Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brisbane and Adelaide

For one person, living costs are similar in Brisbane and in Adelaide: $2,518 and $2,640 a month, rent and utilities included.

123

Cost of Living Index in Brisbane
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Brisbane Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Adelaide
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Adelaide Living Index

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Brisbane

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,518

/mo nomad

Adelaide

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,640

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brisbane and in Adelaide

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,518 in Brisbane versus $2,640 in Adelaide.

Brisbane $2,518
Adelaide $2,640

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,720 in Brisbane versus $3,759 in Adelaide.

Brisbane $3,720
Adelaide $3,759

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,922 in Brisbane versus $4,878 in Adelaide.

Brisbane $4,922
Adelaide $4,878

Living in Brisbane costs roughly 5% less than in Adelaide, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brisbane 86% above, Adelaide 95% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.39 A$25.02

$17.10 A$24.61

1.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.9 A$102

$80.5 A$116

-11.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.09 A$15.95

$11.64 A$16.75

-4.73%

Cappuccino

$4.43 A$6.38

$4.05 A$5.83

9.38%

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

$2.90 A$4.17

$2.78 A$4.00

4.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.49

$2.55 A$3.68

-4.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.42 A$12.12

$7.79 A$11.20

8.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.31 A$11.96

$8.26 A$11.89

0.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 A$2.40

$1.98 A$2.85

-15.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.72 A$3.92

$2.78 A$4.00

-2.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.29 A$3.29

$2.24 A$3.23

2.23%

Eggs

$4.82 A$6.94

$5.69 A$8.19

-15.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 A$13.03

$11.77 A$16.94

-23.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.18 A$13.21

$9.20 A$13.24

-0.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.21 A$20.45

$18.97 A$27.29

-25.09%

Apples (1kg)

$4.31 A$6.20

$3.94 A$5.67

9.39%

Banana (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.38

$3.03 A$4.36

0.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 A$4.32

$3.63 A$5.22

-17.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.75 A$6.84

$5.06 A$7.28

-6.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 A$3.92

$3.20 A$4.60

-15.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 A$3.37

$2.47 A$3.56

-5.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.42 A$3.48

$2.49 A$3.58

-2.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 A$1.71

$2.31 A$3.33

-48.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.67 A$55.7

$45.26 A$65.1

-14.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.66 A$18.21

$13.93 A$20.05

-9.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.40 A$7.77

$5.52 A$7.94

-2.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.13 A$7.38

$5.91 A$8.51

-13.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 A$0.53

$3.20 A$4.61

-88.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.72 A$29.81

$83.6 A$120

-75.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 A$4.20

$3.53 A$5.07

-17.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 A$2.68

$1.98 A$2.85

-6.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.05 A$59.1

$31.11 A$44.77

31.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.41 A$2.03

-0.71%

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

$29.7K A$42.8K

$29.3K A$42.2K

1.43%

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

$26.0K A$37.4K

$25.7K A$36.9K

1.13%

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

$159 A$229

$192 A$276

-17.09%

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

$26.52 A$38.16

$25.71 A$36.99

3.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 A$87.2

$56.7 A$81.6

6.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.9 A$87.6

$63.0 A$90.6

-3.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.22 A$31.97

$14.06 A$20.24

58.04%

Cinema Ticket

$14.14 A$20.34

$17.14 A$24.67

-17.50%

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

$1,952 A$2,808

$2,072 A$2,982

-5.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K A$18.3K

$14.3K A$20.5K

-11.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.3 A$120

$70.3 A$101

18.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.69 A$62.9

$54.9 A$78.9

-20.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 A$163

$115 A$165

-1.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 A$160

$135 A$195

-17.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,939 A$2,790

$1,713 A$2,466

13.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,322 A$1,902

$1,278 A$1,839

3.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,408 A$4,904

$2,431 A$3,498

40.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,242 A$3,226

$1,833 A$2,637

22.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,271 A$11.9K

$10.1K A$14.5K

-18.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,920 A$8,518

$6,880 A$9,901

-13.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,183 A$6,020

$3,830 A$5,511

9.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.81

5.92

-1.86%

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

Last update for Brisbane: October 19, 2026

Last update for Adelaide: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brisbane

$1.3K 52.5%

Adelaide

$1.3K 48.4% 3.3% $44

Groceries & Markets

Brisbane

$363 14.4%

Adelaide

$415 15.7% 14.3% $52

Eating Out

Brisbane

$306 12.1%

Adelaide

$297 11.3% 2.8% $8.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brisbane

$246 9.8%

Adelaide

$274 10.4% 11.4% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Brisbane

$158 6.3%

Adelaide

$169 6.4% 6.8% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Brisbane

$89 3.5%

Adelaide

$97 3.7% 9.1% $8.1

Getting Around

Brisbane

$34 1.4%

Adelaide

$110 4.2% 219% $75

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,939 in Brisbane and $1,713 in Adelaide. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brisbane pays 9% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $71.0 in Brisbane vs $81.0 in Adelaide for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $363 vs $415 per month, with Brisbane cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Brisbane

🇦🇺 Adelaide

🕒 Local time

10:24 10:24 AM

10:54 10:54 AM

30 min ahead of Brisbane

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,287,896

1,245,011

💱 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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Between locations

Brisbane Adelaide 1,600 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Brisbane
Adelaide

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

Brisbane vs Adelaide: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brisbane and Adelaide differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($2,518 vs $2,640 including rent). Brisbane is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 9% higher in Brisbane, 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: $1,939 in Brisbane versus $1,713 in Adelaide. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,952 in Brisbane versus $2,072 in Adelaide. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Adelaide. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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, Brisbane and Adelaide 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 Brisbane gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Adelaide. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.