Cost of living comparison
Australia is 25.8% more expensive than Iowa.
If you lived in Australia instead of Iowa, you would:
pay 29.0% more for restaurants
|
Iowa
|
Australia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$12.78
|
$14.29
A$20.82
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$7.14
|
$8.94
A$13.03
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.85
|
$2.43
A$3.54
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.41
|
$2.08
A$3.03
|
|
pay 14.2% less for groceries
|
Iowa
|
Australia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.16
|
$1.96
A$2.86
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.38
|
$3.78
A$5.51
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.15
|
$4.63
A$6.75
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.51
|
$3.54
A$5.16
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.54
|
$3.46
A$5.05
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.89
|
$1.41
A$2.05
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.86
|
$1.11
A$1.62
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.53
|
$1.24
A$1.81
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.76
|
$2.11
A$3.07
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.37
|
$1.01
A$1.48
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.61
|
$0.87
A$1.26
|
|
pay 32.1% more for transportation
|
Iowa
|
Australia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.36
|
$5.19
A$7.57
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$41.33
|
$94.36
A$137.55
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$23,893.71
|
$20,007.07
A$29,163.52
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.21
|
$13.84
A$20.17
|
|
pay 11.6% more for housing
|
Iowa
|
Australia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.55
|
$53.73
A$78.33
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$918.24
|
$1,178.33
A$1,717.61
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$613.65
|
$887.86
A$1,294.19
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$124.43
|
$118.12
A$172.17
|
|
pay 53.1% more for childcare
|
Iowa
|
Australia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$774.78
|
$1,443.46
A$2,104.08
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$10,825.50
|
$12,985.05
A$18,927.80
|
|
pay 49.9% more for entertainment and sports
|
Iowa
|
Australia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.86
|
$5.66
A$8.24
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.11
|
$3.21
A$4.67
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.71
|
$24.97
A$36.40
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$42.53
|
$49.85
A$72.67
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$10.79
|
$12.34
A$17.99
|
|
pay 19.4% more for clothing
|
Iowa
|
Australia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$42.17
|
$68.91
A$100.44
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$37.59
|
$40.95
A$59.69
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$80.21
|
$94.94
A$138.39
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$106.09
|
$92.16
A$134.34
|
|
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