Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Australia and Brisbane

For one person, living costs are similar on average across Australia and in Brisbane: $2,537 and $2,560 a month, rent and utilities included.

124

Cost of Living Index in Australia
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Australia Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Brisbane
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Brisbane Living Index

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🇦🇺 Australia

$2,537

/mo nomad

Brisbane

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,560

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Brisbane costs 1% more than the typical city in Australia – $2,560 monthly versus a national average of $2,537. The premium reflects higher demand for housing and services.

Australia $2,537
Brisbane $2,560

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 A$25.27

$17.72 A$25.36

-0.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.8 A$118

$74.5 A$107

11.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.22 A$16.05

$10.94 A$15.66

2.56%

Cappuccino

$3.85 A$5.51

$4.24 A$6.07

-9.20%

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

$2.85 A$4.08

$2.84 A$4.06

0.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 A$3.39

$2.48 A$3.54

-4.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.85 A$11.23

$8.59 A$12.29

-8.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.49 A$12.16

$8.25 A$11.80

2.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 A$2.49

$1.63 A$2.34

6.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$3.98

$2.62 A$3.75

6.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 A$3.16

$2.25 A$3.22

-1.78%

Eggs

$5.06 A$7.25

$4.91 A$7.02

3.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.87 A$14.12

$9.46 A$13.54

4.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.95 A$12.80

$9.00 A$12.89

-0.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.71 A$21.06

$13.94 A$19.95

5.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.76 A$5.39

$4.18 A$5.98

-10.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.99 A$4.28

$3.02 A$4.33

-0.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.43

$2.96 A$4.24

4.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.62 A$6.61

$4.78 A$6.84

-3.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.82 A$4.03

$2.75 A$3.93

2.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.29

$2.37 A$3.40

-2.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.32 A$3.32

$2.36 A$3.37

-1.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 A$2.44

$1.25 A$1.79

36.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.17 A$54.6

$38.83 A$55.6

-1.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.77 A$19.70

$12.35 A$17.68

11.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.91 A$7.02

$5.23 A$7.48

-6.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.02 A$7.19

$4.96 A$7.10

1.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.84 A$4.07

$0.34 A$0.49

735.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.3 A$135

$21.27 A$30.44

343.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.44 A$4.92

$2.94 A$4.20

17.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 A$2.28

$1.79 A$2.56

-11.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.37 A$56.3

$41.65 A$59.6

-5.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 A$1.88

$1.45 A$2.07

-9.66%

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

$27.7K A$39.7K

$26.9K A$38.6K

2.91%

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

$28.1K A$40.2K

$28.0K A$40.1K

0.10%

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

$201 A$288

$156 A$223

28.83%

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

$28.45 A$40.72

$25.94 A$37.12

9.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.4 A$82.2

$59.7 A$85.4

-3.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.7 A$81.1

$60.8 A$87.0

-6.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.28 A$27.60

$23.05 A$32.99

-16.36%

Cinema Ticket

$15.07 A$21.56

$17.49 A$25.03

-13.84%

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

$2,116 A$3,028

$1,943 A$2,780

8.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K A$26.1K

$12.8K A$18.3K

42.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.5 A$114

$81.9 A$117

-2.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 A$78.5

$44.63 A$63.9

22.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 A$161

$111 A$158

1.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 A$175

$112 A$161

8.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,582 A$2,264

$1,974 A$2,825

-19.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,225 A$1,753

$1,359 A$1,945

-9.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,409 A$3,447

$3,333 A$4,770

-27.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,911 A$2,734

$2,293 A$3,281

-16.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,995 A$11.4K

$8,100 A$11.6K

-1.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,968 A$8,541

$6,066 A$8,682

-1.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,926 A$5,619

$4,133 A$5,915

-5.00%

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 Australia: October 4, 2026

Last update for Brisbane: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Australia

$1.2K 48%

Brisbane

$1.4K 53.2% 11% $135

Groceries & Markets

Australia

$370 14.5%

Brisbane

$359 14.1% 2.9% $11

Eating Out

Australia

$298 11.7%

Brisbane

$306 12% 2.7% $8.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Australia

$287 11.3%

Brisbane

$242 9.5% 15.8% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Australia

$166 6.5%

Brisbane

$157 6.2% 5.2% $8.7

Getting Around

Australia

$117 4.6%

Brisbane

$35 1.4% 70.5% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Australia

$87 3.4%

Brisbane

$96 3.8% 10.4% $9

Cost Breakdown

Rent in Brisbane ($1,974 for a central one-bedroom) runs above the Australia average of $1,371. Housing is typically the biggest fixed cost, so this gap shapes the overall premium.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Australia

🇦🇺 Brisbane

🕒 Local time

14:15 2:15 PM

13:15 1:15 PM

1 h behind Australia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,473,055

2,287,896

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Australia Brisbane 950 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Australia
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

Australia vs Brisbane: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brisbane costs 1% more than the typical city in Australia – $2,560 monthly versus a national average of $2,537. The premium comes from stronger demand for housing and services in a more active economic hub.

Rent in Brisbane runs 1% above the Australia average – it's the biggest contributor to the city's higher cost of living, driven by strong demand and tight central housing supply.

Brisbane stands out for fast internet, low crime rates, vibrant nightlife, but at $2,560 monthly it's 1% above the Australia average. You're paying extra for lifestyle factors that aren't easily found elsewhere in the country.

$2,000 goes far in most of Australia, but feels tighter in Brisbane where monthly costs hit $2,560. The same income buys a noticeably different lifestyle depending on which city you choose.