Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Augusta, ME and Mackay

For one person, living is cheaper in Mackay: $2,209 a month against $2,388 in Augusta, ME, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Augusta, ME outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

114

Cost of Living Index in Augusta, ME
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Augusta, ME Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Mackay
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Mackay Living Index

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Augusta, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$2,388

/mo nomad

Mackay

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,209

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Augusta, ME and in Mackay

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Augusta, ME and in Mackay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,388 in Augusta, ME versus $2,209 in Mackay.

Augusta, ME $2,388
Mackay $2,209

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,317 in Augusta, ME versus $3,489 in Mackay.

Augusta, ME $3,317
Mackay $3,489

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,246 in Augusta, ME versus $4,769 in Mackay.

Augusta, ME $4,246
Mackay $4,769

Living in Augusta, ME is roughly 8% more expensive than in Mackay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Augusta, ME 75% above, Mackay 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.90 $19.90

$17.22 A$24.47

15.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.1 $53.1

$75.8 A$108

-29.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.39 $10.39

$12.42 A$17.65

-16.34%

Cappuccino

$5.40 $5.40

$4.30 A$6.11

25.58%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$3.39 A$4.82

-30.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$2.74 A$3.89

-41.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.02 $5.02

$6.97 A$9.90

-27.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.72 $7.72

$6.87 A$9.76

12.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.90 A$2.70

-40.00%

White Bread (500g)

$4.56 $4.56

$2.51 A$3.57

81.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$2.82 A$4.01

-48.58%

Eggs

$3.96 $3.96

$6.02 A$8.55

-34.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 $15.09

$9.70 A$13.78

55.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.12 $14.12

$8.53 A$12.12

65.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.52 $19.52

$16.45 A$23.37

18.66%

Apples (1kg)

$7.48 $7.48

$3.69 A$5.24

102.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 $1.31

$2.85 A$4.05

-54.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.09 $3.09

$3.00 A$4.26

3.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$6.72 A$9.55

-31.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 $2.33

$2.53 A$3.59

-7.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$2.56 A$3.64

11.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 $2.08

$3.24 A$4.61

-35.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 $1.81

$3.11 A$4.43

-41.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.98 $11.98

$44.23 A$62.8

-72.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.99 $12.99

$8.63 A$12.27

50.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 $1.56

$5.24 A$7.45

-70.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 $1.55

$6.05 A$8.59

-74.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 A$3.43

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.8 A$97.8

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

$5.88 A$8.35

-56.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.27 $1.27

$2.06 A$2.92

-38.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.55 $28.55

$35.28 A$50.1

-19.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.27 A$1.81

-29.13%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$29.6K $29.6K

$27.1K A$38.5K

9.04%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$24.3K $24.3K

$35.4K A$50.4K

-31.52%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$243 $243

$235 A$334

3.47%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$45.59 $45.59

$29.32 A$41.66

55.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.0 $61.0

$78.9 A$112

-22.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.60 $22.60

$52.0 A$73.9

-56.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.14 A$30.04

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$16.46 A$23.38

-14.16%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$2,656 $2,656

$1,860 A$2,642

42.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.6K $36.6K

$6,747 A$9,586

442.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.5 $73.5

$71.1 A$101

3.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.9 $50.9

$50.0 A$71.0

1.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 $113

$123 A$174

-7.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 $154

$105 A$150

46.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,200 $1,200

$956 A$1,358

25.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 $1,078

$829 A$1,178

29.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,602 $1,602

$1,903 A$2,704

-15.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,473 $1,473

$1,779 A$2,527

-17.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,386 $2,386

$3,115 A$4,426

-23.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,378 $2,378

$1,763 A$2,505

34.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,948 $1,948

$5,517 A$7,839

-64.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.3

5.63

11.90%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Augusta, ME: October 24, 2026

Last update for Mackay: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Augusta, ME

$1.1K 45.2%

Mackay

$829 37.5% 23.1% $249

Groceries & Markets

Augusta, ME

$413 17.3%

Mackay

$400 18.1% 3.1% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Augusta, ME

$349 14.6%

Mackay

$343 15.5% 1.9% $6.5

Eating Out

Augusta, ME

$312 13%

Mackay

$300 13.6% 3.8% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Augusta, ME

$176 7.4%

Mackay

$157 7.1% 11% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Augusta, ME

$51 2.1%

Mackay

$85 3.9% 67.1% $34

Getting Around

Augusta, ME

$8.9 * 0.4%

Mackay

$95 4.3% 965% $86

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,200 in Augusta, ME and $956 in Mackay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mackay pays about 2.8 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $53 in Augusta, ME vs $76 in Mackay. Groceries flip the comparison at $413 vs $400, with Mackay cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Augusta, ME

🇦🇺 Mackay

🕒 Local time

16:27 4:27 PM

06:27 6:27 AM

14 h ahead of Augusta, ME

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

194,343

80,455

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

AUD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Augusta, ME Mackay 15,620 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Augusta, ME
Mackay

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Augusta, ME vs Mackay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,388 in Augusta, ME and $2,209 in Mackay, so Mackay is about 8% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 65% lower in Augusta, ME. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,200 in Augusta, ME versus $956 in Mackay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,656 in Augusta, ME versus $1,860 in Mackay. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Augusta, ME – a meal for two runs $53 versus $76 in Mackay. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.