Cost of living in Australia
Summary of cost of living in Australia
- Family of four estimated monthly costs: AU$8,602
- Single person estimated monthly costs: AU$4,867
- Cost of living in Australia is more expensive than in 92% of countries in the World (6 out of 61)
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| Food | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic lunchtime menu (including a drink) in the business district | AU$23 | ||
| Combo meal in fast food restaurant (big mac meal or similar) | AU$15 | ||
| 500 gr (1 lb.) of boneless chicken breast | AU$8 | ||
| 1 liter (1 qt.) of whole fat milk | AU$2.07 | ||
| 12 eggs, large | AU$7 | ||
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of tomatoes | AU$5.99 | ||
| 500 gr (16 oz.) of local cheese | AU$10 | ||
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of apples | AU$5.13 | ||
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes | AU$3.82 | ||
| 0.5 l (16 oz) domestic beer in the supermarket | AU$7 | ||
| 1 bottle of red table wine, good quality | AU$21 | ||
| 2 liters of coca-cola | AU$3.95 | ||
| Bread for 2 people for 1 day | AU$2.90 | ||
| Housing | |||
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in expensive area | AU$4,165 | ||
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in normal area | AU$2,882 | ||
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 2 people in 85m2 flat | AU$326 | ||
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in expensive area | AU$2,685 | ||
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in normal area | AU$2,025 | ||
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 1 person in 45 m2 (480 sqft) studio | AU$223 | ||
| Internet 8 mbps (1 month) | AU$70 | ||
| 40” flat screen tv | AU$673 | ||
| Microwave 800/900 watt (bosch, panasonic, lg, sharp, or equivalent brands) | AU$270 | ||
| Laundry detergent (3 l. ~ 100 oz.) | AU$15 | ||
| Hourly rate for cleaning help | AU$43 | ||
| Clothes | |||
| 1 pair of jeans (levis 501 or similar) | AU$123 | ||
| 1 summer dress in a high street store (zara, h&m or similar retailers) | AU$94 | ||
| 1 pair of sport shoes (nike, adidas, or equivalent brands) | AU$169 | ||
| 1 pair of men’s leather business shoes | AU$187 | ||
| Transportation | |||
| Volkswagen golf 1.4 tsi 150 cv (or equivalent), with no extras, new | AU$39,497 | ||
| 1 liter (1/4 gallon) of gas | AU$1.96 | ||
| Monthly ticket public transport | AU$167 | ||
| Personal Care | |||
| Cold medicine for 6 days (tylenol, frenadol, coldrex, or equivalent brands) | AU$8 | ||
| 1 box of antibiotics (12 doses) | AU$23 | ||
| Short visit to private doctor (15 minutes) | AU$86 | ||
| 1 box of 32 tampons (tampax, ob, ...) | AU$7 | ||
| Deodorant, roll-on (50ml ~ 1.5 oz.) | AU$5.40 | ||
| Hair shampoo 2-in-1 (400 ml ~ 12 oz.) | AU$9 | ||
| 4 rolls of toilet paper | AU$4.39 | ||
| Tube of toothpaste | AU$4.31 | ||
| Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city | AU$39 | ||
| Entertainment | |||
| Basic dinner out for two in neighborhood pub | AU$74 | ||
| 2 tickets to the movies | AU$46 | ||
| 2 tickets to the theater (best available seats) | AU$257 | ||
| Dinner for two at an italian restaurant in the expat area including appetisers, main course, wine and dessert | AU$127 | ||
| 1 cocktail drink in downtown club | AU$22 | ||
| Cappuccino in expat area of the city | AU$5.32 | ||
| 1 beer in neighbourhood pub (500ml or 1pt.) | AU$12 | ||
| Ipad wi-fi 128gb | AU$943 | ||
| 1 min. of prepaid mobile tariff (no discounts or plans) | AU$0.86 | ||
| 1 month of gym membership in business district | AU$89 | ||
| 1 package of marlboro cigarettes | AU$46 | ||
Map of Cost of Living in Australia
This map shows only the top cities in Australia. We also have on this page a list of all the cities available in Expatistan:
List of all the cities available in Expatistan
The color of each marker corresponds with the cost of living in the city red markers show more expensive cities green ones show cheaper cities
Moving the mouse on top of a city will show its name and the Cost of Living Index of that city.
What is the Cost of Living Index? To calculate each city's Price Index value, we start by assigning a value of 100 to a
central reference city (that happens to be Prague).
Once the reference point has been established, the Price Index value of every other city in the
database is calculated by comparing their cost of living to the cost of living in Prague.
Therefore, if a city has a Price Index of 134, that means that living there is 34% more expensive than living in Prague.
Cost of Living Ranking in Australia
(top cities by data quality)
| Ranking | City | Price Index * |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Sydney | 181 |
| 2nd | Melbourne | 170 |
| 3rd | Brisbane | 170 |
| 4th | Perth | 157 |
| 5th | Adelaide | 145 |
| 6th | Canberra | 139 |
| 7th | Darwin | 131 |
| 8th | Cairns | 126 |
| 9th | Newcastle, Australia | 125 |
| 10th | Wollongong | 115 |
| 11th | Townsville | 104 |
Price Index:
To calculate each city's Price Index value, we start by assigning a value of 100 to a central reference city (that happens to be Prague). Once the reference point has been established, the Price Index value of every other city in the database is calculated by comparing their cost of living to the cost of living in Prague.Therefore, if a city has a Price Index of 134, that means that living there is 34% more expensive than living in Prague.
Are you moving to Australia? Do you know how much money you will need there to maintain your current standard of living?
Find out what is the real equivalent in Australia of your current salary and improve your chances of a happy relocation.
Get a salary calculation for:
List of all cities available in Australia
| Adelaide | Albury | Ballarat |
| Brisbane | Cairns | Canberra |
| Darwin | Dubbo | Geelong |
| Gold Coast | Hobart | Mackay |
| Melbourne | Mildura | Newcastle, Australia |
| Perth | Sydney | Toowoomba |
| Townsville | Wollongong |
Recent Comparisons
- Cost of living in Sydney is 67% more expensive than in Madrid
- Cost of living in Brisbane is about the same as in Melbourne
- Cost of living in Melbourne is 5% cheaper than in Chicago, Illinois
- Cost of living in Sydney is 25% cheaper than in London
- Cost of living in Perth is 41% more expensive than in Arak
- Cost of living in Gold Coast is 425% more expensive than in San Nicolás de los Arroyos
- Cost of living in Melbourne is 160% more expensive than in Jakarta
- Cost of living in Brisbane is 79% more expensive than in Corunna
- Cost of living in Brisbane is 78% more expensive than in Granada, Spain
- Cost of living in Sydney is 9% cheaper than in Honolulu, Hawaii
- Cost of living in Newcastle, Australia is 591% more expensive than in Río Cuarto
- Cost of living in Adelaide is 56% more expensive than in Oporto
- Cost of living in Melbourne is 29% cheaper than in London
- Cost of living in Cairns is 87% more expensive than in Belo Horizonte
- Cost of living in Sydney is 11% more expensive than in Brisbane
- Cost of living in Adelaide is 167% more expensive than in Vladivostok
- Cost of living in Sydney is 6% more expensive than in Melbourne
- Cost of living in Melbourne is 19% more expensive than in Gold Coast
- Cost of living in Sydney is 17% cheaper than in Los Angeles, California
- Cost of living in Melbourne is 19% cheaper than in Miami, Florida
Compare other countries
Prices recently added
- 1 liter of whole fat milk in Sydney costs AU$2.90 (1 day ago)