Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alice Springs and Brisbane

For one person, living is cheaper in Alice Springs: $1,798 a month against $2,518 in Brisbane, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Brisbane outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

88

Cost of Living Index in Alice Springs
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Alice Springs Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Brisbane
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Brisbane Living Index

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Alice Springs

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,798

/mo nomad

Brisbane

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,518

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Alice Springs 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 Alice Springs and in Brisbane actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,798 in Alice Springs versus $2,518 in Brisbane.

Alice Springs $1,798
Brisbane $2,518

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,720 in Alice Springs versus $3,720 in Brisbane.

Alice Springs $2,720
Brisbane $3,720

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,641 in Alice Springs versus $4,922 in Brisbane.

Alice Springs $3,641
Brisbane $4,922

Living in Alice Springs costs roughly 29% less than in Brisbane, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Alice Springs 33% above, Brisbane 86% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.27 A$24.85

$17.39 A$25.02

-0.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.0 A$119

$70.9 A$102

17.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.70 A$15.40

$11.09 A$15.95

-3.52%

Cappuccino

$4.28 A$6.16

$4.43 A$6.38

-3.39%

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

$2.87 A$4.13

$2.90 A$4.17

-1.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 A$4.06

$2.43 A$3.49

16.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.48 A$9.33

$8.42 A$12.12

-23.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.54 A$13.72

$8.31 A$11.96

14.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 A$2.05

$1.67 A$2.40

-14.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 A$3.03

$2.72 A$3.92

-22.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 A$2.57

$2.29 A$3.29

-22.27%

Eggs

$5.10 A$7.33

$4.82 A$6.94

5.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.17 A$14.63

$9.06 A$13.03

12.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.29 A$11.94

$9.18 A$13.21

-9.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.50 A$20.87

$14.21 A$20.45

2.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.84 A$5.53

$4.31 A$6.20

-10.90%

Banana (1kg)

$3.00 A$4.32

$3.04 A$4.38

-1.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.63 A$3.78

$3.00 A$4.32

-12.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.85 A$9.86

$4.75 A$6.84

44.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.58

$2.72 A$3.92

-8.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.28 A$3.28

$2.34 A$3.37

-2.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 A$3.50

$2.42 A$3.48

0.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 A$3.40

$1.19 A$1.71

98.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$28.22 A$40.60

$38.67 A$55.7

-27.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.77 A$19.82

$12.66 A$18.21

8.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 A$4.64

$5.40 A$7.77

-40.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.59 A$8.04

$5.13 A$7.38

8.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.79 A$4.02

$0.37 A$0.53

654.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.9 A$99.1

$20.72 A$29.81

232.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.84 A$6.97

$2.92 A$4.20

65.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 A$2.24

$1.86 A$2.68

-16.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.74 A$39.92

$41.05 A$59.1

-32.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 A$1.94

$1.40 A$2.01

-3.57%

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

$37.6K A$54.1K

$29.7K A$42.8K

26.44%

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

$23.0K A$33.0K

$26.0K A$37.4K

-11.56%

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

$213 A$306

$159 A$229

33.57%

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

$28.21 A$40.59

$26.52 A$38.16

6.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.86 A$66.0

$60.6 A$87.2

-24.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.9 A$81.9

$60.9 A$87.6

-6.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.95 A$25.83

$22.22 A$31.97

-19.22%

Cinema Ticket

$13.94 A$20.06

$14.14 A$20.34

-1.41%

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

$1,941 A$2,793

$1,952 A$2,808

-0.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.6K A$29.6K

$12.7K A$18.3K

61.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.1 A$105

$83.3 A$120

-12.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$12.03 A$17.31

$43.69 A$62.9

-72.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 A$198

$113 A$163

21.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 A$173

$111 A$160

8.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,405 A$2,022

$1,939 A$2,790

-27.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$518 A$746

$1,322 A$1,902

-60.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,267 A$1,823

$3,408 A$4,904

-62.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$765 A$1,101

$2,242 A$3,226

-65.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,502 A$6,478

$8,271 A$11.9K

-45.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,696 A$6,757

$5,920 A$8,518

-20.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,301 A$6,189

$4,183 A$6,020

2.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.81

1.55%

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

Last update for Alice Springs: 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

Alice Springs

$518 28.8%

Brisbane

$1.3K 52.5% 155% $803

Groceries & Markets

Alice Springs

$365 20.3%

Brisbane

$363 14.4% 0.6% $2.3

Eating Out

Alice Springs

$296 16.5%

Brisbane

$306 12.1% 3.3% $9.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alice Springs

$287 15.9%

Brisbane

$246 9.8% 14.1% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Alice Springs

$154 8.6%

Brisbane

$158 6.3% 2.4% $3.7

Getting Around

Alice Springs

$93 5.2%

Brisbane

$34 1.4% 62.9% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Alice Springs

$85 4.7%

Brisbane

$89 3.5% 5.1% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,405 in Alice Springs and $1,939 in Brisbane. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alice Springs pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $83.0 in Alice Springs vs $71.0 in Brisbane for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $365 vs $363 per month, with Brisbane cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Alice Springs

🇦🇺 Brisbane

🕒 Local time

10:37 10:37 AM

11:07 11:07 AM

30 min ahead of Alice Springs

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,855

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

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Between locations

Alice Springs Brisbane 1,960 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Alice Springs
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

Alice Springs vs Brisbane: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alice Springs wins on cost – living expenses run 40% lower than in Brisbane. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Alice Springs the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 3% higher in Alice Springs, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,405 in Alice Springs versus $1,939 in Brisbane. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Brisbane pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Alice Springs – a meal for two runs $83.0 versus $71.0 in Brisbane. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,798 in Alice Springs versus $2,518 in Brisbane, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Alice Springs but tight or insufficient in Brisbane. The gap between the two cities makes Alice Springs the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Alice Springs 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 Alice Springs gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Brisbane. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.