Cost of living comparison
compared to
Seattle vs. Canberra Cost of Living Summary
Seattle is 35.4% more expensive than Canberra.
- Restaurants
-
pay 33.1% more in Seattle
- Groceries
-
pay 63.9% more in Seattle
- Transportation
-
pay 1.3% less in Seattle
- Housing
-
pay 47.8% more in Seattle
- Childcare
-
pay 75.3% more in Seattle
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 21.1% more in Seattle
- Clothing
-
pay 8.2% more in Seattle
The cost of childcare, groceries, housing, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and clothing in Seattle are more expensive than in Canberra. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Seattle.
Seattle vs. Canberra Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Seattle instead of Canberra, you would:
pay 33.1% more for restaurants
|
Canberra
|
Seattle
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.34
A$24.61
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.81
A$14.76
|
$15.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.59
A$3.90
|
$3.00
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.24
A$3.37
|
$2.47
|
|
Canberra vs. Seattle - Cost of restaurants
pay 63.9% more for groceries
|
Canberra
|
Seattle
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.71
A$4.07
|
$5.23
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.99
A$7.51
|
$11.39
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.50
A$8.27
|
$5.40
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.31
A$6.50
|
$7.32
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.17
A$6.28
|
$7.35
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.48
A$2.23
|
$2.87
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.35
A$2.03
|
$1.26
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.33
A$2.01
|
$2.43
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.86
A$2.80
|
$3.18
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.01
A$1.52
|
$1.47
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.04
A$1.57
|
$1.57
|
|
Canberra vs. Seattle - Cost of groceries
pay 1.3% less for transportation
|
Canberra
|
Seattle
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.42
A$6.65
|
$4.55
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$122.90
A$185.04
|
$99.50
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$29,041.09
A$43,723.43
|
$36,656.56
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.93
A$28.49
|
$16.02
|
|
Canberra vs. Seattle - Cost of transportation
pay 47.8% more for housing
|
Canberra
|
Seattle
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$51.97
A$78.25
|
$78.37
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,554.45
A$2,340.33
|
$2,333.68
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,160.39
A$1,747.05
|
$1,900.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$159.03
A$239.43
|
$200.99
|
|
Canberra vs. Seattle - Cost of housing
pay 75.3% more for childcare
|
Canberra
|
Seattle
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,754.20
A$2,641.08
|
$2,200.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$13,323.22
A$20,059.06
|
$30,000.00
|
|
Canberra vs. Seattle - Cost of childcare
pay 21.1% more for entertainment and sports
|
Canberra
|
Seattle
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.54
A$9.84
|
$7.75
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.41
A$5.13
|
$6.04
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$31.05
A$46.75
|
$12.75
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$58.70
A$88.37
|
$85.87
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.07
A$19.69
|
$16.00
|
|
Canberra vs. Seattle - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 8.2% more for clothing
|
Canberra
|
Seattle
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$69.40
A$104.48
|
$69.52
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$57.75
A$86.94
|
$54.68
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$94.06
A$141.61
|
$116.24
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$118.40
A$178.26
|
$135.08
|
|
Canberra vs. Seattle - 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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