Cost of living comparison

compared to

Des Plaines vs. Canberra Cost of Living Summary

Des Plaines is 11.4% more expensive than Canberra.

Restaurants: pay 5.9% more in Des Plaines
Groceries: pay 14.4% more in Des Plaines
Transportation: pay 22.1% less in Des Plaines
Housing: pay 19.1% more in Des Plaines
Childcare: pay 38.8% more in Des Plaines
Entertainment and Sports: pay 27.1% more in Des Plaines
Clothing: pay 3.3% less in Des Plaines

The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, housing, groceries, and restaurants in Des Plaines are more expensive than in Canberra. Expenses including transportation and clothing are lower in Des Plaines.

Des Plaines vs. Canberra Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Des Plaines instead of Canberra, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 5.9% more for restaurants

	Canberra	Des Plaines
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$16.34 A$25.00	$15.50	-5.2%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$9.81 A$15.00	$12.00	+22.4%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$2.59 A$3.96	$2.75	+6.1%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$2.24 A$3.42	$2.25	+0.5%
Average			+5.9%

Canberra vs. Des Plaines - Cost of restaurants

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pay 14.4% more for groceries

	Canberra	Des Plaines
Bread 1 loaf	$2.71 A$4.14	$3.90	+44.3%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$4.99 A$7.63	$7.05	+41.4%
Milk (1 gallon)	$5.50 A$8.41	$3.49	-36.4%
Eggs 1 dozen	$4.31 A$6.60	$4.13	-4.2%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$4.17 A$6.38	$5.56	+33.4%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.48 A$2.26	$2.02	+36.3%
Bananas (1 lb)	$1.35 A$2.06	$0.77	-43.1%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.33 A$2.04	$1.85	+38.9%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.86 A$2.84	$2.09	+12.3%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$1.01 A$1.55	$1.16	+14.3%
Onions (1 lb)	$1.04 A$1.59	$1.26	+20.9%
Average			+14.4%

Canberra vs. Des Plaines - Cost of groceries

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pay 22.1% less for transportation

	Canberra	Des Plaines
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.42 A$6.75	$3.46	-21.6%
Monthly public transit pass	$122.90 A$188.01	$60.00	-51.2%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$29,041.09 A$44,425.70	$29,500.00	+1.6%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$18.93 A$28.95	$15.68	-17.1%
Average			-22.1%

Canberra vs. Des Plaines - Cost of transportation

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pay 19.1% more for housing

	Canberra	Des Plaines
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$51.97 A$79.50	$72.85	+40.2%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$1,554.45 A$2,377.92	$1,700.00	+9.4%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$1,160.39 A$1,775.11	$1,600.00	+37.9%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$159.03 A$243.28	$141.41	-11.1%
Average			+19.1%

Canberra vs. Des Plaines - Cost of housing

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pay 38.8% more for childcare

	Canberra	Des Plaines
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$1,754.20 A$2,683.50	$1,628.82	-7.1%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$13,323.22 A$20,381.24	$24,601.00	+84.6%
Average			+38.8%

Canberra vs. Des Plaines - Cost of childcare

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pay 27.1% more for entertainment and sports

	Canberra	Des Plaines
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$6.54 A$10.00	$6.50	-0.6%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$3.41 A$5.21	$5.53	+62.4%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$31.05 A$47.50	$14.50	-53.3%
Monthly membership at local gym	$58.70 A$89.79	$124.50	+112.1%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$13.07 A$20.00	$15.00	+14.7%
Average			+27.1%

Canberra vs. Des Plaines - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 3.3% less for clothing

	Canberra	Des Plaines
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$69.40 A$106.16	$64.24	-7.4%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$57.75 A$88.34	$48.33	-16.3%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$94.06 A$143.88	$99.48	+5.8%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$118.40 A$181.12	$124.00	+4.7%
Average			-3.3%

Canberra vs. Des Plaines - Cost of clothing

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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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