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

๐Ÿ™‚ Solo nomad: Taos, NM is 0.6% cheaper than Cairns without rent, and 22.8% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Taos, NM is 4.5% cheaper than Cairns without rent, and 22.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Taos, NM
Cairns
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.36 $17.36
$11.56 A$17.34
50.17%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$80.2 $80.2
$81.8 A$123
-1.90%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.64 $9.64
$10.93 A$16.39
-11.80%
Cappuccino
$3.90 $3.90
$3.95 A$5.92
-1.27%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.20 $2.20
$2.81 A$4.22
-21.71%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.79 $1.79
$2.21 A$3.32
-19.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.14 $5.14
$6.65 A$9.98
-22.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.62 $5.62
$7.09 A$10.64
-20.73%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Taos, NM
Cairns
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.04 $1.04
$1.74 A$2.61
-40.23%
White Bread (500g)
$2.90 $2.90
$2.39 A$3.59
21.34%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.15 $3.15
$2.79 A$4.19
12.90%
Eggs
$3.87 $3.87
$4.08 A$6.11
-5.15%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.55 $12.55
$8.21 A$12.31
52.86%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.29 $10.29
$9.07 A$13.61
13.45%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.49 $16.49
$12.58 A$18.87
31.08%
Apples (1kg)
$4.93 $4.93
$3.10 A$4.65
59.03%
Banana (1kg)
$1.44 $1.44
$2.30 A$3.45
-37.39%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.67 $3.67
$2.68 A$4.02
36.94%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.50 $4.50
$7.37 A$11.06
-38.94%
Potato (1kg)
$2.48 $2.48
$2.31 A$3.46
7.36%
Onion (1kg)
$2.51 $2.51
$2.34 A$3.50
7.26%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.03 $2.03
$2.26 A$3.39
-10.18%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.32 $2.32
$2.95 A$4.43
-21.36%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.08 $10.08
$29.47 A$44.20
-65.80%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.19 $14.19
$11.37 A$17.05
24.80%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 $1.82
$3.28 A$4.92
-44.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.71 $2.71
$3.65 A$5.48
-25.75%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Taos, NM
Cairns
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.03 $2.03
$3.31 A$4.97
-38.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$66.1 A$99.1
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.51 $3.51
$6.46 A$9.69
-45.67%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.80 $1.80
$3.19 A$4.79
-43.57%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$28.53 $28.53
$33.66 A$50.5
-15.24%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.79 $0.79
$1.14 A$1.72
-30.70%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.6K $31.6K
$22.4K A$33.6K
40.99%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.7K $25.7K
$19.2K A$28.8K
34.02%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Taos, NM
Cairns
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$177 $177
$153 A$230
15.59%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$52.9 $52.9
$36.98 A$55.5
43.10%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$68.1 $68.1
$59.6 A$89.4
14.39%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Taos, NM
Cairns
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$95.4 $95.4
$37.58 A$56.4
153.83%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$15.87 A$23.80
-
Cinema Ticket
$8.98 $8.98
$12.91 A$19.36
-30.44%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Taos, NM
Cairns
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,254 $1,254
$1,629 A$2,444
-23.05%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,039 $6,039
$12.1K A$18.2K
-50.21%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Taos, NM
Cairns
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.3 $53.3
$82.9 A$124
-35.73%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$51.9 $51.9
$67.6 A$101
-23.28%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$95.7 $95.7
$101 A$151
-5.16%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$113 $113
$136 A$204
-17.02%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Taos, NM
Cairns
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,661 $1,661
$1,231 A$1,847
34.90%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,562 $1,562
$1,103 A$1,655
41.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,459 $3,459
$2,004 A$3,006
72.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,987 $2,987
$1,863 A$2,795
60.33%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,369 $4,369
$6,168 A$9,252
-29.17%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,356 $4,356
$4,807 A$7,210
-9.38%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Taos, NM
Cairns
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,661 $2,661
$3,874 A$5,811
-31.32%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.49
6.96
-6.75%

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

Last update for Taos, NM: January 12, 2026

Last update for Cairns: January 12, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

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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