Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Balga and Brisbane

For one person, living is cheaper in Brisbane: $2,630 a month against $2,762 in Balga, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. The total is higher in Balga despite lower rent and utilities.

126

Cost of Living Index in Balga
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Balga Living Index
126

Cost of Living Index in Brisbane
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Brisbane Living Index

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Balga

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,762

/mo nomad

Brisbane

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,630

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,762 in Balga versus $2,630 in Brisbane.

Balga $2,762
Brisbane $2,630

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,828 in Balga versus $3,801 in Brisbane.

Balga $3,828
Brisbane $3,801

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,893 in Balga versus $4,972 in Brisbane.

Balga $4,893
Brisbane $4,972

Living in Balga 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: Balga 103% above, Brisbane 93% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.97 A$29.71

$17.61 A$24.94

19.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.2 A$118

$80.0 A$113

4.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.13 A$15.77

$11.43 A$16.19

-2.62%

Cappuccino

$4.62 A$6.54

$4.51 A$6.39

2.44%

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

$2.80 A$3.96

$2.95 A$4.18

-5.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 A$3.26

$2.39 A$3.39

-3.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.39 A$11.89

$8.61 A$12.20

-2.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.69

$8.36 A$11.84

-1.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 A$2.46

$1.62 A$2.29

7.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 A$4.45

$2.65 A$3.76

18.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 A$2.79

$2.32 A$3.29

-15.09%

Eggs

$5.09 A$7.22

$4.94 A$7.00

3.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.27 A$13.13

$9.08 A$12.86

2.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.46 A$13.40

$9.12 A$12.92

3.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 A$19.46

$14.34 A$20.31

-4.18%

Apples (1kg)

$4.56 A$6.46

$4.14 A$5.86

10.14%

Banana (1kg)

$3.21 A$4.55

$3.07 A$4.35

4.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.56 A$5.05

$3.05 A$4.32

16.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.85 A$6.87

$4.89 A$6.92

-0.82%

Potato (1kg)

$2.85 A$4.03

$2.81 A$3.98

1.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 A$2.73

$2.48 A$3.51

-22.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 A$3.21

$2.41 A$3.41

-6.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 A$1.90

$1.19 A$1.69

12.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.17 A$59.7

$38.54 A$54.6

9.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.46 A$17.65

$12.65 A$17.92

-1.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.35 A$6.16

$5.22 A$7.39

-16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 A$4.98

$4.87 A$6.90

-27.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.67 A$3.78

$0.34 A$0.48

685.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.5 A$111

$20.97 A$29.71

274.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.61 A$5.12

$3.05 A$4.32

18.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 A$1.97

$1.89 A$2.68

-26.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.13 A$58.3

$40.76 A$57.7

0.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 A$1.91

$1.45 A$2.05

-6.90%

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

$29.9K A$42.4K

$29.7K A$42.1K

0.70%

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

$27.8K A$39.5K

$25.6K A$36.3K

8.79%

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

$207 A$293

$158 A$223

30.91%

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

$33.27 A$47.13

$26.05 A$36.91

27.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.5 A$90.0

$61.1 A$86.6

3.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.6 A$88.7

$61.2 A$86.6

2.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 A$27.29

$22.36 A$31.67

-13.86%

Cinema Ticket

$17.26 A$24.45

$13.95 A$19.76

23.73%

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

$2,271 A$3,217

$2,044 A$2,896

11.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K A$33.6K

$12.9K A$18.3K

84.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.3 A$111

$82.4 A$117

-4.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.5 A$89.9

$43.63 A$61.8

45.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 A$175

$113 A$161

8.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 A$233

$111 A$157

48.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,467 A$2,078

$1,944 A$2,754

-24.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,368 A$1,938

$1,431 A$2,028

-4.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,000 A$2,833

$3,484 A$4,936

-42.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,781 A$2,523

$2,240 A$3,174

-20.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,422 A$9,097

$9,322 A$13.2K

-31.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,389 A$6,217

$7,003 A$9,921

-37.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,358 A$4,757

$4,144 A$5,871

-18.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.96

5.81

2.58%

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

Last update for Balga: October 27, 2026

Last update for Brisbane: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Balga

$1.4K 49.5%

Brisbane

$1.4K 54.4% 4.6% $63

Groceries & Markets

Balga

$365 13.2%

Brisbane

$362 13.8% 0.9% $3.4

Eating Out

Balga

$335 12.1%

Brisbane

$310 11.8% 7.4% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Balga

$303 11%

Brisbane

$245 9.3% 19.2% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Balga

$193 7%

Brisbane

$158 6% 18.4% $36

Getting Around

Balga

$100 3.6%

Brisbane

$35 1.3% 65.1% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Balga

$97 3.5%

Brisbane

$89 3.4% 8.3% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,467 in Balga and $1,944 in Brisbane. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brisbane pays 23% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $83 in Balga vs $80 in Brisbane for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $365 vs $362 per month, with Brisbane cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Balga

🇦🇺 Brisbane

🕒 Local time

19:33 7:33 PM

21:33 9:33 PM

2 h ahead of Balga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,685

2,287,896

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.633 EUR

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.633 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Balga Brisbane 3,610 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Balga
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

Balga vs Brisbane: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,762 in Balga and $2,630 in Brisbane, so Brisbane is about 5% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 19% lower in Balga. 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: $1,467 in Balga versus $1,944 in Brisbane. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,271 in Balga versus $2,044 in Brisbane. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Brisbane – a meal for two runs $80 versus $83 in Balga. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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, Balga and Brisbane are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.