Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bowral and Brisbane

For one person, living is cheaper in Bowral: $2,461 a month against $2,630 in Brisbane, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Brisbane outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

119

Cost of Living Index in Bowral
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Bowral Living Index
126

Cost of Living Index in Brisbane
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Brisbane Living Index

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Bowral

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,461

/mo nomad

Brisbane

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,630

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,461 in Bowral versus $2,630 in Brisbane.

Bowral $2,461
Brisbane $2,630

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,627 in Bowral versus $3,801 in Brisbane.

Bowral $3,627
Brisbane $3,801

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,793 in Bowral versus $4,972 in Brisbane.

Bowral $4,793
Brisbane $4,972

Living in Bowral costs roughly 6% less than in Brisbane, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bowral 81% above, Brisbane 93% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.60 A$22.28

$17.61 A$25.15

-11.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.6 A$128

$80.0 A$114

12.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.59 A$15.12

$11.43 A$16.32

-7.35%

Cappuccino

$2.76 A$3.95

$4.51 A$6.45

-38.80%

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

$2.08 A$2.97

$2.95 A$4.22

-29.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 A$2.05

$2.39 A$3.42

-39.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.52 A$12.17

$8.61 A$12.30

-1.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.89 A$14.13

$8.36 A$11.94

18.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.13

$1.62 A$2.31

-8.02%

White Bread (500g)

$3.09 A$4.42

$2.65 A$3.79

16.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 A$3.57

$2.32 A$3.32

7.76%

Eggs

$5.36 A$7.66

$4.94 A$7.05

8.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 A$18.20

$9.08 A$12.97

40.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.64 A$13.76

$9.12 A$13.03

5.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.21 A$21.72

$14.34 A$20.47

6.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.87 A$5.52

$4.14 A$5.91

-6.52%

Banana (1kg)

$3.21 A$4.58

$3.07 A$4.38

4.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.60 A$5.14

$3.05 A$4.35

18.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.18 A$7.40

$4.89 A$6.98

5.93%

Potato (1kg)

$3.17 A$4.53

$2.81 A$4.01

12.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.84 A$4.06

$2.48 A$3.54

14.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.57 A$3.67

$2.41 A$3.44

6.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 A$1.96

$1.19 A$1.70

15.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.12 A$64.4

$38.54 A$55.0

17.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.23 A$20.32

$12.65 A$18.06

12.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.82 A$6.88

$5.22 A$7.45

-7.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.62 A$8.03

$4.87 A$6.95

15.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.97 A$4.23

$0.34 A$0.48

773.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.1 A$116

$20.97 A$29.95

286.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 A$5.65

$3.05 A$4.35

29.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 A$2.34

$1.89 A$2.70

-13.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.97 A$62.8

$40.76 A$58.2

7.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 A$1.87

$1.45 A$2.07

-9.66%

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

$27.8K A$39.7K

$29.7K A$42.4K

-6.33%

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

$26.0K A$37.1K

$25.6K A$36.6K

1.40%

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

$182 A$261

$158 A$225

15.64%

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

$26.81 A$38.29

$26.05 A$37.21

2.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.4 A$80.6

$61.1 A$87.3

-7.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.6 A$79.4

$61.2 A$87.3

-9.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.64 A$25.19

$22.36 A$31.93

-21.11%

Cinema Ticket

$15.43 A$22.04

$13.95 A$19.93

10.61%

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

$2,372 A$3,387

$2,044 A$2,919

16.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.2K A$28.8K

$12.9K A$18.4K

56.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.4 A$109

$82.4 A$118

-7.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 A$81.5

$43.63 A$62.3

30.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 A$154

$113 A$162

-5.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$186

$111 A$158

17.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,408 A$2,010

$1,944 A$2,776

-27.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,177 A$1,680

$1,431 A$2,044

-17.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,171 A$3,101

$3,484 A$4,976

-37.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,848 A$2,639

$2,240 A$3,200

-17.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,792 A$8,272

$9,322 A$13.3K

-37.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,998 A$7,138

$7,003 A$10.0K

-28.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,177 A$4,538

$4,144 A$5,918

-23.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.95

5.81

2.41%

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

Last update for Bowral: 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

Bowral

$1.2K 47.8%

Brisbane

$1.4K 54.4% 21.6% $255

Groceries & Markets

Bowral

$394 16%

Brisbane

$362 13.8% 8.2% $32

Eating Out

Bowral

$266 10.8%

Brisbane

$310 11.8% 16.6% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bowral

$266 10.8%

Brisbane

$245 9.3% 7.8% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Bowral

$167 6.8%

Brisbane

$158 6% 5.7% $9.5

Getting Around

Bowral

$105 4.3%

Brisbane

$35 1.3% 66.8% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Bowral

$86 3.5%

Brisbane

$89 3.4% 3% $2.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,408 in Bowral and $1,944 in Brisbane. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brisbane pays 30% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $90 in Bowral vs $80 in Brisbane for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $394 vs $362 per month, with Brisbane cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Bowral

🇦🇺 Brisbane

🕒 Local time

19:51 7:51 PM

18:51 6:51 PM

1 h behind Bowral

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,764

2,287,896

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Bowral Brisbane 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bowral
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

Bowral vs Brisbane: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,461 in Bowral and $2,630 in Brisbane, so Bowral is about 6% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 23% lower in Bowral. 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: $1,408 in Bowral versus $1,944 in Brisbane. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,372 in Bowral versus $2,044 in Brisbane. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Brisbane pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Bowral gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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

It comes down to priorities – Bowral wins on affordability, Brisbane on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.