Cost of Living Comparison Between Ballina and Brisbane Cost of Living Comparison Between Ballina and Brisbane

😐 Solo nomad: Ballina is 16.4% more expensive than Brisbane without rent, and 1.4% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Ballina is 6% cheaper than Brisbane without rent, and 0.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ballina
Brisbane
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.38 A$25.09
$16.24 A$24.88
0.86%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.3 A$121
$71.2 A$109
11.27%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.75 A$14.94
$9.6 A$14.7
1.56%
Cappuccino
$3.35 A$5.12
$3.6 A$5.51
-6.94%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.58 A$3.96
$2.74 A$4.2
-5.84%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17 A$3.33
$2.15 A$3.29
0.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.34 A$9.71
$6.36 A$9.75
-0.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.1 A$10.88
$7.97 A$12.2
-10.92%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ballina
Brisbane
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.38 A$3.64
$1.6 A$2.45
48.75%
White Bread (500g)
$3.07 A$4.71
$2.22 A$3.39
38.29%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.96 A$3
$1.8 A$2.76
8.89%
Eggs
$5.42 A$8.3
$4.47 A$6.85
21.25%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.99 A$9.18
$8.05 A$12.33
-25.59%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.3 A$12.71
$8.09 A$12.4
2.60%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.7 A$20.98
$13.4 A$20.53
2.24%
Apples (1kg)
$3.3 A$5.05
$3.25 A$4.98
1.54%
Banana (1kg)
$2.8 A$4.29
$2.75 A$4.21
1.82%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.88 A$4.41
$2.66 A$4.07
8.27%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.31 A$5.07
$4.23 A$6.48
-21.75%
Potato (1kg)
$2.39 A$3.66
$2.41 A$3.69
-0.83%
Onion (1kg)
$2.17 A$3.32
$2.26 A$3.46
-3.98%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.15 A$4.83
$2.24 A$3.44
40.62%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.54 A$2.35
$1.24 A$1.89
24.19%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$30.7 A$47.03
$32.96 A$50.5
-6.86%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.11 A$20.08
$13.07 A$20.02
0.31%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.56 A$6.98
$4.47 A$6.85
2.01%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.27 A$8.07
$4.04 A$6.19
30.45%
🚌 Getting Around
Ballina
Brisbane
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.67 A$4.09
$0.34 A$0.53
685.29%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$65.2 A$99.9
$26.98 A$41.33
141.77%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.67 A$5.62
$2.23 A$3.41
64.57%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.55 A$2.38
$1.56 A$2.4
-0.64%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.89 A$51.9
$33.95 A$52
-0.18%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.13 A$1.73
$1.23 A$1.89
-8.13%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.5K A$43.7K
$28.6K A$43.8K
-0.43%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.5K A$34.4K
$22.6K A$34.7K
-0.75%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ballina
Brisbane
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$180 A$276
$144 A$221
24.73%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.57 A$42.24
$25.53 A$39.11
7.99%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.7 A$80.7
$53.9 A$82.6
-2.35%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ballina
Brisbane
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.42 A$75.7
$49.01 A$75.1
0.84%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.58 A$23.86
$17.02 A$26.07
-8.46%
Cinema Ticket
$13.09 A$20.06
$13.17 A$20.18
-0.61%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ballina
Brisbane
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,606 A$2,460
$1,646 A$2,521
-2.43%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.1K A$18.6K
$8,863 A$13.6K
36.78%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ballina
Brisbane
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$66.8 A$102
$72.8 A$111
-8.16%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.56 A$75.9
$44.21 A$67.7
12.10%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$100 A$154
$94.5 A$145
6.27%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$106 A$163
$101 A$155
4.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ballina
Brisbane
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,255 A$1,923
$1,588 A$2,433
-20.97%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,046 A$1,602
$1,237 A$1,894
-15.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,986 A$3,042
$2,568 A$3,935
-22.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,674 A$2,565
$1,885 A$2,888
-11.19%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,199 A$7,965
$8,805 A$13.5K
-40.96%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,011 A$7,678
$6,597 A$10.1K
-24.03%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ballina
Brisbane
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$3,896 A$5,968
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.34
6.24
1.60%

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

Last update for Ballina: October 27, 2025

Last update for Brisbane: October 28, 2025

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