Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairns and Taos, NM

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairns: $2,501 a month against $2,793 in Taos, NM, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Taos, NM outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

121

Cost of Living Index in Cairns
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Cairns Living Index
135

Cost of Living Index in Taos, NM
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Taos, NM Living Index

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Cairns

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,501

/mo nomad

Taos, NM

🇺🇸 United States

$2,793

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairns and in Taos, NM

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 Taos, NM actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,501 per month in Cairns vs $2,793 in Taos, NM, rent included.

Cairns $2,501
Taos, NM $2,793

A couple spends around $3,716 per month in Cairns vs $4,132 in Taos, NM, rent included.

Cairns $3,716
Taos, NM $4,132

A family of three spends $4,931 per month in Cairns vs $5,471 in Taos, NM, rent included.

Cairns $4,931
Taos, NM $5,471

Cairns is about 10% cheaper than Taos, NM, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cairns and Taos, NM sit above the global median – Cairns by 85%, Taos, NM by 107%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.37 A$25.00

$16.74 $16.74

3.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.6 A$138

$67.1 $67.1

42.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.62 A$18.15

$9.52 $9.52

32.56%

Cappuccino

$4.23 A$6.08

$3.98 $3.98

6.28%

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

$3.27 A$4.70

$2.20 $2.20

48.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 A$3.95

$2.20 $2.20

25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.13 A$10.25

$5.06 $5.06

40.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.39 A$12.07

$5.44 $5.44

54.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 A$2.64

$0.83 $0.83

120.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.69 A$3.87

$3.08 $3.08

-12.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.52 A$3.62

$4.34 $4.34

-41.94%

Eggs

$5.33 A$7.68

$3.99 $3.99

33.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 A$13.04

$11.87 $11.87

-23.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.54 A$19.49

$9.69 $9.69

39.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.90 A$21.44

$11.10 $11.10

34.23%

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 A$6.02

$4.75 $4.75

-12.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.84 A$4.09

$1.46 $1.46

94.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.70 A$5.32

$4.25 $4.25

-12.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.91 A$8.50

$5.07 $5.07

16.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.46 A$3.54

$3.10 $3.10

-20.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 A$3.70

$3.27 $3.27

-21.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 A$4.09

$2.06 $2.06

37.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 A$3.61

$2.49 $2.49

0.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.51 A$64.1

$10.52 $10.52

323.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.87 A$19.95

$13.72 $13.72

1.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.65 A$5.25

$2.51 $2.51

45.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.25 A$7.55

$3.18 $3.18

65.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.56 A$5.13

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.08 A$21.70

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.51 A$3.61

$3.69 $3.69

-31.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 A$2.83

$2.04 $2.04

-3.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.45 A$59.7

$32.20 $32.20

28.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 A$1.77

$0.95 $0.95

29.47%

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

$30.8K A$44.3K

$30.6K $30.6K

0.75%

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

$40.7K A$58.6K

$24.4K $24.4K

66.88%

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

$165 A$238

$161 $161

3.05%

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

$34.27 A$49.32

$62.8 $62.8

-45.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.9 A$93.4

$61.6 $61.6

5.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.80 A$63.0

$95.3 $95.3

-54.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.43 A$39.48

Cinema Ticket

$13.75 A$19.79

$8.63 $8.63

59.33%

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

$2,100 A$3,022

$1,509 $1,509

39.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K A$20.3K

$25.2K $25.2K

-44.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.4 A$130

$54.6 $54.6

65.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$71.4 A$103

$43.88 $43.88

62.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 A$179

$104 $104

19.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$187

$120 $120

8.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,439 A$2,071

$1,806 $1,806

-20.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,223 A$1,760

$1,608 $1,608

-23.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,270 A$3,267

$3,497 $3,497

-35.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 A$2,791

$2,853 $2,853

-32.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,429 A$9,251

$4,366 $4,366

47.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,919 A$7,078

$4,376 $4,376

12.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,424 A$6,366

$2,687 $2,687

64.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.32

6.3

0.32%

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

Last update for Cairns: October 12, 2026

Last update for Taos, NM: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairns

$1.2K 48.9%

Taos, NM

$1.6K 57.6% 31.4% $384

Groceries & Markets

Cairns

$409 16.4%

Taos, NM

$365 13.1% 10.8% $44

Eating Out

Cairns

$304 12.2%

Taos, NM

$264 9.5% 13.1% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairns

$265 10.6%

Taos, NM

$285 10.2% 7.7% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Cairns

$187 7.5%

Taos, NM

$145 5.2% 22.6% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Cairns

$71 2.9%

Taos, NM

$113 4% 57.9% $41

Getting Around

Cairns

$42 1.7%

Taos, NM

$14 * 0.5% 66.6% $28

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,439 in Cairns versus $1,806 in Taos, NM. 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 65% higher in Cairns, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $96.0 in Cairns versus $67.0 in Taos, NM. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $409 vs $365 – making Taos, NM the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Cairns

🇺🇸 Taos, NM

🕒 Local time

03:27 3:27 AM

11:27 11:27 AM

16 h behind Cairns

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

153,181

6,000

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Between locations

Cairns Taos, NM 12,760 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairns
Taos, NM

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 Taos, NM: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taos, NM costs about 12% more than Cairns, 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 $3,751 per month in Cairns and $4,190 in Taos, NM. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,501 in Cairns and $2,793 in Taos, NM. That's a gap of about 12%.

Kindergarten costs $2,100 per month in Cairns and $1,509 in Taos, NM. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,501 in Cairns and $2,793 in Taos, NM. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Cairns – 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 Cairns. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Taos, NM makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.