Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairns and Giessen

For one person, living is cheaper in Giessen: $2,272 a month against $2,531 in Cairns, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Cairns
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Cairns Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Giessen
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Giessen Living Index

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Cairns

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,531

/mo nomad

Giessen

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,272

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairns and in Giessen

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

A single person spends $2,531 per month in Cairns vs $2,272 in Giessen, rent included.

Cairns $2,531
Giessen $2,272

A couple spends around $3,753 per month in Cairns vs $3,178 in Giessen, rent included.

Cairns $3,753
Giessen $3,178

A family of three spends $4,976 per month in Cairns vs $4,083 in Giessen, rent included.

Cairns $4,976
Giessen $4,083

Cairns costs about 11% more than Giessen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cairns and Giessen sit above the global median – Cairns by 87%, Giessen by 68%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.69 A$25.45

$21.09 €18.76

-16.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.0 A$138

$67.8 €60.3

41.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.61 A$18.15

$13.53 €12.04

-6.80%

Cappuccino

$4.40 A$6.33

$3.85 €3.42

14.29%

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

$3.29 A$4.73

$2.34 €2.08

40.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 A$3.98

$1.97 €1.75

40.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.93 A$9.98

$4.85 €4.31

42.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.32 A$11.97

$5.45 €4.85

52.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 A$2.69

$1.27 €1.13

47.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 A$3.79

$2.17 €1.93

21.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.52 A$3.63

$3.77 €3.36

-33.16%

Eggs

$5.37 A$7.73

$3.75 €3.34

43.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.30 A$13.38

$14.33 €12.75

-35.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.63 A$19.61

$10.70 €9.52

27.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.19 A$21.86

$19.07 €16.96

-20.35%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 A$5.79

$3.07 €2.73

30.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.82 A$4.05

$1.77 €1.58

59.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.66 A$5.26

$2.15 €1.91

70.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.68 A$8.18

$3.93 €3.50

44.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.52 A$3.63

$1.17 €1.04

115.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.59 A$3.72

$1.09 €0.97

137.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.71 A$3.90

$1.53 €1.36

77.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 A$3.71

$1.26 €1.12

104.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.98 A$64.7

$9.59 €8.53

369.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.17 A$20.39

$5.77 €5.13

145.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.67 A$5.29

$0.99 €0.88

270.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.29 A$7.61

$1.59 €1.41

232.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.58 A$5.15

$3.82 €3.40

-6.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.24 A$21.92

$69.0 €61.4

-77.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.61 A$3.76

$5.70 €5.07

-54.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 A$2.76

$2.21 €1.97

-13.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.33 A$60.9

$38.18 €33.96

10.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 A$1.86

$1.91 €1.70

-32.46%

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

$28.9K A$41.6K

$30.0K €26.6K

-3.61%

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

$31.1K A$44.8K

$38.8K €34.5K

-19.76%

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

$165 A$238

$344 €306

-51.90%

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

$34.59 A$49.77

$32.20 €28.64

7.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.5 A$97.1

$52.5 €46.73

28.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.98 A$64.7

$39.21 €34.88

14.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.85 A$40.07

Cinema Ticket

$13.92 A$20.03

$10.61 €9.44

31.20%

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

$2,091 A$3,009

$1,089 €968

92.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.7K A$19.7K

$44.4K €39.5K

-69.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.3 A$133

$44.10 €39.22

109.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$72.5 A$104

$22.81 €20.29

217.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 A$180

$110 €98.1

13.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$189

$149 €132

-11.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,449 A$2,086

$733 €652

97.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,241 A$1,786

$909 €808

36.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,309 A$3,323

$1,469 €1,307

57.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,961 A$2,821

$1,248 €1,110

57.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,586 A$9,477

$5,634 €5,012

16.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,943 A$7,113

$2,852 €2,536

73.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,404 A$6,338

$2,722 €2,421

61.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.32

3.96

59.60%

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

Last update for Cairns: October 19, 2026

Last update for Giessen: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairns

$1.2K 49%

Giessen

$909 40% 26.8% $333

Groceries & Markets

Cairns

$410 16.2%

Giessen

$319 14% 22.2% $91

Eating Out

Cairns

$308 12.2%

Giessen

$308 13.6% 0.1% $0.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairns

$267 10.6%

Giessen

$428 18.9% 60.2% $161

Clothing & Footwear

Cairns

$190 7.5%

Giessen

$147 6.5% 22.6% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Cairns

$73 2.9%

Giessen

$60 2.7% 17% $12

Getting Around

Cairns

$42 1.7%

Giessen

$101 4.5% 142% $59

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,449 in Cairns versus $733 in Giessen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 62% higher in Cairns, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $96.0 in Cairns versus $68.0 in Giessen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $410 vs $319 – making Giessen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Cairns

🇩🇪 Giessen

🕒 Local time

02:04 2:04 AM

18:04 6:04 PM

8 h behind Cairns

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

153,181

89,179

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Between locations

Cairns Giessen 14,680 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Cairns vs Giessen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cairns costs about 11% more than Giessen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,796 per month in Cairns and $3,408 in Giessen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Giessen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Cairns, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $96.0 in Cairns and $68.0 in Giessen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Giessen, where all-in costs run around $2,272, than in Cairns at $2,531. In Giessen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cairns it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Giessen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Giessen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cairns makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.