Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brisbane and Australia

Name: Australia
Address: AU

For one person, living costs are similar in Brisbane and on average across Australia: $2,560 and $2,537 a month, rent and utilities included.

123

Cost of Living Index in Brisbane
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Brisbane Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Australia
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Australia Living Index

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Brisbane

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,560

/mo nomad

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,537

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brisbane and in Australia

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

Brisbane costs 1% more than the typical city in Australia – $2,560 monthly versus a national average of $2,537. The premium reflects higher demand for housing and services.

Brisbane $2,560
Australia $2,537

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.72 A$25.46

$17.66 A$25.36

0.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.5 A$107

$82.8 A$119

-10.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.94 A$15.72

$11.22 A$16.11

-2.50%

Cappuccino

$4.24 A$6.10

$3.85 A$5.53

10.13%

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

$2.84 A$4.08

$2.85 A$4.09

-0.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 A$3.56

$2.37 A$3.40

4.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.59 A$12.33

$7.85 A$11.28

9.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.85

$8.49 A$12.20

-2.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 A$2.35

$1.74 A$2.49

-6.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.62 A$3.76

$2.78 A$4.00

-5.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 A$3.24

$2.21 A$3.17

1.81%

Eggs

$4.91 A$7.05

$5.06 A$7.27

-2.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.46 A$13.59

$9.87 A$14.17

-4.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.00 A$12.93

$8.95 A$12.85

0.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.94 A$20.02

$14.71 A$21.13

-5.23%

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 A$6.00

$3.76 A$5.41

11.17%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$2.99 A$4.30

1.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 A$4.25

$3.10 A$4.45

-4.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.78 A$6.87

$4.62 A$6.64

3.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.75 A$3.95

$2.82 A$4.05

-2.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.37 A$3.41

$2.30 A$3.30

3.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 A$3.39

$2.32 A$3.33

1.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 A$1.80

$1.71 A$2.45

-26.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.83 A$55.8

$38.17 A$54.8

1.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.35 A$17.74

$13.77 A$19.78

-10.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.51

$4.91 A$7.05

6.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 A$7.12

$5.02 A$7.22

-1.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 A$0.49

$2.84 A$4.08

-88.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.27 A$30.56

$94.3 A$135

-77.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 A$4.22

$3.44 A$4.94

-14.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 A$2.57

$1.59 A$2.28

12.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.65 A$59.8

$39.37 A$56.5

5.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.08

$1.31 A$1.89

10.69%

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

$26.9K A$38.7K

$27.7K A$39.8K

-2.83%

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

$28.0K A$40.3K

$28.1K A$40.3K

-0.10%

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

$156 A$224

$201 A$289

-22.38%

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

$25.94 A$37.26

$28.45 A$40.87

-8.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.7 A$85.7

$57.4 A$82.5

3.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.8 A$87.3

$56.7 A$81.4

7.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.05 A$33.12

$19.28 A$27.70

19.55%

Cinema Ticket

$17.49 A$25.12

$15.07 A$21.64

16.06%

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

$1,943 A$2,791

$2,116 A$3,039

-8.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K A$18.4K

$18.3K A$26.2K

-29.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.9 A$118

$79.5 A$114

2.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.63 A$64.1

$54.9 A$78.8

-18.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$159

$113 A$162

-1.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 A$161

$122 A$175

-7.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,974 A$2,835

$1,582 A$2,273

24.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,359 A$1,952

$1,225 A$1,759

10.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,333 A$4,788

$2,409 A$3,460

38.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,293 A$3,293

$1,911 A$2,744

20.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,100 A$11.6K

$7,995 A$11.5K

1.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,066 A$8,714

$5,968 A$8,573

1.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,133 A$5,937

$3,926 A$5,640

5.26%

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 4, 2026

Last update for Australia: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brisbane

$1.4K 53.2%

Australia

$1.2K 48% 9.9% $135

Groceries & Markets

Brisbane

$359 14.1%

Australia

$370 14.5% 2.9% $11

Eating Out

Brisbane

$306 12%

Australia

$298 11.7% 2.6% $8.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brisbane

$242 9.5%

Australia

$287 11.3% 18.7% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Brisbane

$157 6.2%

Australia

$166 6.5% 5.5% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Brisbane

$96 3.8%

Australia

$87 3.4% 9.4% $9

Getting Around

Brisbane

$35 1.4%

Australia

$117 4.6% 239% $83

Cost Breakdown

Rent in Brisbane ($1,974 for a central one-bedroom) runs above the Australia average of $1,371. Housing is typically the biggest fixed cost, so this gap shapes the overall premium.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Brisbane

🇦🇺 Australia

🕒 Local time

13:24 1:24 PM

14:24 2:24 PM

1 h ahead of Brisbane

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,287,896

26,473,055

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.621 EUR

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.621 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Brisbane Australia 950 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Brisbane
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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

Brisbane vs Australia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brisbane costs 1% more than the typical city in Australia – $2,560 monthly versus a national average of $2,537. The premium comes from stronger demand for housing and services in a more active economic hub.

Rent in Brisbane runs 1% above the Australia average – it's the biggest contributor to the city's higher cost of living, driven by strong demand and tight central housing supply.

Brisbane stands out for fast internet, low crime rates, vibrant nightlife, but at $2,560 monthly it's 1% above the Australia average. You're paying extra for lifestyle factors that aren't easily found elsewhere in the country.

$2,000 goes far in most of Australia, but feels tighter in Brisbane where monthly costs hit $2,560. The same income buys a noticeably different lifestyle depending on which city you choose.