Cost of living comparison
compared to
The Villages vs. Canberra Cost of Living Summary
The Villages is 4.2% cheaper than Canberra.
- Restaurants
-
pay 4.9% less in The Villages
- Groceries
-
pay 54.1% more in The Villages
- Transportation
-
pay 30.8% less in The Villages
- Housing
-
pay 1.8% less in The Villages
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 10.9% less in The Villages
- Clothing
-
pay 31.2% less in The Villages
Expenses including clothing, transportation, entertainment and sports, restaurants, and housing are lower in The Villages.
The Villages vs. Canberra Cost Breakdown
If you lived in The Villages instead of Canberra, you would:
pay 4.9% less for restaurants
|
Canberra
|
The Villages
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.34
A$24.61
|
$15.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.81
A$14.76
|
$8.50
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.59
A$3.90
|
$2.33
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.24
A$3.37
|
$2.50
|
|
Canberra vs. The Villages - Cost of restaurants
pay 54.1% more for groceries
|
Canberra
|
The Villages
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.71
A$4.07
|
$4.25
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.99
A$7.51
|
$4.96
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.50
A$8.27
|
$4.55
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.31
A$6.50
|
$6.00
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.17
A$6.28
|
$6.00
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.48
A$2.23
|
$3.45
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.35
A$2.03
|
$0.76
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.33
A$2.01
|
$3.46
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.86
A$2.80
|
$2.50
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.01
A$1.52
|
$2.00
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.04
A$1.57
|
$2.00
|
|
Canberra vs. The Villages - Cost of groceries
pay 30.8% less for transportation
|
Canberra
|
The Villages
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.42
A$6.65
|
$3.06
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$122.90
A$185.04
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$29,041.09
A$43,723.43
|
?? | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.93
A$28.49
|
?? | |
Canberra vs. The Villages - Cost of transportation
pay 1.8% less for housing
|
Canberra
|
The Villages
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$51.97
A$78.25
|
$60.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,554.45
A$2,340.33
|
$1,425.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,160.39
A$1,747.05
|
$1,000.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$159.03
A$239.43
|
$158.17
|
|
Canberra vs. The Villages - Cost of housing
pay (unknown) more for childcare
|
Canberra
|
The Villages
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,754.20
A$2,641.08
|
?? | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$13,323.22
A$20,059.06
|
?? |
Canberra vs. The Villages - Cost of childcare
pay 10.9% less for entertainment and sports
|
Canberra
|
The Villages
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.54
A$9.84
|
$5.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.41
A$5.13
|
$5.00
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$31.05
A$46.75
|
$7.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$58.70
A$88.37
|
$50.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.07
A$19.69
|
$15.00
|
|
Canberra vs. The Villages - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 31.2% less for clothing
|
Canberra
|
The Villages
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$69.40
A$104.48
|
$37.50
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$57.75
A$86.94
|
$40.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$94.06
A$141.61
|
$59.50
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$118.40
A$178.26
|
$105.00
|
|
Canberra vs. The Villages - 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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