 81.2% more in Columbia
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 4.6% less in Columbia
- Clothing
-
pay 5.0% more in Columbia
The cost of childcare, groceries, housing, restaurants, and clothing in Columbia are more expensive than in Canberra. Expenses including transportation and entertainment and sports are lower in Columbia. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Columbia.
Columbia vs. Canberra Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Columbia instead of Canberra, you would:
pay 7.3% more for restaurants
|
Canberra
|
Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.34
A$24.57
|
$20.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.81
A$14.74
|
$11.25
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.59
A$3.89
|
$2.42
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.24
A$3.36
|
$2.21
|
|
Canberra vs. Columbia - Cost of restaurants
pay 37.2% more for groceries
|
Canberra
|
Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.71
A$4.07
|
$3.87
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.99
A$7.50
|
$6.72
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.50
A$8.26
|
$4.38
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.31
A$6.49
|
$6.45
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.17
A$6.27
|
$4.52
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.48
A$2.22
|
$3.13
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.35
A$2.02
|
$0.58
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.33
A$2.01
|
$3.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.86
A$2.80
|
$2.45
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.01
A$1.52
|
$1.25
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.04
A$1.57
|
$1.50
|
|
Canberra vs. Columbia - Cost of groceries
pay 25.1% less for transportation
|
Canberra
|
Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.42
A$6.64
|
$3.29
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$122.90
A$184.76
|
$74.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$29,041.09
A$43,657.68
|
$28,250.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.93
A$28.45
|
$12.74
|
|
Canberra vs. Columbia - Cost of transportation
pay 31.8% more for housing
|
Canberra
|
Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$51.97
A$78.13
|
$75.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,554.45
A$2,336.81
|
$2,100.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,160.39
A$1,744.42
|
$1,850.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$159.03
A$239.07
|
$140.62
|
|
Canberra vs. Columbia - Cost of housing
pay 81.2% more for childcare
|
Canberra
|
Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,754.20
A$2,637.10
|
$1,966.67
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$13,323.22
A$20,028.89
|
$33,360.00
|
|
Canberra vs. Columbia - Cost of childcare
pay 4.6% less for entertainment and sports
|
Canberra
|
Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.54
A$9.83
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.41
A$5.12
|
$5.04
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$31.05
A$46.68
|
$11.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$58.70
A$88.24
|
$50.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.07
A$19.66
|
$15.25
|
|
Canberra vs. Columbia - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 5.0% more for clothing
|
Canberra
|
Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$69.40
A$104.33
|
$55.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$57.75
A$86.81
|
$70.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$94.06
A$141.40
|
$115.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$118.40
A$177.99
|
$115.00
|
|
Canberra vs. Columbia - 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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