Cost of Living in Australia - Updated Prices & Insights

Name: Australia
Address: AU

Solo nomad: Estimated monthly costs are $1,022 (excluding rent), and $2,303 including rent.

Family of 3: Estimated monthly costs are $2,535 (excluding rent), and $4,385 including rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 A$24.86

$10.61 A$15.91

$30.57 A$45.86

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.7 A$117

$51.8 A$77.7

$130 A$194

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.88 A$14.82

$9.22 A$13.84

$11.86 A$17.78

Cappuccino

$3.48 A$5.22

$2.59 A$3.88

$4.85 A$7.28

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

$2.56 A$3.84

$1.91 A$2.86

$3.50 A$5.25

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 A$3.20

$1.80 A$2.69

$3.21 A$4.81

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.62 A$9.93

$4.63 A$6.95

$9.94 A$14.91

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.31 A$10.97

$5.32 A$7.98

$9.98 A$14.98

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 A$2.26

$0.96 A$1.44

$2.54 A$3.82

White Bread (500g)

$2.49 A$3.74

$1.44 A$2.16

$3.95 A$5.93

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 A$3.10

$1.18 A$1.77

$3.93 A$5.90

Eggs

$4.27 A$6.41

$2.69 A$4.03

$6.14 A$9.21

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 A$13.10

$5.78 A$8.68

$19.29 A$28.94

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.25 A$12.38

$5.73 A$8.60

$11.47 A$17.21

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.17 A$21.26

$7.94 A$11.90

$21.17 A$31.76

Apples (1kg)

$3.27 A$4.90

$1.99 A$2.99

$4.32 A$6.48

Banana (1kg)

$2.68 A$4.02

$1.90 A$2.84

$4.42 A$6.64

Oranges (1kg)

$2.89 A$4.34

$1.38 A$2.06

$5.79 A$8.69

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.42

$2.06 A$3.09

$6.44 A$9.66

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.70

$1.29 A$1.93

$3.55 A$5.32

Onion (1kg)

$2.11 A$3.16

$1.27 A$1.91

$3.18 A$4.77

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.44

$1.34 A$2.01

$3.35 A$5.02

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 A$2.24

$0.51 A$0.76

$3.16 A$4.74

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$31.81 A$47.72

$26.18 A$39.26

$39.76 A$59.6

Wine (Bottle)

