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

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Cairns is 3.7% more expensive than Taos, NM without rent, and 17% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Cairns is 14.3% more expensive than Taos, NM without rent, and 21.6% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Cairns
Taos, NM
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.53 A$16.03
$16.93 $16.93
-31.90%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$80.7 A$112
$81.3 $81.3
-0.77%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.88 A$15.13
$9.63 $9.63
12.98%
Cappuccino
$3.81 A$5.30
$4.11 $4.11
-7.30%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.76 A$3.84
$2.27 $2.27
21.59%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.34 A$3.26
$1.77 $1.77
32.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.34 A$8.81
$5.03 $5.03
26.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.10 A$9.86
$5.59 $5.59
27.01%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Cairns
Taos, NM
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.70 A$2.36
$1.02 $1.02
66.67%
White Bread (500g)
$2.43 A$3.38
$2.95 $2.95
-17.63%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.76 A$3.83
$3.32 $3.32
-16.87%
Eggs
$3.99 A$5.55
$4.01 $4.01
-0.50%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.98 A$11.10
$12.84 $12.84
-37.85%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.10 A$12.65
$10.28 $10.28
-11.48%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.89 A$17.91
$16.42 $16.42
-21.50%
Apples (1kg)
$2.99 A$4.16
$4.75 $4.75
-37.05%
Banana (1kg)
$2.28 A$3.16
$1.40 $1.40
62.86%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.69 A$3.74
$3.75 $3.75
-28.27%
Tomato (1kg)
$7.17 A$9.97
$4.39 $4.39
63.33%
Potato (1kg)
$2.33 A$3.24
$2.41 $2.41
-3.32%
Onion (1kg)
$2.34 A$3.26
$2.47 $2.47
-5.26%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.32 A$3.22
$1.95 $1.95
18.97%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$3.01 A$4.18
$2.29 $2.29
31.44%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$29.25 A$40.65
$9.94 $9.94
194.27%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.52 A$16.01
$13.72 $13.72
-16.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.39 A$4.71
$1.81 $1.81
87.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 A$5.11
$2.80 $2.80
31.43%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Cairns
Taos, NM
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.15 A$4.38
$2.04 $2.04
54.41%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$64.5 A$89.7
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.64 A$9.23
$3.43 $3.43
93.59%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.04 A$4.23
$1.79 $1.79
69.83%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.70 A$46.85
$28.42 $28.42
18.58%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.12 A$1.55
$0.80 $0.80
40.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.6K A$31.4K
$31.5K $31.5K
-28.22%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.7K A$27.4K
$25.4K $25.4K
-22.40%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cairns
Taos, NM
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$151 A$209
$180 $180
-16.17%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$36.89 A$51.3
$53.1 $53.1
-30.47%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$60.1 A$83.6
$68.9 $68.9
-12.66%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Cairns
Taos, NM
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.91 A$54.1
$94.3 $94.3
-58.72%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.70 A$21.82
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$13.15 A$18.28
$8.69 $8.69
51.32%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Cairns
Taos, NM
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,653 A$2,298
$1,216 $1,216
35.98%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.3K A$17.0K
$6,074 $6,074
101.88%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Cairns
Taos, NM
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$83.4 A$116
$52.6 $52.6
58.67%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$66.2 A$92.0
$51.4 $51.4
28.86%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.2 A$138
$98.4 $98.4
0.83%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$135 A$188
$113 $113
20.29%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Cairns
Taos, NM
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,194 A$1,660
$1,675 $1,675
-28.71%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,111 A$1,544
$1,584 $1,584
-29.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,984 A$2,758
$3,469 $3,469
-42.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,864 A$2,591
$3,093 $3,093
-39.73%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,616 A$9,197
$4,336 $4,336
52.60%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,160 A$7,173
$4,418 $4,418
16.79%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Cairns
Taos, NM
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,444 A$6,178
$2,687 $2,687
65.39%
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Taos, NM: April 14, 2026

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

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