Cost of living comparison
compared to
Monterey vs. Canberra Cost of Living Summary
Monterey is 0.4% cheaper than Canberra.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.8% less in Monterey
- Groceries
-
pay 2.2% less in Monterey
- Transportation
-
pay 24.9% less in Monterey
- Housing
-
pay 31.2% more in Monterey
- Childcare
-
pay 37.1% less in Monterey
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 12.0% less in Monterey
- Clothing
-
pay 44.7% more in Monterey
The cost of clothing and housing in Monterey are more expensive than in Canberra. Expenses including childcare, transportation, entertainment and sports, restaurants, and groceries are lower in Monterey.
Monterey vs. Canberra Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Monterey instead of Canberra, you would:
pay 2.8% less for restaurants
|
Canberra
|
Monterey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.34
A$24.57
|
$16.46
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.81
A$14.74
|
$9.22
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.59
A$3.89
|
$3.11
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.24
A$3.36
|
$1.65
|
|
Canberra vs. Monterey - Cost of restaurants
pay 2.2% less for groceries
|
Canberra
|
Monterey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.71
A$4.07
|
$3.45
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.99
A$7.50
|
$4.67
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.50
A$8.26
|
$5.00
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.31
A$6.49
|
$3.91
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.17
A$6.27
|
$8.00
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.48
A$2.22
|
$1.76
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.35
A$2.02
|
$0.53
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.33
A$2.01
|
$1.14
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.86
A$2.80
|
$1.00
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.01
A$1.52
|
$0.89
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.04
A$1.57
|
$1.00
|
|
Canberra vs. Monterey - Cost of groceries
pay 24.9% less for transportation
|
Canberra
|
Monterey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.42
A$6.64
|
$4.66
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$122.90
A$184.76
|
$53.80
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$29,041.09
A$43,657.68
|
$30,323.95
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.93
A$28.45
|
$8.85
|
|
Canberra vs. Monterey - Cost of transportation
pay 31.2% more for housing
|
Canberra
|
Monterey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$51.97
A$78.13
|
$59.17
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,554.45
A$2,336.81
|
$2,300.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,160.39
A$1,744.42
|
$2,000.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$159.03
A$239.07
|
$144.15
|
|
Canberra vs. Monterey - Cost of housing
pay 37.1% less for childcare
|
Canberra
|
Monterey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,754.20
A$2,637.10
|
$562.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$13,323.22
A$20,028.89
|
$12,489.48
|
|
Canberra vs. Monterey - Cost of childcare
pay 12.0% less for entertainment and sports
|
Canberra
|
Monterey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.54
A$9.83
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.41
A$5.12
|
$4.77
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$31.05
A$46.68
|
$12.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$58.70
A$88.24
|
$43.25
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.07
A$19.66
|
$12.50
|
|
Canberra vs. Monterey - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 44.7% more for clothing
|
Canberra
|
Monterey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$69.40
A$104.33
|
$68.33
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$57.75
A$86.81
|
$120.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$94.06
A$141.40
|
$97.50
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$118.40
A$177.99
|
$200.00
|
|
Canberra vs. Monterey - 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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