Cost of living comparison
compared to
Australia vs. Mackay Cost of Living Summary
Australia is 8.9% more expensive than Mackay.
Australia vs. Mackay Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Australia instead of Mackay, you would:
pay 7.6% less for restaurants
|
Mackay
|
Australia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.41
A$25.04
|
$18.42
A$26.50
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.53
A$18.03
|
$10.19
A$14.66
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.31
A$4.76
|
$2.88
A$4.14
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.78
A$4.01
|
$2.33
A$3.35
|
|
Mackay vs. Australia - Cost of restaurants
pay 7.0% less for groceries
|
Mackay
|
Australia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.52
A$3.63
|
$2.64
A$3.80
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.76
A$6.84
|
$4.67
A$6.72
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.38
A$10.62
|
$6.28
A$9.03
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.81
A$8.36
|
$4.79
A$6.89
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.89
A$5.60
|
$4.19
A$6.03
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.67
A$2.41
|
$1.62
A$2.32
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.32
A$1.89
|
$1.32
A$1.90
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.38
A$1.99
|
$1.35
A$1.94
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$3.04
A$4.38
|
$2.06
A$2.96
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.16
A$1.67
|
$1.19
A$1.71
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.18
A$1.70
|
$1.05
A$1.51
|
|
Mackay vs. Australia - Cost of groceries
pay 6.6% more for transportation
|
Mackay
|
Australia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.70
A$6.76
|
$4.98
A$7.17
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$69.62
A$100.16
|
$91.09
A$131.05
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$26,937.53
A$38,753.46
|
$27,191.77
A$39,119.22
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$22.49
A$32.35
|
$17.22
A$24.78
|
|
Mackay vs. Australia - Cost of transportation
pay 22.4% more for housing
|
Mackay
|
Australia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$78.68
A$113.19
|
$57.16
A$82.23
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$939.92
A$1,352.21
|
$1,309.09
A$1,883.31
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$809.03
A$1,163.91
|
$1,073.97
A$1,545.05
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$175.70
A$252.77
|
$146.37
A$210.58
|
|
Mackay vs. Australia - Cost of housing
pay 71.4% more for childcare
|
Mackay
|
Australia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,852.00
A$2,664.36
|
$1,957.92
A$2,816.75
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$6,614.28
A$9,515.58
|
$18,377.12
A$26,438.09
|
|
Mackay vs. Australia - Cost of childcare
pay 3.7% less for entertainment and sports
|
Mackay
|
Australia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.96
A$10.02
|
$7.20
A$10.36
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.18
A$6.01
|
$3.95
A$5.68
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$43.16
A$62.10
|
$36.89
A$53.08
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$52.45
A$75.46
|
$56.05
A$80.64
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$16.54
A$23.79
|
$14.44
A$20.77
|
|
Mackay vs. Australia - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 4.5% more for clothing
|
Mackay
|
Australia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$71.94
A$103.50
|
$77.86
A$112.01
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$50.48
A$72.62
|
$53.33
A$76.73
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$124.16
A$178.63
|
$112.59
A$161.98
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$103.28
A$148.58
|
$118.82
A$170.94
|
|
Mackay vs. Australia - Cost of clothing
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this
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