$13.45 A$20.17

$8.07 A$12.10

$20.17 A$30.25

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.48 A$6.72

$2.45 A$3.67

$7.77 A$11.65

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 A$7.51

$2.63 A$3.95

$7.89 A$11.84

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 A$4.37

$0.33 A$0.49

$4.52 A$6.78

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.0 A$146

$54.0 A$81.0

$149 A$224

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.67 A$5.51

$2.34 A$3.51

$6.67 A$10.00

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 A$2.71

$1.25 A$1.88

$3.14 A$4.71

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.37 A$57.6

$31.54 A$47.31

$55.2 A$82.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 A$1.79

$1.07 A$1.61

$1.40 A$2.10

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

$29.1K A$43.6K

$26.2K A$39.3K

$29.1K A$43.6K

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

$22.7K A$34.1K

$19.5K A$29.2K

$26.0K A$39.0K

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

$175 A$262

$96.6 A$145

$328 A$493

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

$26.26 A$39.39

$12.95 A$19.42

$45.31 A$68.0

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.0 A$79.5

$42.14 A$63.2

$70.7 A$106

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.12 A$70.7

$25.78 A$38.67

$82.5 A$124

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.51 A$24.77

$9.70 A$14.54

$22.61 A$33.91

Cinema Ticket

$13.57 A$20.35

$10.98 A$16.48

$17.44 A$26.16

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

$1,588 A$2,382

$782 A$1,173

$2,495 A$3,742

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K A$18.8K

$5,877 A$8,815

$26.1K A$39.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.7 A$105

$38.38 A$57.6

$96.0 A$144

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$76.0

$22.65 A$33.98

$90.6 A$136

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 A$153

$65.2 A$97.9

$144 A$215

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 A$163

$64.5 A$96.7

$168 A$251

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,370 A$2,055

$929 A$1,393

$2,147 A$3,221

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,076 A$1,613

$771 A$1,156

$1,606 A$2,409

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,270 A$3,404

$1,407 A$2,110

$4,334 A$6,501

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,772 A$2,658

$1,318 A$1,977

$2,689 A$4,033

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,081 A$10.6K

$4,622 A$6,932

$13.2K A$19.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,392 A$8,088

$3,418 A$5,128

$8,546 A$12.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,742 A$5,614

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.35

5.2

7.05

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

Last update: January 10, 2026

By City in Australia

Lowest

Highest

Rank	City	Population	Living Index	Solo costs (no rent) / month	Solo costs (with rent) / month	Family of 3 costs (no rent) / month	Family of 3 costs (with rent) / month	Mobile download speed (Mbps)	Internet download speed (Mbps)
51	Esperance	10218	112	$1,118	$2,235	$2,544	$4,357	122.38	78.32
52	Exmouth	3500	112	$989	$2,247	$2,096	$4,268	152.97	147.02
53	Forbes	-	112	$1,044	$2,197	$2,342	$4,383	259.89	142.44
54	Forster	20554	105	$986	$2,051	$2,062	$4,129	211.67	123.33
55	Frankston	-	104	$841	$2,056	$2,075	$3,931	21.42	238.99
56	Fremantle	-	108	$932	$2,134	$2,019	$4,206	176.48	204.54
57	Geelong	180239	119	$1,022	$2,338	$2,578	$3,809	121.45	225.87
58	Geraldton	32717	112	$1,089	$2,277	$2,475	$4,353	235.49	223.1
59	Gladstone	34703	112	$893	$2,235	$2,246	$4,031	345.52	181.38
60	Gold Coast	607665	128	$987	$2,577	$2,523	$4,774	229.22	207.03
61	Gosford	-	129	$1,219	$2,611	$2,349	$4,730	57.2	174.78
62	Goulburn	23963	105	$862	$2,110	$2,228	$4,236	122.74	138.46
63	Grafton	-	107	$968	$2,158	$2,198	$4,152	79.44	141.28
64	Griffith	20799	112	$903	$2,280	$2,113	$4,376	516.47	136.9
65	Gympie	19435	108	$740	$2,132	$2,338	$4,161	180.89	127.14
66	Hawkesbury City	62353	108	$898	$2,170	$2,069	$4,259	85.5	158.77
67	Hervey Bay	57722	105	$913	$2,131	$2,408	$4,076	26.32	190.51
68	Hobart	197451	124	$1,078	$2,453	$2,666	$4,460	145.03	186.08
69	Hoppers Crossing	38701	112	$1,008	$2,224	$2,352	$4,385	185.76	238.99
70	Horsham	14543	109	$1,109	$2,148	$2,314	$4,104	256.62	131.27
71	Ipswich	229208	108	$984	$2,162	$2,199	$4,013	232.27	229.48
72	Kalgoorlie	29068	90	$1,153	$1,782	$2,880	$4,290	58.03	156.97
73	Karratha	17013	117	$1,169	$2,305	$2,599	$4,539	20.84	82.29
74	Katoomba	8000	115	$1,134	$2,294	$2,456	$4,427	70.51	235.26
75	Kununurra	5300	112	$975	$2,210	$2,504	$4,311	400.72	116.4
76	Lake Macquarie	-	103	$870	$2,063	$1,925	$4,462	202.19	212.55
77	Latrobe Valley	-	112	$1,122	$2,208	$2,599	$4,319	57.97	193.95
78	Launceston	80943	102	$917	$2,068	$2,508	$3,747	194.16	233.88
79	Logan City	345098	91	$903	$1,844	$2,065	$3,643	226.67	229.48
80	Mackay	80455	102	$1,148	$2,018	$2,708	$4,314	110.25	219.23
81	Mandurah	-	107	$1,001	$2,106	$2,257	$4,117	43.74	213.19
82	Mansfield	8600	112	$933	$2,283	$2,823	$4,340	40.6	111.74
83	Margaret River	8000	112	$1,143	$2,256	$2,372	$4,335	104.21	110.9
84	Maroochydore	-	119	$918	$2,334	$2,593	$4,458	52.99	140.61
85	Melbourne	5031195	123	$1,088	$2,495	$2,715	$4,879	47.8	238.99
86	Mildura	34565	108	$1,092	$2,164	$2,554	$4,371	334.68	159.22
87	Millmerran	-	116	$1,026	$2,299	$2,843	$4,534	63.71	156.26
88	Moe	8700	107	$906	$2,137	$1,987	$4,140	172.67	193.95
89	Mount Gambier	26734	104	$998	$2,108	$3,247	$4,809	348.09	146.06
90	Mount Isa	17936	112	$845	$2,239	$2,698	$4,365	36.3	167.14
91	Mount Victoria	-	116	$1,139	$2,330	$2,936	$4,395	177.03	167.7
92	Mudgee	11563	111	$1,037	$2,245	$2,162	$4,264	13.4	125.33
93	Muswellbrook	-	109	$1,013	$2,186	$2,346	$4,230	30.33	140.79
94	Newcastle	-	116	$1,037	$2,308	$2,639	$4,549	260.33	218.37
95	Ningi	5000	112	$1,011	$2,197	$2,359	$4,085	19.39	229.48
96	Noosa Heads	-	105	$911	$2,119	$2,559	$4,677	175.44	125.07
97	Northam	6000	110	$936	$2,203	$2,138	$4,241	213.1	89.85
98	Nowra NSW	-	112	$870	$2,250	$2,728	$4,392	-	-
99	Nuriootpa	6300	115	$942	$2,256	$2,593	$4,420	122.57	124.88
100	Orange, NSW	40127	89	$1,005	$1,789	$2,545	$3,642	110.89	183.15

