Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairns and Taos, NM Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairns and Taos, NM

๐Ÿ™‚ Solo nomad: Cairns is 2.4% cheaper than Taos, NM without rent, and 19% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Cairns is 2.1% more expensive than Taos, NM without rent, and 21.1% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Cairns
Taos, NM
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.67 A$17.88
$16.95 $16.95
-31.15%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$81.9 A$125
$81.5 $81.5
0.50%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.66 A$16.33
$9.42 $9.42
13.16%
Cappuccino
$3.92 A$6.01
$4.08 $4.08
-3.92%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.73 A$4.19
$2.3 $2.3
18.70%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 A$3.46
$1.87 $1.87
20.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.58 A$10.09
$4.94 $4.94
33.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.07 A$10.83
$5.41 $5.41
30.68%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Cairns
Taos, NM
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.7 A$2.61
$1.06 $1.06
60.38%
White Bread (500g)
$2.51 A$3.85
$2.9 $2.9
-13.45%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.71 A$4.15
$3.28 $3.28
-17.38%
Eggs
$3.93 A$6.02
$3.94 $3.94
-0.25%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.87 A$12.06
$12.45 $12.45
-36.79%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.19 A$14.08
$10.42 $10.42
-11.80%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.84 A$19.67
$16.39 $16.39
-21.66%
Apples (1kg)
$2.99 A$4.58
$4.8 $4.8
-37.71%
Banana (1kg)
$2.31 A$3.53
$1.38 $1.38
67.39%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.66 A$4.07
$3.8 $3.8
-30.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$7.39 A$11.32
$4.54 $4.54
62.78%
Potato (1kg)
$2.28 A$3.5
$2.39 $2.39
-4.60%
Onion (1kg)
$2.23 A$3.42
$2.52 $2.52
-11.51%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.27 A$3.47
$1.94 $1.94
17.01%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.88 A$4.42
$2.21 $2.21
30.32%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$29.83 A$45.69
$9.82 $9.82
203.77%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.03 A$16.89
$13.57 $13.57
-18.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.39 A$5.2
$1.74 $1.74
94.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.52 A$5.39
$2.72 $2.72
29.41%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Cairns
Taos, NM
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.22 A$4.94
$1.96 $1.96
64.29%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$65.4 A$100
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.44 A$9.86
$3.39 $3.39
89.97%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.13 A$4.8
$1.78 $1.78
75.84%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.86 A$51.9
$29.31 $29.31
15.52%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.15 A$1.77
$0.83 $0.83
38.55%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.7K A$34.8K
$31.3K $31.3K
-27.47%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.2K A$29.4K
$26.2K $26.2K
-26.77%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cairns
Taos, NM
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$153 A$234
$179 $179
-14.34%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$37.09 A$56.8
$52.3 $52.3
-29.01%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$59 A$90.3
$67.5 $67.5
-12.59%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Cairns
Taos, NM
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.89 A$59.6
$93.5 $93.5
-58.39%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.92 A$24.39
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$12.98 A$19.88
$9.14 $9.14
42.01%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Cairns
Taos, NM
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,628 A$2,494
$1,215 $1,215
33.97%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.1K A$18.5K
$5,979 $5,979
102.42%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Cairns
Taos, NM
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$83 A$127
$53.3 $53.3
55.65%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$66.2 A$101
$50.9 $50.9
30.05%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.2 A$150
$96.4 $96.4
1.90%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$135 A$206
$113 $113
19.46%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Cairns
Taos, NM
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,193 A$1,828
$1,668 $1,668
-28.48%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,110 A$1,701
$1,606 $1,606
-30.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,042 A$3,128
$3,429 $3,429
-40.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,858 A$2,847
$2,984 $2,984
-37.72%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,035 A$9,246
$4,587 $4,587
31.56%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,795 A$7,346
$4,534 $4,534
5.75%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Cairns
Taos, NM
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,813 A$4,310
$2,737 $2,737
2.80%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.96
6.49
7.24%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Cairns: October 27, 2025

Last update for Taos, NM: October 29, 2025

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