Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ballarat and Gloucester

For one person, living is cheaper in Ballarat: $1,902 a month against $2,401 in Gloucester, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Gloucester outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

93

Cost of Living Index in Ballarat
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Ballarat Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Gloucester
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Gloucester Living Index

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Ballarat

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,902

/mo nomad

Gloucester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,401

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ballarat and in Gloucester

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,902 in Ballarat versus $2,401 in Gloucester.

Ballarat $1,902
Gloucester $2,401

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,035 in Ballarat versus $3,745 in Gloucester.

Ballarat $3,035
Gloucester $3,745

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,168 in Ballarat versus $5,089 in Gloucester.

Ballarat $4,168
Gloucester $5,089

Living in Ballarat costs roughly 21% less than in Gloucester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ballarat 41% above, Gloucester 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.70 A$25.43

$19.98 £14.98

-11.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.9 A$100

$78.4 £58.8

-10.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.27 A$14.76

$11.08 £8.30

-7.31%

Cappuccino

$3.79 A$5.44

$4.70 £3.53

-19.36%

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

$2.95 A$4.24

$2.23 £1.67

32.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 A$2.71

$2.48 £1.86

-23.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.06 A$8.70

$5.33 £4.00

13.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.09 A$8.75

$5.05 £3.79

20.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 A$2.26

$1.69 £1.27

-7.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 A$3.81

$1.94 £1.45

36.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.34

$2.11 £1.58

9.95%

Eggs

$4.09 A$5.87

$4.33 £3.25

-5.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 A$15.17

$7.61 £5.71

38.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.96 A$14.30

$9.38 £7.04

6.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.97 A$21.51

$19.78 £14.83

-24.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.51 A$5.04

$4.25 £3.18

-17.41%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.43 £1.07

111.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.11 A$4.47

$1.87 £1.40

66.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.68 A$6.72

$3.51 £2.63

33.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.07 A$4.41

$1.57 £1.17

95.54%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.66

$1.90 £1.43

34.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 A$3.38

$1.29 £0.97

82.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 A$2.13

$1.48 £1.11

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$34.39 A$49.41

$23.03 £17.27

49.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.66 A$18.18

$10.71 £8.03

18.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 A$3.32

$2.26 £1.69

2.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 A$4.47

$2.94 £2.21

5.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.76 A$3.97

$3.98 £2.98

-30.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.9 A$100

$109 £81.4

-35.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 A$3.64

$6.46 £4.84

-60.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 A$1.92

$1.35 £1.01

-0.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.64 A$38.27

$16.13 £12.10

65.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 A$1.70

$1.98 £1.48

-40.40%

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

$28.4K A$40.9K

$37.7K £28.3K

-24.58%

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

$26.0K A$37.3K

$40.4K £30.3K

-35.65%

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

$206 A$295

$375 £281

-45.17%

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

$27.76 A$39.89

$23.63 £17.72

17.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.4 A$82.5

$40.80 £30.59

40.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.36 A$45.06

$52.4 £39.27

-40.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.18 A$16.07

Cinema Ticket

$15.38 A$22.10

$10.63 £7.97

44.68%

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

$2,144 A$3,080

$1,321 £990

62.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.7 A$98.6

$65.1 £48.82

5.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 A$72.0

$34.91 £26.18

43.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.6 A$143

$74.0 £55.5

34.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$192

$80.5 £60.4

66.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$923 A$1,327

$1,113 £835

-17.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 A$964

$1,015 £761

-33.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 A$1,851

$3,086 £2,314

-58.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,454 A$2,088

$2,193 £1,644

-33.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,622 A$6,640

$4,403 £3,301

4.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,449 A$4,955

$3,937 £2,952

-12.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,136 A$4,505

$2,644 £1,982

18.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.55

5.54

0.18%

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

Last update for Ballarat: October 11, 2026

Last update for Gloucester: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ballarat

$671 35.3%

Gloucester

$1K 42.3% 51.3% $344

Groceries & Markets

Ballarat

$350 18.4%

Gloucester

$316 13.2% 9.8% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ballarat

$291 15.3%

Gloucester

$439 18.3% 51.1% $149

Eating Out

Ballarat

$280 14.7%

Gloucester

$305 12.7% 9.1% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Ballarat

$158 8.3%

Gloucester

$115 4.8% 27.7% $44

Getting Around

Ballarat

$90 4.7%

Gloucester

$138 5.7% 52.7% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Ballarat

$62 3.3%

Gloucester

$74 3.1% 18.5% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $923 in Ballarat and $1,113 in Gloucester. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ballarat pays 19% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $70.0 in Ballarat vs $78.0 in Gloucester. Groceries flip the comparison at $350 vs $316, with Gloucester cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Ballarat

🇬🇧 Gloucester

🕒 Local time

22:37 10:37 PM

12:37 12:37 PM

10 h behind Ballarat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,348

121,700

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.619 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.619 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Between locations

Ballarat Gloucester 16,940 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Ballarat
Gloucester

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

Ballarat vs Gloucester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ballarat wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Gloucester. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ballarat the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 19% higher in Ballarat, 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: $923 in Ballarat versus $1,113 in Gloucester. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,144 in Ballarat versus $1,321 in Gloucester. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Gloucester pay roughly 11% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,902 in Ballarat versus $2,401 in Gloucester, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ballarat but tight or insufficient in Gloucester. The gap between the two cities makes Ballarat 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, Ballarat and Gloucester 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 Ballarat gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Gloucester. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.