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Cost of Living in Australia - Frequently Asked Questions

Australia offers a high quality of life with varied value across cities and regions. The Cost of Living in Australia varies by location, with capital cities tending to be pricier than regional hubs. Travelers, expats, and digital nomads who stay flexible about neighborhood and length of stay often find the best balance in mid-size cities and coastal towns, where housing and dining can be more affordable without sacrificing amenities. Seasonal demand, such as holiday periods or major events, can affect costs temporarily. A practical approach is to compare neighborhoods by commute, access to co-working spaces, and proximity to groceries or markets. Tip: Start with a two-week baseline in your top two areas to see where you feel most at home.

Daily life for Australia living cost awareness aside, your day-to-day will hinge on where you stay and how you move. Start with housing search by budgeting for a few types: a shared apartment near a transit hub, a studio with reliable internet, or longer-term leases in neighborhoods with markets and parks. Food options range from local grocers and cheap eateries to mid-range cafés; cooking at home often saves more than occasional dining out. Transport can be economical with monthly passes, bike lanes, and walkable streets. For remote work, a solid internet plan and a nearby co-working or café can sustain momentum. Tip: Plan backups for high season and keep a flexible schedule.

Quality of life in Australia includes outdoor access, safety, healthcare, and vibrant communities. Build a budgeting framework that separates fixed costs (rent, utilities) from discretionary spending (eating out, entertainment). Look for neighborhoods that match your work style – co-working spots, fast Wi-Fi, and safe, walkable streets. Consider the seasons: in many cities, summer heat or rains change commute and leisure timing. Shortlist two or three areas and test them with a live-in trial if possible. Use tools to compare utilities, internet, and transport options before signing a lease. Tip: choose a neighborhood that supports your work rhythm and social life.