Cost of living comparison

 Arlington (VA), United States
compared to
 Canberra, Australia
Canberra vs. Arlington Cost of Living Summary

Canberra is 4.6% more expensive than Arlington.

Restaurants
pay 0.9% less in Canberra
Groceries
pay 10.2% less in Canberra
Transportation
pay 27.2% more in Canberra
Housing
pay 8.4% less in Canberra
Childcare
pay 38.6% less in Canberra
Entertainment and Sports
pay 13.5% more in Canberra
Clothing
pay 49.4% more in Canberra

The cost of clothing, transportation, and entertainment and sports in Canberra are more expensive than in Arlington. Expenses including childcare, groceries, housing, and restaurants are lower in Canberra.

Canberra vs. Arlington Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Canberra instead of Arlington, you would:

pay 0.9% less for restaurants

 
Arlington
Canberra
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $20.00
 
$19.77
A$30.74
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$10.75
 
$9.89
A$15.37
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.78
 
$2.76
A$4.30

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pay 10.2% less for groceries

 
Arlington
Canberra
Bread
1 loaf
$4.08
 
$2.59
A$4.02
Local cheese (8 oz) $8.81
 
$5.39
A$8.38
Milk (1 gallon) $4.36
 
$6.59
A$10.25

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pay 27.2% more for transportation

 
Arlington
Canberra
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.66
 
$5.07
A$7.89
Monthly public transit pass $68.75
 
$118.63
A$184.44
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $35,699.74
 
$29,276.08
A$45,518.80

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pay 8.4% less for housing

 
Arlington
Canberra
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$64.00
 
$65.39
A$101.67
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $2,566.67
 
$1,783.31
A$2,772.71
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $2,025.00
 
$1,413.05
A$2,197.02

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pay 38.6% less for childcare

 
Arlington
Canberra
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $2,070.83
 
$1,847.17
A$2,872.00
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $43,200.00
 
$14,503.36
A$22,550.00

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pay 13.5% more for entertainment and sports

 
Arlington
Canberra
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $7.75
 
$7.25
A$11.27
Cappuccino in mid-range area $5.55
 
$3.68
A$5.72
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$13.00
 
$26.36
A$40.99

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pay 49.4% more for clothing

 
Arlington
Canberra
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$61.78
 
$86.77
A$134.91
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$39.50
 
$72.18
A$112.23
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$87.50
 
$119.51
A$185.82

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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: June 2025
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