Cost of living comparison
compared to
Hervey Bay vs. Canberra Cost of Living Summary
Hervey Bay is 10.8% cheaper than Canberra.
- Restaurants
-
pay 0.3% less in Hervey Bay
- Groceries
-
pay 15.0% less in Hervey Bay
- Transportation
-
pay 0.5% more in Hervey Bay
- Housing
-
pay 19.0% less in Hervey Bay
- Childcare
-
pay 8.2% less in Hervey Bay
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 1.0% less in Hervey Bay
- Clothing
-
pay 32.7% less in Hervey Bay
Expenses including clothing, housing, groceries, childcare, entertainment and sports, and restaurants are lower in Hervey Bay.
Hervey Bay vs. Canberra Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Hervey Bay instead of Canberra, you would:
pay 0.3% less for restaurants
|
Canberra
|
Hervey Bay
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.34
A$24.57
|
$16.35
A$24.59
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.81
A$14.74
|
$9.99
A$15.02
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.59
A$3.89
|
$2.66
A$4.00
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.24
A$3.36
|
$2.10
A$3.16
|
|
Canberra vs. Hervey Bay - Cost of restaurants
pay 15.0% less for groceries
|
Canberra
|
Hervey Bay
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.71
A$4.07
|
$1.08
A$1.62
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.99
A$7.50
|
$4.44
A$6.68
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.50
A$8.26
|
$5.66
A$8.51
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.31
A$6.49
|
$3.14
A$4.72
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.17
A$6.27
|
$2.67
A$4.01
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.48
A$2.22
|
$1.54
A$2.32
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.35
A$2.02
|
$1.04
A$1.56
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.33
A$2.01
|
$1.29
A$1.94
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.86
A$2.80
|
$2.12
A$3.19
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.01
A$1.52
|
$0.89
A$1.34
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.04
A$1.57
|
$0.89
A$1.34
|
|
Canberra vs. Hervey Bay - Cost of groceries
pay 0.5% more for transportation
|
Canberra
|
Hervey Bay
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.42
A$6.64
|
$4.62
A$6.94
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$122.90
A$184.76
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$29,041.09
A$43,657.68
|
$29,060.36
A$43,686.64
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.93
A$28.45
|
$18.32
A$27.54
|
|
Canberra vs. Hervey Bay - Cost of transportation
pay 19.0% less for housing
|
Canberra
|
Hervey Bay
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$51.97
A$78.13
|
$53.35
A$80.20
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,554.45
A$2,336.81
|
$1,046.68
A$1,573.48
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,160.39
A$1,744.42
|
$981.26
A$1,475.14
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$159.03
A$239.07
|
$110.50
A$166.11
|
|
Canberra vs. Hervey Bay - Cost of housing
pay 8.2% less for childcare
|
Canberra
|
Hervey Bay
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,754.20
A$2,637.10
|
$1,789.27
A$2,689.83
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$13,323.22
A$20,028.89
|
$10,865.50
A$16,334.18
|
|
Canberra vs. Hervey Bay - Cost of childcare
pay 1.0% less for entertainment and sports
|
Canberra
|
Hervey Bay
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.54
A$9.83
|
$5.56
A$8.36
|
|
| 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
|
$32.71
A$49.17
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$58.70
A$88.24
|
?? | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.07
A$19.66
|
$13.08
A$19.67
|
|
Canberra vs. Hervey Bay - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 32.7% less for clothing
|
Canberra
|
Hervey Bay
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$69.40
A$104.33
|
$58.88
A$88.51
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$57.75
A$86.81
|
$41.64
A$62.60
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$94.06
A$141.40
|
$58.88
A$88.51
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$118.40
A$177.99
|
$58.88
A$88.51
|
|
Canberra vs. Hervey Bay - 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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