Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ballina and Brisbane

For one person, living costs are similar in Ballina and in Brisbane: $2,462 and $2,520 a month, rent and utilities included.

121

Cost of Living Index in Ballina
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Ballina Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Brisbane
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Brisbane Living Index

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Ballina

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,462

/mo nomad

Brisbane

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,520

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,462 per month in Ballina vs $2,520 in Brisbane, rent included.

Ballina $2,462
Brisbane $2,520

A couple spends around $3,724 per month in Ballina vs $3,730 in Brisbane, rent included.

Ballina $3,724
Brisbane $3,730

A family of three spends $4,986 per month in Ballina vs $4,940 in Brisbane, rent included.

Ballina $4,986
Brisbane $4,940

Ballina is about 2% cheaper than Brisbane, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Ballina and Brisbane sit above the global median – Ballina by 82%, Brisbane by 87%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.33 A$24.93

$17.58 A$25.29

-1.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.9 A$119

$69.8 A$101

18.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.17 A$13.19

$11.18 A$16.09

-17.98%

Cappuccino

$3.90 A$5.61

$4.26 A$6.13

-8.45%

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

$2.84 A$4.08

$2.88 A$4.15

-1.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 A$3.27

$2.50 A$3.60

-9.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.59 A$10.93

$8.55 A$12.30

-11.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.44 A$10.71

$8.10 A$11.66

-8.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.62 A$2.33

64.20%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 A$4.67

$2.66 A$3.83

22.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 A$3.14

$2.20 A$3.17

-0.91%

Eggs

$5.69 A$8.18

$4.93 A$7.10

15.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.36 A$9.15

$9.03 A$12.99

-29.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.17 A$13.20

$9.04 A$13.01

1.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.05 A$21.66

$13.86 A$19.94

8.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.52 A$5.07

$4.11 A$5.92

-14.36%

Banana (1kg)

$3.11 A$4.47

$3.00 A$4.32

3.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.19 A$4.59

$2.91 A$4.18

9.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.49 A$5.02

$4.87 A$7.01

-28.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 A$3.87

$2.74 A$3.95

-1.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.33 A$3.35

$2.44 A$3.51

-4.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.54 A$5.10

$2.40 A$3.46

47.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 A$2.20

$1.22 A$1.76

25.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.38 A$61.0

$38.84 A$55.9

9.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.97 A$20.10

$12.35 A$17.78

13.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.81 A$6.93

$5.12 A$7.37

-6.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.15 A$7.41

$4.90 A$7.04

5.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.30 A$4.75

$0.36 A$0.52

816.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$92.7 A$133

$20.68 A$29.76

348.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 A$5.09

$3.05 A$4.39

16.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 A$2.44

$1.77 A$2.55

-3.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.11 A$56.3

$41.12 A$59.2

-4.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 A$1.80

$1.45 A$2.08

-13.79%

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

$26.8K A$38.6K

$26.7K A$38.4K

0.38%

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

$33.0K A$47.4K

$27.8K A$39.9K

18.74%

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

$216 A$311

$159 A$228

35.99%

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

$31.56 A$45.42

$25.86 A$37.21

22.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.28 A$70.9

$60.3 A$86.8

-18.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.1 A$88.0

$61.9 A$89.1

-1.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.31 A$24.91

$22.88 A$32.93

-24.34%

Cinema Ticket

$15.89 A$22.86

$17.41 A$25.06

-8.73%

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

$1,912 A$2,752

$1,928 A$2,774

-0.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K A$32.4K

$12.6K A$18.1K

78.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.3 A$116

$84.4 A$121

-4.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.6 A$79.9

$44.85 A$64.5

23.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 A$147

$110 A$159

-7.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 A$195

$109 A$157

24.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,541 A$2,218

$1,927 A$2,773

-20.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 A$1,620

$1,325 A$1,906

-15.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,038 A$2,933

$3,276 A$4,714

-37.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,001 A$2,880

$2,266 A$3,261

-11.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,245 A$8,987

$8,315 A$12.0K

-24.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,569 A$6,575

$5,955 A$8,569

-23.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,100 A$5,900

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

5.81

0.52%

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

Last update for Ballina: October 13, 2026

Last update for Brisbane: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ballina

$1.1K 45.7%

Brisbane

$1.3K 52.6% 17.7% $199

Groceries & Markets

Ballina

$375 15.2%

Brisbane

$357 14.2% 4.6% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ballina

$297 12.1%

Brisbane

$245 9.7% 17.4% $52

Eating Out

Ballina

$286 11.6%

Brisbane

$306 12.1% 6.8% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Ballina

$168 6.8%

Brisbane

$157 6.2% 6.7% $11

Getting Around

Ballina

$118 4.8%

Brisbane

$34 1.4% 71.1% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Ballina

$93 3.8%

Brisbane

$97 3.8% 4.2% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,541 in Ballina versus $1,927 in Brisbane. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83.0 in Ballina versus $70.0 in Brisbane. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $375 vs $357 – making Brisbane the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Ballina

🇦🇺 Brisbane

🕒 Local time

01:25 1:25 AM

00:25 12:25 AM

1 h behind Ballina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,911

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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Ballina Brisbane 160 km

From you

Ballina
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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

Ballina vs Brisbane: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Brisbane is pricier by about 2%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,693 per month in Ballina and $3,781 in Brisbane. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ballina, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,912 per month in Ballina and $1,928 in Brisbane. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in Brisbane – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,462 in Ballina and $2,520 in Brisbane. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Ballina – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Ballina. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Brisbane makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.