Cost of living comparison
compared to
Sunshine Coast vs. Canberra Cost of Living Summary
Sunshine Coast is 21.9% cheaper than Canberra.
- Restaurants
-
pay 7.5% less in Sunshine Coast
- Groceries
-
pay 11.7% less in Sunshine Coast
- Transportation
-
pay 23.9% less in Sunshine Coast
- Housing
-
pay 24.9% less in Sunshine Coast
- Childcare
-
pay 64.8% less in Sunshine Coast
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 7.2% less in Sunshine Coast
- Clothing
-
pay 13.3% less in Sunshine Coast
Expenses including childcare, housing, transportation, clothing, groceries, and restaurants are lower in Sunshine Coast.
Sunshine Coast vs. Canberra Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Sunshine Coast instead of Canberra, you would:
pay 7.5% less for restaurants
|
Canberra
|
Sunshine Coast
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.34
A$24.70
|
$14.72
A$22.24
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.81
A$14.82
|
$8.93
A$13.49
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.59
A$3.91
|
$2.18
A$3.30
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.24
A$3.38
|
$2.34
A$3.53
|
|
Canberra vs. Sunshine Coast - Cost of restaurants
pay 11.7% less for groceries
|
Canberra
|
Sunshine Coast
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.71
A$4.09
|
$1.86
A$2.81
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.99
A$7.53
|
$3.78
A$5.71
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.50
A$8.30
|
$4.77
A$7.20
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.31
A$6.52
|
$4.34
A$6.56
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.17
A$6.30
|
$4.04
A$6.10
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.48
A$2.24
|
$1.23
A$1.86
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.35
A$2.03
|
$1.07
A$1.61
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.33
A$2.02
|
$1.62
A$2.45
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.86
A$2.81
|
$1.78
A$2.68
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.01
A$1.53
|
$0.88
A$1.33
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.04
A$1.57
|
$0.79
A$1.20
|
|
Canberra vs. Sunshine Coast - Cost of groceries
pay 23.9% less for transportation
|
Canberra
|
Sunshine Coast
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.42
A$6.67
|
$4.40
A$6.64
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$122.90
A$185.71
|
$37.61
A$56.84
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$29,041.09
A$43,882.11
|
$29,060.36
A$43,911.22
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.93
A$28.60
|
$14.01
A$21.17
|
|
Canberra vs. Sunshine Coast - Cost of transportation
pay 24.9% less for housing
|
Canberra
|
Sunshine Coast
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$51.97
A$78.53
|
$44.16
A$66.72
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,554.45
A$2,348.83
|
$1,103.92
A$1,668.06
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,160.39
A$1,753.39
|
$945.28
A$1,428.35
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$159.03
A$240.30
|
$100.05
A$151.18
|
|
Canberra vs. Sunshine Coast - Cost of housing
pay 64.8% less for childcare
|
Canberra
|
Sunshine Coast
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,754.20
A$2,650.66
|
$294.38
A$444.82
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$13,323.22
A$20,131.85
|
$7,156.66
A$10,813.96
|
|
Canberra vs. Sunshine Coast - Cost of childcare
pay 7.2% less for entertainment and sports
|
Canberra
|
Sunshine Coast
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.54
A$9.88
|
$6.54
A$9.88
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.41
A$5.15
|
$3.50
A$5.30
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$31.05
A$46.92
|
$23.55
A$35.59
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$58.70
A$88.69
|
$49.88
A$75.37
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.07
A$19.76
|
$13.08
A$19.77
|
|
Canberra vs. Sunshine Coast - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 13.3% less for clothing
|
Canberra
|
Sunshine Coast
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$69.40
A$104.86
|
$60.51
A$91.43
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$57.75
A$87.26
|
$48.28
A$72.95
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$94.06
A$142.12
|
$90.28
A$136.41
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$118.40
A$178.91
|
$94.86
A$143.33
|
|
Canberra vs. Sunshine Coast - 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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