Moving to California from Australia
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Australia to California — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Australia to California, you would find that California is 26.4% more expensive than Australia overall. A A$107,021 salary in Australia would need to be roughly $90,592 in California to maintain the same lifestyle. You’ll also switch from driving on the left to the right.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
What to expect for your wallet after moving from Australia to California.
What does your salary buy?
A$107,021 → $90,592
To maintain the same standard of living in California
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 15.7% more
Groceries
pay 33.5% more
Transportation
pay 2.3% more
Housing
pay 66.3% more
Childcare
pay 64.9% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 11.0% more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in California cost about 46% more than cities in Australia.
Compare cities head-to-head
Get free moving quotes to California
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
How many people actually move from Australia to California, based on official data.
people moved from Australia to United States · OECD (latest data available)
Who's moving to United States?
Top countries of origin for United States's foreign-born residents.
- 10,853,105
- 2,723,764
- 2,184,110
- 2,061,178
- 1,829,251
- 1,410,659
- · · ·
-
63.103,446
Australia
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Australia to California.
How's the healthcare?
share of adults with obesity
California performs significantly better than Australia across all health & wellbeing metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
Australia performs better than California across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
share of people below the poverty line
California generally does better on employment & economy, though Australia leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
Australia performs better than California across all family life metrics.
Data: The World Factbook
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Canberra | Sacramento |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 80°/54°F (26°/12°C) | 60°/41°F (15°/5°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 61°/39°F (16°/4°C) | 79°/51°F (26°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 56°/35°F (13°/1°C) | 90°/57°F (32°/14°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 73°/47°F (23°/9°C) | 65°/44°F (18°/7°C) |
View all months
| Month | Canberra | Sacramento |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 82°/55°F (27.7°/13.0°C) | 54°/39°F (12.1°/3.8°C) |
| Feb | 81°/55°F (27.0°/12.9°C) | 60°/41°F (15.7°/5.2°C) |
| Mar | 76°/51°F (24.4°/10.7°C) | 65°/44°F (18.4°/6.7°C) |
| Apr | 68°/44°F (19.8°/6.6°C) | 71°/46°F (21.7°/7.9°C) |
| May | 60°/38°F (15.4°/3.1°C) | 80°/51°F (26.6°/10.6°C) |
| Jun | 54°/34°F (12.1°/0.9°C) | 87°/56°F (30.6°/13.2°C) |
| Jul | 52°/32°F (11.2°/-0.2°C) | 92°/58°F (33.4°/14.7°C) |
| Aug | 55°/34°F (12.9°/1.0°C) | 91°/58°F (32.9°/14.4°C) |
| Sep | 61°/38°F (16.0°/3.1°C) | 87°/56°F (30.7°/13.2°C) |
| Oct | 67°/43°F (19.2°/6.0°C) | 78°/50°F (25.3°/10.1°C) |
| Nov | 72°/47°F (22.4°/8.5°C) | 64°/43°F (17.7°/6.0°C) |
| Dec | 79°/52°F (26.0°/11.2°C) | 54°/38°F (12.2°/3.6°C) |
Bureau of Meteorology
National Weather ServiceVisitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Australia and United States. To live, work, or study long-term in United States, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check United States's immigration authority.
Australia passport holder visiting United States
Electronic Travel Authorisation
United States passport holder visiting Australia
Electronic Travel AuthorisationData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in California than Australia?
No — California is on average about 21% more expensive than Australia. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to California?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $22,648 in California on a A$107,021 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees).
Can I work remotely from California?
Usually fine from major cities in California. The harder questions are legal — digital nomad visa eligibility, your employer's overseas-work policy, and tax residency in both countries.
How is healthcare in California compared to Australia?
California performs significantly better than Australia across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in California compared to Australia?
The average high temperature in Sacramento is 74°F, compared to 67°F in Canberra. Sacramento receives around 18.5 in of rainfall per year, while Canberra gets 24.8 in.
What language do they speak in California?
Both Australia and California share the same official language: English.
