Cost of living comparison

 Australia
compared to
 Massachusetts, USA
Massachusetts vs. Australia Cost of Living Summary

Massachusetts is 19.6% more expensive than Australia overall.

Restaurants
pay 8.1% more in Massachusetts
Groceries
pay 33.6% more in Massachusetts
Transportation
pay 5.4% less in Massachusetts
Housing
pay 50.4% more in Massachusetts
Childcare
pay 56.0% more in Massachusetts
Entertainment and Sports
pay 9.3% more in Massachusetts
Clothing
pay 15.1% less in Massachusetts

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

Massachusetts vs. Australia Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Massachusetts instead of Australia, you would:

pay 8.1% more for restaurants

 
Australia
Massachusetts
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $16.76
A$26.47
$21.19
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$9.73
A$15.38
$10.79
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.56
A$4.05
$2.62
 

Improve prices ·

pay 33.6% more for groceries

 
Australia
Massachusetts
Bread
1 loaf
$2.37
A$3.75
$3.71
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $4.36
A$6.89
$7.31
 
Milk (1 gallon) $5.80
A$9.16
$4.52
 

Improve prices ·

pay 5.4% less for transportation

 
Australia
Massachusetts
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.65
A$7.35
$3.51
 
Monthly public transit pass $83.03
A$131.17
$71.71
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $27,742.09
A$43,826.37
$33,785.54
 

Improve prices ·

pay 50.4% more for housing

 
Australia
Massachusetts
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$55.59
A$87.83
$68.08
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,182.30
A$1,867.78
$2,074.76
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $957.92
A$1,513.31
$1,940.55
 

Improve prices ·

pay 56.0% more for childcare

 
Australia
Massachusetts
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $1,485.91
A$2,347.41
$1,960.62
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $14,667.78
A$23,171.86
$26,428.57
 

Improve prices ·

pay 9.3% more for entertainment and sports

 
Australia
Massachusetts
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $6.64
A$10.50
$6.63
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.55
A$5.60
$5.00
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$28.07
A$44.35
$12.10
 

Improve prices ·

pay 15.1% less for clothing

 
Australia
Massachusetts
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$71.78
A$113.39
$50.62
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$50.24
A$79.37
$41.05
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$100.30
A$158.45
$83.58
 

Improve prices ·
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: March 2025
Share this

Compare countries by overall cost of living

See the cost of living in Australia vs. United States. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Australia and United States.

Help us improve these prices

MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Massachusetts or Australia. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.