Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Adelaide and Brisbane

For one person, living costs are similar in Adelaide and in Brisbane: $2,640 and $2,518 a month, rent and utilities included.

128

Cost of Living Index in Adelaide
Learn more

Adelaide Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Brisbane
Learn more

Brisbane Living Index

Jump to prices

Adelaide

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,640

/mo nomad

Brisbane

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,518

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Adelaide and in Brisbane

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,640 in Adelaide versus $2,518 in Brisbane.

Adelaide $2,640
Brisbane $2,518

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,759 in Adelaide versus $3,720 in Brisbane.

Adelaide $3,759
Brisbane $3,720

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,878 in Adelaide versus $4,922 in Brisbane.

Adelaide $4,878
Brisbane $4,922

Living in Adelaide is roughly 5% more expensive than in Brisbane, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Adelaide 95% above, Brisbane 86% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 A$24.61

$17.39 A$25.02

-1.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.5 A$116

$70.9 A$102

13.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.64 A$16.75

$11.09 A$15.95

4.96%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.83

$4.43 A$6.38

-8.58%

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

$2.78 A$4.00

$2.90 A$4.17

-4.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 A$3.68

$2.43 A$3.49

4.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.79 A$11.20

$8.42 A$12.12

-7.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.26 A$11.89

$8.31 A$11.96

-0.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 A$2.85

$1.67 A$2.40

18.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$2.72 A$3.92

2.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 A$3.23

$2.29 A$3.29

-2.18%

Eggs

$5.69 A$8.19

$4.82 A$6.94

18.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 A$16.94

$9.06 A$13.03

29.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.20 A$13.24

$9.18 A$13.21

0.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 A$27.29

$14.21 A$20.45

33.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.94 A$5.67

$4.31 A$6.20

-8.58%

Banana (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$3.04 A$4.38

-0.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.63 A$5.22

$3.00 A$4.32

21.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.06 A$7.28

$4.75 A$6.84

6.53%

Potato (1kg)

$3.20 A$4.60

$2.72 A$3.92

17.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.56

$2.34 A$3.37

5.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.49 A$3.58

$2.42 A$3.48

2.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 A$3.33

$1.19 A$1.71

94.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.26 A$65.1

$38.67 A$55.7

17.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.93 A$20.05

$12.66 A$18.21

10.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.52 A$7.94

$5.40 A$7.77

2.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 A$8.51

$5.13 A$7.38

15.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.20 A$4.61

$0.37 A$0.53

764.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.6 A$120

$20.72 A$29.81

303.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 A$5.07

$2.92 A$4.20

20.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 A$2.85

$1.86 A$2.68

6.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.11 A$44.77

$41.05 A$59.1

-24.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 A$2.03

$1.40 A$2.01

0.71%

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

$29.3K A$42.2K

$29.7K A$42.8K

-1.41%

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

$25.7K A$36.9K

$26.0K A$37.4K

-1.12%

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

$192 A$276

$159 A$229

20.62%

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

$25.71 A$36.99

$26.52 A$38.16

-3.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.7 A$81.6

$60.6 A$87.2

-6.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 A$90.6

$60.9 A$87.6

3.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.06 A$20.24

$22.22 A$31.97

-36.72%

Cinema Ticket

$17.14 A$24.67

$14.14 A$20.34

21.22%

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

$2,072 A$2,982

$1,952 A$2,808

6.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.3K A$20.5K

$12.7K A$18.3K

12.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.3 A$101

$83.3 A$120

-15.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 A$78.9

$43.69 A$62.9

25.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 A$165

$113 A$163

1.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 A$195

$111 A$160

21.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 A$2,466

$1,939 A$2,790

-11.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,278 A$1,839

$1,322 A$1,902

-3.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,431 A$3,498

$3,408 A$4,904

-28.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,833 A$2,637

$2,242 A$3,226

-18.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.1K A$14.5K

$8,271 A$11.9K

22.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,880 A$9,901

$5,920 A$8,518

16.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,830 A$5,511

$4,183 A$6,020

-8.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

5.81

1.89%

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

Last update for Adelaide: October 19, 2026

Last update for Brisbane: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Adelaide

$1.3K 48.4%

Brisbane

$1.3K 52.5% 3.4% $44

Groceries & Markets

Adelaide

$415 15.7%

Brisbane

$363 14.4% 12.5% $52

Eating Out

Adelaide

$297 11.3%

Brisbane

$306 12.1% 2.8% $8.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Adelaide

$274 10.4%

Brisbane

$246 9.8% 10.2% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Adelaide

$169 6.4%

Brisbane

$158 6.3% 6.4% $11

Getting Around

Adelaide

$110 4.2%

Brisbane

$34 1.4% 68.7% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Adelaide

$97 3.7%

Brisbane

$89 3.5% 8.3% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,713 in Adelaide and $1,939 in Brisbane. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brisbane pays 9% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $81.0 in Adelaide vs $71.0 in Brisbane for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $415 vs $363 per month, with Brisbane cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Adelaide

🇦🇺 Brisbane

🕒 Local time

10:54 10:54 AM

10:24 10:24 AM

30 min behind Adelaide

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,245,011

2,287,896

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Adelaide Brisbane 1,600 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Adelaide
Brisbane

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

Adelaide vs Brisbane: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Adelaide and Brisbane differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($2,640 vs $2,518 including rent). Brisbane is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 9% lower in Brisbane. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,713 in Adelaide versus $1,939 in Brisbane. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,072 in Adelaide versus $1,952 in Brisbane. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Adelaide. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Brisbane is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Adelaide and Brisbane are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Brisbane gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Adelaide. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.