Cost of living comparison
compared to
Canberra vs. Santa Barbara Cost of Living Summary
Canberra is 5.1% cheaper than Santa Barbara.
- Restaurants
-
pay 19.9% less in Canberra
- Groceries
-
pay 21.4% less in Canberra
- Transportation
-
pay 28.7% more in Canberra
- Housing
-
pay 32.9% less in Canberra
- Childcare
-
pay 20.4% less in Canberra
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 18.6% more in Canberra
- Clothing
-
pay 11.8% more in Canberra
The cost of transportation, entertainment and sports, and clothing in Canberra are more expensive than in Santa Barbara. Expenses including housing, groceries, childcare, and restaurants are lower in Canberra.
Canberra vs. Santa Barbara Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Canberra instead of Santa Barbara, you would:
pay 19.9% less for restaurants
|
Santa Barbara
|
Canberra
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$25.00
|
$16.34
A$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$15.00
|
$9.81
A$15.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.67
|
$2.59
A$3.96
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.42
|
$2.24
A$3.42
|
|
Santa Barbara vs. Canberra - Cost of restaurants
pay 21.4% less for groceries
|
Santa Barbara
|
Canberra
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.40
|
$2.71
A$4.14
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$12.68
|
$4.99
A$7.63
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.25
|
$5.50
A$8.41
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.38
|
$4.31
A$6.60
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$8.38
|
$4.17
A$6.38
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.90
|
$1.48
A$2.26
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.74
|
$1.35
A$2.06
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.75
|
$1.33
A$2.04
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.48
|
$1.86
A$2.84
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.47
|
$1.01
A$1.55
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.36
|
$1.04
A$1.59
|
|
Santa Barbara vs. Canberra - Cost of groceries
pay 28.7% more for transportation
|
Santa Barbara
|
Canberra
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.73
|
$4.42
A$6.75
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$52.00
|
$122.90
A$188.01
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$28,500.00
|
$29,041.09
A$44,425.70
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$22.78
|
$18.93
A$28.95
|
|
Santa Barbara vs. Canberra - Cost of transportation
pay 32.9% less for housing
|
Santa Barbara
|
Canberra
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$74.25
|
$51.97
A$79.50
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,720.83
|
$1,554.45
A$2,377.92
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,538.89
|
$1,160.39
A$1,775.11
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$166.24
|
$159.03
A$243.28
|
|
Santa Barbara vs. Canberra - Cost of housing
pay 20.4% less for childcare
|
Santa Barbara
|
Canberra
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,425.00
|
$1,754.20
A$2,683.50
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$37,000.00
|
$13,323.22
A$20,381.24
|
|
Santa Barbara vs. Canberra - Cost of childcare
pay 18.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
Santa Barbara
|
Canberra
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$6.54
A$10.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$6.14
|
$3.41
A$5.21
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$11.82
|
$31.05
A$47.50
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$66.50
|
$58.70
A$89.79
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.50
|
$13.07
A$20.00
|
|
Santa Barbara vs. Canberra - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 11.8% more for clothing
|
Santa Barbara
|
Canberra
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$69.00
|
$69.40
A$106.16
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$40.75
|
$57.75
A$88.34
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$77.00
|
$94.06
A$143.88
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$143.33
|
$118.40
A$181.12
|
|
Santa Barbara vs. Canberra - 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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