Australia, Canberra

Overview

Australia, Canberra Canberra is the capital city of Australia and is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth largest Australian city overall. Canberra's main industry is government administration and defence employing over 40% of Canberra's workforce. The unemployment rate in Canberra is well below the national unemployment rate, with labour shortages reported in some sectors. As a result of low unemployment and substantial levels of public sector and commercial employment, Canberra has the highest average disposable income of any Australian capital city.

Australia is in Oceania, a continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean. The climate is generally arid to semi arid but temperate in the south and the east and tropical in the north.

The official language is English. The main religion is Christianity.

The economy of Australia is a prosperous, free market economy dominated by its services sector, representing 68% of Australian GDP. The agricultural and mining sectors (10% of GDP combined) account for 57% of the nation's exports.

Australians typically talk directly rather than around issues, generally do not like class orientated structure, preferring informality and modesty such as first names even in a business setting (although dress tends to be formal), respect the opinions of others, and enjoy a good debate. Australians typically take turns in paying for beverages, and often use humour to establish rapport.

The security risk for expatriates in Australia is low. Risks include low levels of petty crime in busy tourist areas.

The currency of Australia is the Australian Dollar (AUD). Banking is on a par with that of Western Europe and North America.

The standard of healthcare in Australia is very good however costs of treatment for expatriates can be high.

The population of Canberra is 403,000 (2019 est.), while the inflation rate (CPI) is 1.7% for Australia as at September 2019.

Xpatulator Hypothetical Tax for Australia is based on the current personal income tax rates which are progressive up to 45%.

Cost Of Living

The cost of living for expatriates / professional migrants in Canberra as at 1 October 2019 is high in comparison to other places in the world.

We have collected prices for the same items, world wide, and converted them to $USD so that we can compare the cost of 13 different baskets in 780 global locations. For each basket, compared to New York, the equivalent cost in Canberra is as follows:
1) Alcohol (where available) & Tobacco: for items such as beer, spirits, wine and tobacco related products such as cigarettes. A basket costing USD$1000 in New York costs USD$1230
2) Clothing: for items such as business, casual and children's clothing and footwear. A basket costing USD$1000 in New York costs USD$950
3) Communication: for various communication costs such as home telephone rental, internet subscription, mobile service provider tariff and data costs. A basket costing USD$200 in New York costs USD$212
4) Education: for items such as creche / pre-school fees, primary school fees, high school fees and tertiary study fees. A basket costing USD$30000 in New York costs USD$24000
5) Furniture & Appliances: for items such as dining table and chairs, home entertainment, kitchen appliances, and sofas. A basket costing USD$2500 in New York costs USD$2150
6) Groceries: for items such as consumables, cleaning products, dairy, fresh fruit & vegetables, general food products, snacks, soft drinks. A basket costing USD$1000 in New York costs USD$730
7) Healthcare: for general heath care, doctor visits, hospital stays, non-prescription medicine, and medical insurance. A basket costing USD$1000 in New York costs USD$650
8) Household Accommodation: for items such as apartment rent, house rent, property purchase, mortgage rate, and utilities. A basket costing USD$5000 in New York costs USD$2850
9) Miscellaneous: for items such as dry cleaning, linen, magazines, newspapers, office supplies, and postage stamps. A basket costing USD$500 in New York costs USD$510
10) Personal Care: for items such as cosmetics, hair care, and toiletries. A basket costing USD$500 in New York costs USD$425
11) Recreation & Culture: for items such as books, cinema, sport and theatre tickets. A basket costing USD$500 in New York costs USD$455
12) Restaurants Meals Out and Hotels: for items such as hotel daily room rates, meals and beverages in a restaurant, and take away food and beverages. A basket costing USD$1000 in New York costs USD$830
13) Transport: for items such as fuel (petrol/gasoline), car hire, public transport, vehicle purchase and maintenance. A basket costing USD$1000 in New York costs USD$1040

Canberra is 12.6% more expensive than Houston TX for groceries, 33% more expensive for household costs than Kuala Lumpur, and 75.4% more expensive for transport costs than Dubai.

Canberra is ranked as a minimal hardship location.

The hardship premium for Canberra for an expat from London, is for example 0%, i.e. host location (Canberra) premium of 10% minus home (London) location premium of 10%.

Want to know more about cost of living, hardship (quality of living) or expat salary in Canberra? Register subscribe to your home location and Canberra and run your personalised reports.

International Cost of Living Calculators

Do you need a Cost of Living Comparison Calculator?

International Cost of Living Calculator Pricing

Cost of Living Articles and Rankings

Cost of Living Reviews by City and Country for 780 International Locations

International Cost of Living Help

The cost of living for expatriates / professional migrants in Canberra as at 1 October 2019 is high in comparison to other places in the world.

Canberra is ranked as a minimal hardship location.