Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brisbane and Albury

For one person, living is cheaper in Albury: $2,261 a month against $2,630 in Brisbane, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Brisbane outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

126

Cost of Living Index in Brisbane
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Brisbane Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in Albury
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Albury Living Index

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Brisbane

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,630

/mo nomad

Albury

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,261

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brisbane and in Albury

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 Albury actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,630 in Brisbane versus $2,261 in Albury.

Brisbane $2,630
Albury $2,261

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,801 in Brisbane versus $3,366 in Albury.

Brisbane $3,801
Albury $3,366

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,972 in Brisbane versus $4,472 in Albury.

Brisbane $4,972
Albury $4,472

Living in Brisbane is roughly 16% more expensive than in Albury, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brisbane 93% above, Albury 66% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.61 A$25.04

$20.81 A$29.60

-15.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.0 A$114

$89.3 A$127

-10.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.43 A$16.25

$10.45 A$14.86

9.38%

Cappuccino

$4.51 A$6.42

$4.19 A$5.97

7.64%

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

$2.95 A$4.20

$3.18 A$4.52

-7.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 A$3.40

$2.54 A$3.62

-5.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.61 A$12.25

$6.94 A$9.87

24.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.36 A$11.89

$7.00 A$9.95

19.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 A$2.30

$1.55 A$2.20

4.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 A$3.77

$3.26 A$4.64

-18.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.30

$2.63 A$3.73

-11.79%

Eggs

$4.94 A$7.03

$5.17 A$7.35

-4.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 A$12.91

$8.44 A$12.01

7.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 A$12.98

$10.17 A$14.46

-10.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.34 A$20.39

$12.84 A$18.26

11.68%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 A$5.89

$3.27 A$4.65

26.61%

Banana (1kg)

$3.07 A$4.36

$3.23 A$4.60

-4.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.33

$3.58 A$5.09

-14.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.89 A$6.95

$4.99 A$7.10

-2.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 A$4.00

$3.14 A$4.47

-10.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 A$3.53

$2.06 A$2.94

20.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 A$3.43

$2.35 A$3.34

2.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 A$1.69

$1.35 A$1.92

-11.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.54 A$54.8

$27.61 A$39.28

39.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.65 A$17.99

$14.28 A$20.31

-11.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.22 A$7.42

$4.53 A$6.44

15.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.87 A$6.93

$5.67 A$8.06

-14.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 A$0.48

$3.91 A$5.56

-91.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.97 A$29.83

$73.5 A$105

-71.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 A$4.34

$3.46 A$4.92

-11.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 A$2.69

$1.57 A$2.23

20.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.76 A$58.0

$42.36 A$60.2

-3.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.06

$1.37 A$1.95

5.84%

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

$29.7K A$42.3K

$27.6K A$39.3K

7.60%

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

$25.6K A$36.4K

$26.0K A$37.0K

-1.61%

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

$158 A$224

$183 A$260

-13.74%

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

$26.05 A$37.06

$26.96 A$38.34

-3.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.1 A$87.0

$54.8 A$78.0

11.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 A$87.0

$141 A$201

-56.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.36 A$31.80

$22.40 A$31.86

-0.18%

Cinema Ticket

$13.95 A$19.84

$12.86 A$18.30

8.48%

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

$2,044 A$2,908

$2,188 A$3,112

-6.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K A$18.3K

$20.2K A$28.8K

-36.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.4 A$117

$62.1 A$88.3

32.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.63 A$62.1

$41.28 A$58.7

5.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 A$161

$97.9 A$139

15.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 A$158

$108 A$154

2.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,944 A$2,765

$1,121 A$1,594

73.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 A$2,036

$899 A$1,279

59.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,484 A$4,956

$1,914 A$2,722

82.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,240 A$3,187

$1,375 A$1,956

62.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,322 A$13.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,003 A$9,961

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,144 A$5,894

$4,729 A$6,726

-12.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.81

5.95

-2.35%

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

Last update for Brisbane: October 24, 2026

Last update for Albury: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brisbane

$1.4K 54.4%

Albury

$899 39.8% 37.2% $532

Groceries & Markets

Brisbane

$362 13.8%

Albury

$371 16.4% 2.4% $8.8

Eating Out

Brisbane

$310 11.8%

Albury

$320 14.1% 3% $9.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brisbane

$245 9.3%

Albury

$265 11.7% 8% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Brisbane

$158 6%

Albury

$139 6.2% 11.7% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Brisbane

$89 3.4%

Albury

$167 7.4% 87.2% $78

Getting Around

Brisbane

$35 1.3%

Albury

$100 4.4% 188% $66

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,944 in Brisbane and $1,121 in Albury. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Albury pays 14% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $80 in Brisbane vs $89 in Albury for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $362 vs $371 per month, with Brisbane cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Brisbane

🇦🇺 Albury

🕒 Local time

14:47 2:47 PM

15:47 3:47 PM

1 h ahead of Brisbane

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,287,896

5,323

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Brisbane Albury 1,120 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Brisbane
Albury

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 Albury: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Albury wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Brisbane. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Albury the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 12% lower in Brisbane. 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: $1,944 in Brisbane versus $1,121 in Albury. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,044 in Brisbane versus $2,188 in Albury. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Brisbane – a meal for two runs $80 versus $89 in Albury. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Albury 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 Albury are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.