Cost of living comparison
compared to
Canberra vs. Santa Monica Cost of Living Summary
Canberra is 4.5% cheaper than Santa Monica.
- Restaurants
-
pay 13.2% less in Canberra
- Groceries
-
pay 14.7% less in Canberra
- Transportation
-
pay 17.3% more in Canberra
- Housing
-
pay 31.9% less in Canberra
- Childcare
-
pay 5.8% less in Canberra
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 12.6% more in Canberra
- Clothing
-
pay 4.3% more in Canberra
The cost of transportation, entertainment and sports, and clothing in Canberra are more expensive than in Santa Monica. Expenses including housing, groceries, restaurants, and childcare are lower in Canberra.
Canberra vs. Santa Monica Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Canberra instead of Santa Monica, you would:
pay 13.2% less for restaurants
|
Santa Monica
|
Canberra
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$25.00
|
$16.34
A$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.50
|
$9.81
A$15.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.83
|
$2.59
A$3.96
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
|
$2.24
A$3.42
|
|
Santa Monica vs. Canberra - Cost of restaurants
pay 14.7% less for groceries
|
Santa Monica
|
Canberra
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.41
|
$2.71
A$4.14
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.67
|
$4.99
A$7.63
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.71
|
$5.50
A$8.41
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.00
|
$4.31
A$6.60
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.33
|
$4.17
A$6.38
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.00
|
$1.48
A$2.26
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.87
|
$1.35
A$2.06
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.84
|
$1.33
A$2.04
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.53
|
$1.86
A$2.84
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.01
A$1.55
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.22
|
$1.04
A$1.59
|
|
Santa Monica vs. Canberra - Cost of groceries
pay 17.3% more for transportation
|
Santa Monica
|
Canberra
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.74
|
$4.42
A$6.75
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$67.50
|
$122.90
A$188.01
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,727.50
|
$29,041.09
A$44,425.70
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.01
|
$18.93
A$28.95
|
|
Santa Monica vs. Canberra - Cost of transportation
pay 31.9% less for housing
|
Santa Monica
|
Canberra
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$69.00
|
$51.97
A$79.50
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$3,175.00
|
$1,554.45
A$2,377.92
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,533.33
|
$1,160.39
A$1,775.11
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$155.53
|
$159.03
A$243.28
|
|
Santa Monica vs. Canberra - Cost of housing
pay 5.8% less for childcare
|
Santa Monica
|
Canberra
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,762.50
|
$1,754.20
A$2,683.50
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$15,000.00
|
$13,323.22
A$20,381.24
|
|
Santa Monica vs. Canberra - Cost of childcare
pay 12.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
Santa Monica
|
Canberra
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$6.54
A$10.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.58
|
$3.41
A$5.21
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$11.00
|
$31.05
A$47.50
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$90.00
|
$58.70
A$89.79
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$18.00
|
$13.07
A$20.00
|
|
Santa Monica vs. Canberra - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 4.3% more for clothing
|
Santa Monica
|
Canberra
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$61.25
|
$69.40
A$106.16
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$44.15
|
$57.75
A$88.34
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$100.09
|
$94.06
A$143.88
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$149.85
|
$118.40
A$181.12
|
|
Santa Monica 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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