Cost of Living in Canberra, 🇦🇺 Australia - For Locals, Nomads, and Tourists

AI estimate Updated Mar 22, 2026 About costs

Cost breakdown

Digital nomad: short-term stay (1-3 months). Furnished Airbnb or coliving near center, coworking, eating out ~3x/day, travel health insurance.

Expat: long-term resident (1+ years). Renting apartment in center, mix of cooking and dining out, local health insurance, settled lifestyle.

Family: middle-class 4-person family. 2-3 bedroom in suburbs, groceries for 4, international school, car/transport, family health plan.

Local: budget-conscious local resident. Renting outside center, cooking at home, public transport, local phone plan.

Tourist: short-stay visitor (1-14 days). Hotel/Airbnb nightly, all meals at restaurants, taxis, sightseeing.

CategoryCost

Housing $2,675 $1,900 $2,534 $1,478 $155

Utilities — $197 $317 $155 —

Internet & Mobile $106 $92 $148 $70 $11

Groceries $176 $457 $985 $387 —

Transportation $155 $317 $598 $113 $32

Dining Out $1,267 $528 $633 $176 $77

Leisure Activities $317 $282 $457 $106 $42

Health Insurance $77 $127 $296 — —

Visa & Legal Fees $35 $70 $106 — —

Total $4,808 $3,970 $6,074 $2,485 $317

Itemized prices

Local prices converted to the selected currency.

Housing

Apartment (1 bedroom) $1,724.38 per month

Coworking Space $337.84 per month

Airbnb (1 month) $3,659.90 per month

Coliving Space $1,266.89 per month

Food & Dining

Coffee $4.08 per cup

Beer $9.50 per pint

Meal (Inexpensive) $18.30 per meal

Fast Food Combo $12.32 per meal

Apples $3.66 per kg

Bread $2.89 per loaf

Milk $1.72 per liter

Rice $2.39 per kg

Chicken Fillets $12.32 per kg

Beef $16.89 per kg

Wine (Mid-range) $15.48 per bottle

Meal (Mid-range, 2 people) $98.54 per meal

Water (1.5L bottle) $2.67 per bottle

Transportation

Taxi Start $3.87 per trip

Taxi per km $1.87 per km

Monthly Transport Pass $87.98 per month

Gasoline $1.51 per liter

Ride-hailing (5km) $15.48 per trip

Scooter Rental $5.28 per month

Services

Mobile Plan $38.71 per month

Internet (60 Mbps+) $59.83 per month

Gym Membership $66.86 per month

Tennis Court (Weekend) $19.71 per hour

SIM Card (Tourist, prepaid) $28.15 one-time

Entertainment

Cinema Ticket $16.89 per ticket

Clothing

Jeans $95.02 per pair

Summer Dress $59.83 per dress

Running Shoes $133.73 per pair

Personal Care

Haircut $31.67 per visit

Laundry $8.45 per kg

Healthcare

Doctor Visit (GP) $66.86 per visit

Pharmacy (basic meds) $13.02 per purchase

About these costs

Method: AI estimate
Last updated: Mar 22, 2026
Generated by: Model not recorded
Last changed: None yet
Exchange rate: 1 USD = 1.4208 AUD

Generated by an AI model without cited sources and not yet checked by research. A research pass replaces these values with sourced ones, compared with similar cities.

Canberra cost of living