Cost of living comparison
compared to
Costa Mesa vs. Canberra Cost of Living Summary
Costa Mesa is 7.8% more expensive than Canberra.
- Restaurants
-
pay 18.0% more in Costa Mesa
- Groceries
-
pay 24.0% more in Costa Mesa
- Transportation
-
pay 0.2% more in Costa Mesa
- Housing
-
pay 62.1% more in Costa Mesa
- Childcare
-
pay 31.3% less in Costa Mesa
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 1.6% more in Costa Mesa
- Clothing
-
pay 19.9% less in Costa Mesa
The cost of housing, groceries, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and transportation in Costa Mesa are more expensive than in Canberra. Expenses including childcare and clothing are lower in Costa Mesa.
Costa Mesa vs. Canberra Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Costa Mesa instead of Canberra, you would:
pay 18.0% more for restaurants
|
Canberra
|
Costa Mesa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.34
A$25.00
|
$20.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.81
A$15.00
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.59
A$3.96
|
$3.33
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.24
A$3.42
|
$2.20
|
|
Canberra vs. Costa Mesa - Cost of restaurants
pay 24.0% more for groceries
|
Canberra
|
Costa Mesa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.71
A$4.14
|
$3.76
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.99
A$7.63
|
$5.32
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.50
A$8.41
|
$4.28
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.31
A$6.60
|
$4.99
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.17
A$6.38
|
$4.74
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.48
A$2.26
|
$2.00
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.35
A$2.06
|
$0.87
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.33
A$2.04
|
$2.00
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.86
A$2.84
|
$2.56
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.01
A$1.55
|
$2.00
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.04
A$1.59
|
$1.32
|
|
Canberra vs. Costa Mesa - Cost of groceries
pay 0.2% more for transportation
|
Canberra
|
Costa Mesa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.42
A$6.75
|
$4.74
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$122.90
A$188.01
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$29,041.09
A$44,425.70
|
$26,999.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.93
A$28.95
|
?? | |
Canberra vs. Costa Mesa - Cost of transportation
pay 62.1% more for housing
|
Canberra
|
Costa Mesa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$51.97
A$79.50
|
$62.33
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,554.45
A$2,377.92
|
$2,798.67
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,160.39
A$1,775.11
|
$2,466.67
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$159.03
A$243.28
|
$216.33
|
|
Canberra vs. Costa Mesa - Cost of housing
pay 31.3% less for childcare
|
Canberra
|
Costa Mesa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,754.20
A$2,683.50
|
$1,206.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$13,323.22
A$20,381.24
|
?? | |
Canberra vs. Costa Mesa - Cost of childcare
pay 1.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
Canberra
|
Costa Mesa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.54
A$10.00
|
$7.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.41
A$5.21
|
$5.83
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$31.05
A$47.50
|
$11.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$58.70
A$89.79
|
$40.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.07
A$20.00
|
$16.50
|
|
Canberra vs. Costa Mesa - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 19.9% less for clothing
|
Canberra
|
Costa Mesa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$69.40
A$106.16
|
$54.27
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$57.75
A$88.34
|
$34.67
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$94.06
A$143.88
|
$90.25
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$118.40
A$181.12
|
$102.25
|
|
Canberra vs. Costa Mesa - 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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