Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brisbane and Alice Springs

For one person, living is cheaper in Alice Springs: $1,798 a month against $2,518 in Brisbane, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Brisbane outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

123

Cost of Living Index in Brisbane
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Brisbane Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Alice Springs
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Alice Springs Living Index

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Brisbane

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,518

/mo nomad

Alice Springs

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,798

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brisbane and in Alice Springs

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,518 in Brisbane versus $1,798 in Alice Springs.

Brisbane $2,518
Alice Springs $1,798

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,720 in Brisbane versus $2,720 in Alice Springs.

Brisbane $3,720
Alice Springs $2,720

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,922 in Brisbane versus $3,641 in Alice Springs.

Brisbane $4,922
Alice Springs $3,641

Living in Brisbane is roughly 40% more expensive than in Alice Springs, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brisbane 86% above, Alice Springs 33% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.39 A$25.02

$17.27 A$24.85

0.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.9 A$102

$83.0 A$119

-14.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.09 A$15.95

$10.70 A$15.40

3.64%

Cappuccino

$4.43 A$6.38

$4.28 A$6.16

3.50%

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

$2.90 A$4.17

$2.87 A$4.13

1.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.49

$2.82 A$4.06

-13.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.42 A$12.12

$6.48 A$9.33

29.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.31 A$11.96

$9.54 A$13.72

-12.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 A$2.40

$1.43 A$2.05

16.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.72 A$3.92

$2.10 A$3.03

29.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.29 A$3.29

$1.78 A$2.57

28.65%

Eggs

$4.82 A$6.94

$5.10 A$7.33

-5.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 A$13.03

$10.17 A$14.63

-10.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.18 A$13.21

$8.29 A$11.94

10.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.21 A$20.45

$14.50 A$20.87

-2.00%

Apples (1kg)

$4.31 A$6.20

$3.84 A$5.53

12.24%

Banana (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.38

$3.00 A$4.32

1.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 A$4.32

$2.63 A$3.78

14.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.75 A$6.84

$6.85 A$9.86

-30.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 A$3.92

$2.49 A$3.58

9.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 A$3.37

$2.28 A$3.28

2.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.42 A$3.48

$2.43 A$3.50

-0.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 A$1.71

$2.36 A$3.40

-49.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.67 A$55.7

$28.22 A$40.60

37.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.66 A$18.21

$13.77 A$19.82

-8.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.40 A$7.77

$3.22 A$4.64

67.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.13 A$7.38

$5.59 A$8.04

-8.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 A$0.53

$2.79 A$4.02

-86.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.72 A$29.81

$68.9 A$99.1

-69.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 A$4.20

$4.84 A$6.97

-39.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 A$2.68

$1.55 A$2.24

20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.05 A$59.1

$27.74 A$39.92

47.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.35 A$1.94

3.70%

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

$29.7K A$42.8K

$37.6K A$54.1K

-20.91%

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

$26.0K A$37.4K

$23.0K A$33.0K

13.07%

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

$159 A$229

$213 A$306

-25.13%

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

$26.52 A$38.16

$28.21 A$40.59

-5.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 A$87.2

$45.86 A$66.0

32.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.9 A$87.6

$56.9 A$81.9

6.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.22 A$31.97

$17.95 A$25.83

23.79%

Cinema Ticket

$14.14 A$20.34

$13.94 A$20.06

1.43%

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

$1,952 A$2,808

$1,941 A$2,793

0.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K A$18.3K

$20.6K A$29.6K

-38.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.3 A$120

$73.1 A$105

13.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.69 A$62.9

$12.03 A$17.31

263.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 A$163

$138 A$198

-17.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 A$160

$120 A$173

-7.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,939 A$2,790

$1,405 A$2,022

37.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,322 A$1,902

$518 A$746

154.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,408 A$4,904

$1,267 A$1,823

168.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,242 A$3,226

$765 A$1,101

193.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,271 A$11.9K

$4,502 A$6,478

83.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,920 A$8,518

$4,696 A$6,757

26.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,183 A$6,020

$4,301 A$6,189

-2.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.81

5.9

-1.53%

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

Last update for Brisbane: October 19, 2026

Last update for Alice Springs: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brisbane

$1.3K 52.5%

Alice Springs

$518 28.8% 60.8% $803

Groceries & Markets

Brisbane

$363 14.4%

Alice Springs

$365 20.3% 0.6% $2.3

Eating Out

Brisbane

$306 12.1%

Alice Springs

$296 16.5% 3.2% $9.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brisbane

$246 9.8%

Alice Springs

$287 15.9% 16.4% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Brisbane

$158 6.3%

Alice Springs

$154 8.6% 2.4% $3.7

Sport & Entertainment

Brisbane

$89 3.5%

Alice Springs

$85 4.7% 4.9% $4.3

Getting Around

Brisbane

$34 1.4%

Alice Springs

$93 5.2% 169% $58

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,939 in Brisbane and $1,405 in Alice Springs. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alice Springs pays 3% 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 $83.0 in Alice Springs for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $363 vs $365 per month, with Brisbane cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Brisbane

🇦🇺 Alice Springs

🕒 Local time

11:46 11:46 AM

11:16 11:16 AM

30 min behind Brisbane

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,287,896

24,855

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Brisbane Alice Springs 1,960 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Brisbane
Alice Springs

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 Alice Springs: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alice Springs wins on cost – living expenses run 40% lower than in Brisbane. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Alice Springs the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 3% lower in Alice Springs. 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: $1,939 in Brisbane versus $1,405 in Alice Springs. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Brisbane pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Alice Springs – a meal for two runs $83.0 versus $71.0 in Brisbane. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,798 in Alice Springs versus $2,518 in Brisbane, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Alice Springs but tight or insufficient in Brisbane. The gap between the two cities makes Alice Springs the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Alice Springs 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 Alice Springs gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Brisbane. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.