Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mackay and Augusta, ME

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.

106

Cost of Living Index in Mackay
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Mackay Living Index
114

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

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Mackay

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,209

/mo nomad

Augusta, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$2,388

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.22 A$24.47

$19.90 $19.90

-13.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.8 A$108

$53.1 $53.1

42.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.42 A$17.65

$10.39 $10.39

19.54%

Cappuccino

$4.30 A$6.11

$5.40 $5.40

-20.37%

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

$3.39 A$4.82

$2.36 $2.36

43.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 A$3.89

$1.59 $1.59

72.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.97 A$9.90

$5.02 $5.02

38.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.87 A$9.76

$7.72 $7.72

-11.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 A$2.70

$1.14 $1.14

66.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.51 A$3.57

$4.56 $4.56

-44.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 A$4.01

$1.45 $1.45

94.48%

Eggs

$6.02 A$8.55

$3.96 $3.96

52.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.70 A$13.78

$15.09 $15.09

-35.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.53 A$12.12

$14.12 $14.12

-39.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.45 A$23.37

$19.52 $19.52

-15.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.69 A$5.24

$7.48 $7.48

-50.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 A$4.05

$1.31 $1.31

117.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 A$4.26

$3.09 $3.09

-2.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.72 A$9.55

$4.59 $4.59

46.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 A$3.59

$2.33 $2.33

8.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 A$3.64

$2.86 $2.86

-10.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.24 A$4.61

$2.08 $2.08

55.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.11 A$4.43

$1.81 $1.81

71.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.23 A$62.8

$11.98 $11.98

269.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.63 A$12.27

$12.99 $12.99

-33.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.24 A$7.45

$1.56 $1.56

235.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.05 A$8.59

$1.55 $1.55

290.32%

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)

$5.88 A$8.35

$2.55 $2.55

130.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.06 A$2.92

$1.27 $1.27

62.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.28 A$50.1

$28.55 $28.55

23.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 A$1.81

$0.90 $0.90

41.11%

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

$27.1K A$38.5K

$29.6K $29.6K

-8.29%

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

$35.4K A$50.4K

$24.3K $24.3K

46.02%

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

$235 A$334

$243 $243

-3.35%

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

$29.32 A$41.66

$45.59 $45.59

-35.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.9 A$112

$61.0 $61.0

29.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.0 A$73.9

$22.60 $22.60

130.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.14 A$30.04

Cinema Ticket

$16.46 A$23.38

$14.13 $14.13

16.49%

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

$1,860 A$2,642

$2,656 $2,656

-29.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,747 A$9,586

$36.6K $36.6K

-81.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.1 A$101

$73.5 $73.5

-3.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.0 A$71.0

$50.9 $50.9

-1.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 A$174

$113 $113

8.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 A$150

$154 $154

-31.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$956 A$1,358

$1,200 $1,200

-20.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$829 A$1,178

$1,078 $1,078

-23.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,903 A$2,704

$1,602 $1,602

18.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,779 A$2,527

$1,473 $1,473

20.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,115 A$4,426

$2,386 $2,386

30.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,763 A$2,505

$2,378 $2,378

-25.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,517 A$7,839

$1,948 $1,948

183.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.63

6.3

-10.63%

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

Last update for Mackay: October 24, 2026

Last update for Augusta, ME: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mackay

$829 37.5%

Augusta, ME

$1.1K 45.2% 30% $249

Groceries & Markets

Mackay

$400 18.1%

Augusta, ME

$413 17.3% 3.2% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mackay

$343 15.5%

Augusta, ME

$349 14.6% 1.9% $6.5

Eating Out

Mackay

$300 13.6%

Augusta, ME

$312 13% 3.9% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Mackay

$157 7.1%

Augusta, ME

$176 7.4% 12.3% $19

Getting Around

Mackay

$95 4.3%

Augusta, ME

$8.9 * 0.4% 90.6% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Mackay

$85 3.9%

Augusta, ME

$51 2.1% 40.1% $34

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 $956 in Mackay and $1,200 in Augusta, ME. 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: $76 in Mackay vs $53 in Augusta, ME. Groceries flip the comparison at $400 vs $413, with Mackay cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Mackay

🇺🇸 Augusta, ME

🕒 Local time

06:23 6:23 AM

16:23 4:23 PM

14 h behind Mackay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

80,455

194,343

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

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

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Mackay
Augusta, ME

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

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

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

Average pay in Mackay is about 2.8 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

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

Childcare runs $1,860 in Mackay versus $2,656 in Augusta, ME. 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.