Comparing the cost of living in Australia and the UK
Australia has lots of things to recommend it – sun, a varied terrain, a high quality of life, kangaroos, Kylie Minogue.
Unsurprisingly then, Oz is a hugely popular destinations for expats looking to make a new life abroad, but is it a cost effective option? Here we compare the cost of living in Australia with the cost of living in the UK and US so you can see for yourself!
This cost of living comparison looks at the average price of a selection of every day goods and services.
Our table features figures compiled by Numbeo, the world’s largest user-contributing database. Figures are averages, shown here in GBP.
|
Product/Service |
Average Price in Australia |
Average Price in UK |
Average Price in USA |
|
Food |
|||
|
Basic restaurant meal |
£11.52 |
£10.00 |
£6.61 |
|
Combo meal at McDonalds |
£5.42 |
£5.00 |
£3.97 |
|
1 pint beer |
£4.06 |
£3.00 |
£1.98 |
|
Coffee (takeaway) |
£2.71 |
£2.30 |
£2.31 |
|
1 litre Milk |
£1.02 |
£0.98 |
£0.66 |
|
1 loaf bread |
£2.03 |
£1.00 |
£1.46 |
|
Transport |
|||
|
One-way ticket on local transport |
£2.71 |
£2.00 |
£1.32 |
|
Monthly pass on local transport |
£75.87 |
£55.00 |
£42.32 |
|
1 litre petrol |
£0.99 |
£1.36 |
£0.65 |
|
Housing Costs |
|||
|
Basic monthly utilities for a flat |
£135.48 |
£137.00 |
£115.71 |
|
1 min of prepaid mobile tariff |
£0.49 |
£0.17 |
£0.10 |
|
Internet connection for 1 month |
£40.64 |
£20.00 |
£29.75 |
|
1 Cinema ticket |
£11.52 |
£8.00 |
£6.61 |
|
Monthly rent for a one bed flat in city centre |
£1180.69 |
£620 |
£595.08 |
|
Purchase Price per m2 for flat in City Centre |
£5,419.12 |
£2,309.89 |
£1,067.56 |
|
Monthly Disposable Salary (After Tax) |
£2,709.56 |
£1,600 |
£2,087.41 |
Remember, the cost of living will vary according to location. The more popular regions of Australia the US and the UK are likely to have a higher cost of living than the less popular locations.
Comparing Australia and the UK
Food – The UK came in slightly cheaper than Australia in every category of food other than beer.
Transport – Although the cost of using public transport was significantly higher in Australia than in the UK, fuel for running your own vehicle will cost you considerably less down-under.
Housing Costs – The average monthly disposable salary in Australia might be over £1,000 higher than in the UK, but properties for both renting and purchasing are far more steeply priced. A standard treat like going to the cinema is also more expensive in Oz.
Comparing Australia and the US
Food – All of the 6 food categories we looked at were cheaper in the US, in some cases costing almost half as much as in Australia.
Transport – All three transport categories were also substantially more expensive down-under.
Housing costs – Once again the US was notably cheaper in every category, although average monthly disposable income is £622.15 higher in Australia.
