Think you're paying too much for public transport? It turns out Australians are getting a pretty good deal, according to new research that compares fares with minimum wages in 24 global cities. 
Australian capital cities made up six of the 10 most affordable places for public transport - ahead of London, New York, Paris and Berlin - according to the 2015 Fare Benchmarking Report by Brisbane-based consultancy NineSquared.
The findings contradict previous reports that have found Australia one of the most expensive countries in which to catch a train or bus. The Fare Benchmarking Report compares how long a minimum wage-earner would need to work to afford three kinds of trips: the cheapest (generally the shortest trip), the average (by distance), and the longest (then converted into a calculation per kilometre).
The five most affordable systems all have flat fare structures - minimum wage-earners in Beijing only need to work seven minutes to afford a fare for an average journey.
London's tube was the most expensive. Its fare for the average trip required almost 54 minutes' work on the minimum wage.
Melbourne ranked 10th, requiring just over 24 minutes on minimum wage to cover the average fare. Sydney buses ranked seventh 23 minutes) and Sydney trains were 13th (27 minutes).
The average distance travelled by public transport in each city is closely linked to population density and city design.
In London, for example, the average bus or train journey is less than two kilometres. By contrast, the average train trip in Sydney was 17.1 kilometres - more than eight times longer - and the average Sydney bus trip was 6.7 kilometres in 2011-12.
Australian cities made up four of the five most affordable networks when ranked by the time a minimum wage-earner would need to work to travel one kilometre of the longest possible journey.
Sydney trains ranked second behind Beijing rail, with minimum wage earners needing just under 11 seconds' work for one kilometre's travel. Beijing workers needed just over 10 seconds to cover the cost of travelling the same distance. Melbourne ranked third (11.8 seconds) and Sydney 19th (50.3 seconds) - the worst of Australian cities.
Australian public transport networks cover larger distances than many European and American networks, the report found.
Fare benchmarking
Minutes of work at minimum wage to earn the fare for the average trip in each city
Beijing (Rail) - 10m39s
Paris (Metro) - 22m40s
Sydney (Bus) - 22m41s
Los Angeles - 23m20s
Melbourne - 24m22s
Sydney (Train) - 27m13s
London (Bus) - 27m41s
Toronto - 30m33s
New York - 32m55s
London (Tube) - 53m32s