Data Canberra
🇦🇺 ABS Data · Feb 2026

Canberra
Cost of Living

Real ABS data on what it costs to live in Canberra. CPI, wages, jobs, earnings, and property — no spin.

5th most expensive
of 8 capital cities by CPI inflation
0.0%
CPI Inflation (YoY)
vs
+3.7%
National Average
101.4
CPI Index
📊 Source: ABS Consumer Price Index (6401.0)
CPI Trend

Canberra CPI over time

All Groups CPI index for Canberra vs the national average. Higher = more expensive. Hover for detail.

Canberra
National (dashed)
Inflation Breakdown

What's getting more expensive in Canberra?

Year-on-year inflation by CPI subcategory. Red = prices rising fast. Green = prices falling.

Electricity
+28.7%
Utilities
+14.4%
Beef and veal
+13.1%
Coffee, tea and cocoa
+11.2%
Water and sewerage
+7.8%
Housing
+5.3%
Motor vehicles
+5.2%
Medical and hospital services
+5.0%
Alcohol and tobacco
+4.8%
Milk
+4.2%
Restaurant meals
+3.2%
Meals out and take away foods
+3.0%
Eggs
+2.9%
Food and non-alcoholic beverages
+2.8%
Take away and fast foods
+2.7%
Rents
+1.1%
Communication
+0.9%
Transport
+0.8%
Private motoring
+0.7%
Bread
+0.6%
Cheese
-0.2%
Poultry
-1.1%
Gas and other household fuels
-2.7%
Pharmaceutical products
-4.3%
Automotive fuel
-5.8%
City Comparison

Cost of living vs other cities

All Groups CPI YoY inflation across capital cities. Higher = prices rising faster.

#1
Perth
+4.9%
#2
Hobart
+4.0%
#3
Sydney
+3.8%
#4
Brisbane
+3.7%
#5
Canberra you are here
+3.5%
#6
Adelaide
+3.4%
#7
Melbourne
+3.3%
#8
Darwin
+3.2%
Wage Price Index

Wages in ACT

WPI measures wage growth. ACT vs national. Are wages keeping up with Canberra inflation?

157.5
Latest WPI Index
+3.7%
ACT WPI YoY
+3.4%
National WPI YoY
+0.2%
Real Wage Growth
ACT WPI
National (dashed)
Job Market

Employment in ACT

Unemployment rate and labour force participation for Australian Capital Territory.

3.5%
Unemployment Rate
4.3%
National Unemployment
71.5%
Participation Rate
66.9%
National Participation
ACT Unemployment
National (dashed)
Average Weekly Earnings

What ACT earns

Full-time adult average weekly earnings for Australian Capital Territory. ABS Cat. 6302.0.

$2,285
Weekly (ACT)
$118,841
Annual (ACT)
$2,129
National Weekly
6.8%
Gender Pay Gap
♂
$2,360/wk
Males
♀
$2,201/wk
Females
Property Market

Housing in ACT

Mean dwelling price and affordability for Australian Capital Territory. ABS Cat. 6432.0.

$973,800
Mean Dwelling Price
▲ 3.0% YoY
$1,074,700
National Average
8.2x
Price / Annual Earnings
9.7x
National Ratio
ACT Mean Price
National (dashed)

Dwelling Prices by State

New South Wales
$1,301,100
Queensland
$1,066,000
Western Australia
$1,014,200
Australian Capital Territory
$973,800
South Australia
$938,100
Victoria
$933,100
Tasmania
$703,800
Northern Territory
$580,000
Explore

Other capital cities

Compare the cost of living across Australia.

Sydney
+3.8% CPI
→
Melbourne
+3.3% CPI
→
Brisbane
+3.7% CPI
→
Perth
+4.9% CPI
→
Adelaide
+3.4% CPI
→
Hobart
+4.0% CPI
→
Data Sources
ABS Consumer Price Index (6401.0)
Monthly CPI by capital city and category. Base period: Sep 2025 = 100.
ABS CPI →
ABS Wage Price Index (6345.0)
Quarterly WPI by state. Total hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses.
ABS WPI →
ABS Labour Force (6202.0)
Monthly unemployment rate and participation by state.
ABS Labour →
ABS Average Weekly Earnings (6302.0)
Half-yearly earnings by state, industry, and sex.
ABS AWE →
ABS Residential Dwelling Values (6432.0)
Quarterly mean dwelling prices by state.
ABS Dwellings →
All data sourced from the Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated as released