Cost of living comparison
compared to
Santa Maria vs. Canberra Cost of Living Summary
Santa Maria is 12.4% more expensive than Canberra.
- Restaurants
-
pay 17.8% more in Santa Maria
- Groceries
-
pay 12.5% more in Santa Maria
- Transportation
-
pay 4.2% more in Santa Maria
- Housing
-
pay 35.6% more in Santa Maria
- Childcare
-
pay 51.6% more in Santa Maria
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 9.8% less in Santa Maria
- Clothing
-
pay 25.0% less in Santa Maria
The cost of childcare, housing, restaurants, groceries, and transportation in Santa Maria are more expensive than in Canberra. Expenses including clothing and entertainment and sports are lower in Santa Maria.
Santa Maria vs. Canberra Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Santa Maria instead of Canberra, you would:
pay 17.8% more for restaurants
|
Canberra
|
Santa Maria
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.34
A$24.57
|
$23.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.81
A$14.74
|
$13.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.59
A$3.89
|
$2.50
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.24
A$3.36
|
$2.26
|
|
Canberra vs. Santa Maria - Cost of restaurants
pay 12.5% more for groceries
|
Canberra
|
Santa Maria
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.71
A$4.07
|
$3.47
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.99
A$7.50
|
$6.22
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.50
A$8.26
|
$4.71
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.31
A$6.49
|
$3.50
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.17
A$6.27
|
$6.20
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.48
A$2.22
|
$1.70
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.35
A$2.02
|
$0.76
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.33
A$2.01
|
$1.79
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.86
A$2.80
|
$2.05
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.01
A$1.52
|
$1.38
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.04
A$1.57
|
$1.22
|
|
Canberra vs. Santa Maria - Cost of groceries
pay 4.2% more for transportation
|
Canberra
|
Santa Maria
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.42
A$6.64
|
$4.62
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$122.90
A$184.76
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$29,041.09
A$43,657.68
|
$32,727.50
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.93
A$28.45
|
$18.01
|
|
Canberra vs. Santa Maria - Cost of transportation
pay 35.6% more for housing
|
Canberra
|
Santa Maria
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$51.97
A$78.13
|
$74.01
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,554.45
A$2,336.81
|
$2,241.33
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,160.39
A$1,744.42
|
$2,050.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$159.03
A$239.07
|
$126.18
|
|
Canberra vs. Santa Maria - Cost of housing
pay 51.6% more for childcare
|
Canberra
|
Santa Maria
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,754.20
A$2,637.10
|
$1,762.50
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$13,323.22
A$20,028.89
|
$27,000.00
|
|
Canberra vs. Santa Maria - Cost of childcare
pay 9.8% less for entertainment and sports
|
Canberra
|
Santa Maria
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.54
A$9.83
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.41
A$5.12
|
$4.83
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$31.05
A$46.68
|
$11.50
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$58.70
A$88.24
|
$25.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.07
A$19.66
|
$18.00
|
|
Canberra vs. Santa Maria - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 25.0% less for clothing
|
Canberra
|
Santa Maria
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$69.40
A$104.33
|
$60.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$57.75
A$86.81
|
$39.99
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$94.06
A$141.40
|
$72.50
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$118.40
A$177.99
|
$79.50
|
|
Canberra vs. Santa Maria - 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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