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No. Australia is more expense then the USA when it comes to everything. Rent, grocery, internet, etc. Australian consumers also have on average less buying pow

No. Australia is more expense then the USA when it comes to everything. Rent, grocery, internet, etc. Australian consumers also have on average less buying power then American citizens. [1] The medium household income for both countries is nearly identical. $30,932 (USA) vs $30,077 (AUS) ~2.76% [2] So income is ~3% higher in America, but rent is ~46% more expensive in Australia (Groceries are 32.5%). I would say its based on factors other then average income. [1] Numbeo.com [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Median_household_income https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Median_household_income

tnorthcutt 12y ago
Australian consumers also have on average less buying power then American citizens. So then it is expensive relative to your income, is it not?
adventured 12y ago
I looked at the wiki entry but something isn't right about that. I don't understand where they're getting the $30k figure. The median household income in the US is over $53,000 - not $30,932. I think it's much higher in Australia as well (for example they list nominal median at $47k on the wiki). http://www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/acsbr12-02.pdf http://www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/acsbr12-02.pdf http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/00000.html http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/00000.html Even the chart graphic at the bottom right of that wikipedia entry shows $50k+ as the proper median income level: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/US_real_median_household_income_1967_-_2011.PNG https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/US_real_...
- lern_too_spel 12y ago
  It's equivalised. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equivalisation https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equivalisation
- twoodfin 12y ago
  The Wikipedia table is apparently median household equivalent adult income. This is the somewhat obscure way the OECD accounts for varying household sizes amongst compared nations: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equivalisation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equivalisation You're right that the U.S. median household income is north of $50K.
jacques_chester 12y ago
Australian figures and American figures aren't comparable. Australia is one of the most urbanised populations in the world; in the USA cost-of-living figures are dragged down because an enormous bulk of the population is scattered across cheap locations.

tnorthcutt 12y ago

Australian consumers also have on average less buying power then American citizens. So then it is expensive relative to your income, is it not?

adventured 12y ago

I looked at the wiki entry but something isn't right about that. I don't understand where they're getting the $30k figure. The median household income in the US is over $53,000 - not $30,932. I think it's much higher in Australia as well (for example they list nominal median at $47k on the wiki). http://www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/acsbr12-02.pdf http://www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/acsbr12-02.pdf http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/00000.html http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/00000.html Even the chart graphic at the bottom right of that wikipedia entry shows $50k+ as the proper median income level: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/US_real_median_household_income_1967_-_2011.PNG https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/US_real_...

lern_too_spel 12y ago
It's equivalised. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equivalisation https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equivalisation
twoodfin 12y ago
The Wikipedia table is apparently median household equivalent adult income. This is the somewhat obscure way the OECD accounts for varying household sizes amongst compared nations: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equivalisation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equivalisation You're right that the U.S. median household income is north of $50K.

jacques_chester 12y ago

Australian figures and American figures aren't comparable. Australia is one of the most urbanised populations in the world; in the USA cost-of-living figures are dragged down because an enormous bulk of the population is scattered across cheap locations.