Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Macquarie and Pocatello, ID

For one person, living is cheaper in Pocatello, ID: $1,929 a month against $2,450 in Port Macquarie, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in Port Macquarie
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Port Macquarie Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in Pocatello, ID
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Pocatello, ID Living Index

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Port Macquarie

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,450

/mo nomad

Pocatello, ID

🇺🇸 United States

$1,929

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Port Macquarie and in Pocatello, ID

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,450 in Port Macquarie versus $1,929 in Pocatello, ID.

Port Macquarie $2,450
Pocatello, ID $1,929

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,487 in Port Macquarie versus $2,671 in Pocatello, ID.

Port Macquarie $3,487
Pocatello, ID $2,671

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,525 in Port Macquarie versus $3,413 in Pocatello, ID.

Port Macquarie $4,525
Pocatello, ID $3,413

Living in Port Macquarie is roughly 27% more expensive than in Pocatello, ID, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Port Macquarie 81% above, Pocatello, ID 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.73 A$25.51

$14.78 $14.78

19.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.3 A$126

$50.4 $50.4

73.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.34 A$14.88

$9.91 $9.91

4.34%

Cappuccino

$3.90 A$5.61

$5.12 $5.12

-23.83%

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

$2.49 A$3.59

$2.06 $2.06

20.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 A$2.40

$1.65 $1.65

1.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.19 A$8.91

$3.08 $3.08

100.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.38 A$9.17

$4.87 $4.87

31.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.03 A$2.92

$0.81 $0.81

150.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.93 A$4.22

$3.21 $3.21

-8.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.74 A$3.94

$4.04 $4.04

-32.18%

Eggs

$5.29 A$7.62

$4.22 $4.22

25.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.12 A$7.37

$8.77 $8.77

-41.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 A$15.22

$12.02 $12.02

-12.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.95 A$17.20

$16.93 $16.93

-29.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.52

$4.12 $4.12

-23.79%

Banana (1kg)

$4.31 A$6.20

$1.31 $1.31

229.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.45

$3.71 $3.71

-35.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.95 A$7.12

$3.25 $3.25

52.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 A$3.43

$0.57 $0.57

319.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 A$3.44

$2.48 $2.48

-3.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 A$2.30

$1.86 $1.86

-13.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 A$2.16

$1.93 $1.93

-22.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.49 A$61.1

$9.98 $9.98

325.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.41 A$14.98

$8.89 $8.89

17.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.13 A$5.95

$2.69 $2.69

53.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.42

$3.40 $3.40

51.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.89 A$4.16

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.7 A$116

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.66 A$5.26

$2.46 $2.46

48.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 A$2.29

$2.28 $2.28

-30.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.84 A$61.7

$24.53 $24.53

74.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 A$1.88

$0.97 $0.97

34.02%

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

$26.2K A$37.6K

$37.3K $37.3K

-29.79%

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

$22.0K A$31.6K

$23.9K $23.9K

-8.08%

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

$198 A$285

$155 $155

27.77%

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

$30.80 A$44.33

$48.83 $48.83

-36.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.3 A$88.3

$72.2 $72.2

-15.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 A$74.1

$37.68 $37.68

36.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.54 A$13.73

$15.25 $15.25

-37.44%

Cinema Ticket

$10.92 A$15.71

$12.59 $12.59

-13.26%

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

$1,823 A$2,624

$481 $481

278.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K A$26.7K

$20.2K $20.2K

-8.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 A$102

$49.66 $49.66

42.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 A$79.0

$46.39 $46.39

18.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 A$150

$79.5 $79.5

30.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 A$154

$71.3 $71.3

49.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,408 A$2,026

$1,095 $1,095

28.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 A$1,729

$870 $870

38.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,133 A$3,069

$1,694 $1,694

25.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 A$2,437

$1,121 $1,121

50.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,785 A$8,324

$1,930 $1,930

199.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,938 A$7,106

$1,985 $1,985

148.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,769 A$3,984

$3,910 $3,910

-29.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

6.46

-17.49%

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

Last update for Port Macquarie: October 13, 2026

Last update for Pocatello, ID: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Macquarie

$1.2K 49%

Pocatello, ID

$870 45.1% 27.5% $331

Groceries & Markets

Port Macquarie

$350 14.3%

Pocatello, ID

$345 17.9% 1.3% $4.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Macquarie

$290 11.9%

Pocatello, ID

$276 14.3% 4.9% $14

Eating Out

Port Macquarie

$280 11.4%

Pocatello, ID

$249 12.9% 10.9% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Port Macquarie

$151 6.2%

Pocatello, ID

$111 5.8% 26.6% $40

Getting Around

Port Macquarie

$104 4.2%

Pocatello, ID

$14 * 0.7% 86.7% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Port Macquarie

$73 3%

Pocatello, ID

$63 3.3% 14.3% $10

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 $1,408 in Port Macquarie and $1,095 in Pocatello, ID. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pocatello, ID pays 41% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $87.0 in Port Macquarie vs $50.0 in Pocatello, ID for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $345 per month, with Pocatello, ID cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Port Macquarie

🇺🇸 Pocatello, ID

🕒 Local time

05:19 5:19 AM

12:19 12:19 PM

17 h behind Port Macquarie

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,793

56,320

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Port Macquarie Pocatello, ID 12,670 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Port Macquarie
Pocatello, ID

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

Port Macquarie vs Pocatello, ID: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pocatello, ID is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 27% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 41% lower in Pocatello, ID. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,408 in Port Macquarie versus $1,095 in Pocatello, ID. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,823 in Port Macquarie versus $481 in Pocatello, ID. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Pocatello, ID – a meal for two runs $50.0 versus $87.0 in Port Macquarie. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,929 in Pocatello, ID versus $2,450 in Port Macquarie, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Pocatello, ID but tight or insufficient in Port Macquarie. The gap between the two cities makes Pocatello, ID the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Port Macquarie and Pocatello, ID are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Pocatello, ID gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Port Macquarie. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.