Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Townsville and Johnson City, TN

For one person, living is cheaper in Johnson City, TN: $2,131 a month against $2,606 in Townsville, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Townsville
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Townsville Living Index
102

Cost of Living Index in Johnson City, TN
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Johnson City, TN Living Index

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Townsville

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,606

/mo nomad

Johnson City, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,131

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Townsville and in Johnson City, TN

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

A single person spends $2,606 per month in Townsville vs $2,131 in Johnson City, TN, rent included.

Townsville $2,606
Johnson City, TN $2,131

A couple spends around $3,842 per month in Townsville vs $3,129 in Johnson City, TN, rent included.

Townsville $3,842
Johnson City, TN $3,129

A family of three spends $5,078 per month in Townsville vs $4,128 in Johnson City, TN, rent included.

Townsville $5,078
Johnson City, TN $4,128

Townsville costs about 22% more than Johnson City, TN, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Townsville and Johnson City, TN sit above the global median – Townsville by 93%, Johnson City, TN by 58%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.82 A$32.52

$13.79 $13.79

65.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.4 A$100

$54.0 $54.0

30.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 A$17.33

$9.97 $9.97

21.97%

Cappuccino

$3.58 A$5.10

$5.13 $5.13

-30.21%

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

$2.64 A$3.76

$3.10 $3.10

-14.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 A$3.52

$1.96 $1.96

26.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.53 A$12.16

$5.10 $5.10

67.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 A$10.27

$6.10 $6.10

18.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 A$2.53

$1.02 $1.02

73.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 A$3.23

$3.91 $3.91

-41.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 A$1.94

$3.93 $3.93

-65.39%

Eggs

$5.23 A$7.45

$3.17 $3.17

64.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.16 A$11.63

$7.36 $7.36

10.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.89 A$14.09

$13.82 $13.82

-28.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.37 A$19.06

$13.10 $13.10

2.06%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 A$5.89

$7.65 $7.65

-46.01%

Banana (1kg)

$2.70 A$3.85

$1.79 $1.79

50.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.58 A$5.10

$4.04 $4.04

-11.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 A$6.11

$3.51 $3.51

22.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 A$3.76

$3.34 $3.34

-20.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.85 A$4.07

$4.45 $4.45

-35.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.28

$2.19 $2.19

5.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.26 A$4.64

$2.35 $2.35

38.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$30.58 A$43.58

$8.55 $8.55

257.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.71 A$15.26

$13.11 $13.11

-18.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$6.93 A$9.88

$1.63 $1.63

325.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.54 A$12.17

$5.16 $5.16

65.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.11 A$3.01

$1.02 $1.02

106.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.2 A$78.7

$25.34 $25.34

117.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.62 A$3.74

$3.54 $3.54

-25.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 A$2.91

$1.32 $1.32

54.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.02 A$62.7

$15.07 $15.07

192.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 A$1.76

$0.83 $0.83

49.40%

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

$28.1K A$40.1K

$30.3K $30.3K

-7.17%

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

$27.8K A$39.7K

$24.4K $24.4K

13.92%

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

$383 A$545

$175 $175

118.74%

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

$36.42 A$51.9

$52.1 $52.1

-30.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.0 A$94.1

$61.7 $61.7

6.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.4 A$78.9

$46.99 $46.99

17.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.73 A$28.11

$19.89 $19.89

-0.80%

Cinema Ticket

$15.23 A$21.71

$12.03 $12.03

26.60%

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

$2,084 A$2,970

$1,318 $1,318

58.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K A$17.5K

$10.4K $10.4K

17.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.5 A$132

$38.00 $38.00

143.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.1 A$99.9

$31.17 $31.17

124.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$164 A$233

$86.3 $86.3

89.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$187

$93.2 $93.2

41.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,286 A$1,832

$1,166 $1,166

10.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 A$1,460

$968 $968

5.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,313 A$3,296

$1,998 $1,998

15.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,845 A$2,630

$1,607 $1,607

14.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,976 A$7,091

$2,382 $2,382

108.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,112 A$5,860

$2,029 $2,029

102.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,066 A$5,794

$3,616 $3,616

12.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.68

6.49

-12.48%

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

Last update for Townsville: November 3, 2026

Last update for Johnson City, TN: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Townsville

$1K 39.3%

Johnson City, TN

$968 45.4% 5.5% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Townsville

$485 18.6%

Johnson City, TN

$289 13.6% 40.5% $196

Groceries & Markets

Townsville

$389 14.9%

Johnson City, TN

$391 18.4% 0.8% $3

Eating Out

Townsville

$340 13%

Johnson City, TN

$260 12.2% 23.5% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Townsville

$206 7.9%

Johnson City, TN

$112 5.3% 45.7% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Townsville

$86 3.3%

Johnson City, TN

$71 3.3% 17.2% $15

Getting Around

Townsville

$77 2.9%

Johnson City, TN

$40 1.9% 48.3% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,286 in Townsville versus $1,166 in Johnson City, TN. 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 12% higher in Townsville, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70 in Townsville versus $54 in Johnson City, TN. Groceries tell a different story – $389 in Townsville vs $391 in Johnson City, TN – so Townsville wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Townsville

🇺🇸 Johnson City, TN

🕒 Local time

11:50 11:50 AM

20:50 8:50 PM

15 h behind Townsville

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

173,724

66,027

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.702 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Townsville Johnson City, TN 14,880 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Townsville
Johnson City, TN

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

Townsville vs Johnson City, TN: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Townsville is pricier by about 22%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,910 per month in Townsville and $3,196 in Johnson City, TN. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,286 in Townsville and $1,166 in Johnson City, TN. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70 in Townsville and $54 in Johnson City, TN. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 54% less in Johnson City, TN. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Johnson City, TN, where all-in costs run around $2,131, than in Townsville at $2,606. In Johnson City, TN it covers expenses comfortably, while in Townsville it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Johnson City, TN – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Johnson City, TN. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Townsville makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.