Cost of Living Comparison Between Brisbane and Ballarat Cost of Living Comparison Between Brisbane and Ballarat

😐 Solo nomad: Brisbane is 6.5% more expensive than Ballarat without rent, and 38.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Brisbane is 2.8% more expensive than Ballarat without rent, and 16.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Brisbane
Ballarat
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.37 A$23.24
$14.09 A$20.01
16.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$70.9 A$101
$66.0 A$93.7
7.47%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.70 A$13.77
$9.99 A$14.18
-2.90%
Cappuccino
$3.66 A$5.19
$3.55 A$5.04
3.10%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.64 A$3.75
$2.63 A$3.74
0.38%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.16 A$3.07
$2.00 A$2.84
8.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.54 A$9.29
$6.23 A$8.84
4.98%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.76 A$11.02
$7.01 A$9.95
10.70%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Brisbane
Ballarat
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.56 A$2.21
$1.51 A$2.14
3.31%
White Bread (500g)
$2.19 A$3.12
$2.62 A$3.73
-16.41%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.81 A$2.57
$1.55 A$2.20
16.77%
Eggs
$4.33 A$6.15
$4.27 A$6.06
1.41%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.08 A$11.47
$8.99 A$12.76
-10.12%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.15 A$11.57
$9.51 A$13.50
-14.30%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.33 A$18.93
$14.48 A$20.56
-7.94%
Apples (1kg)
$3.24 A$4.61
$3.17 A$4.51
2.21%
Banana (1kg)
$2.84 A$4.04
$2.84 A$4.03
-
Oranges (1kg)
$2.62 A$3.73
$2.77 A$3.93
-5.42%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.40 A$6.24
$3.72 A$5.28
18.28%
Potato (1kg)
$2.44 A$3.46
$2.71 A$3.84
-9.96%
Onion (1kg)
$2.35 A$3.34
$2.27 A$3.22
3.52%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.15 A$3.05
$2.15 A$3.06
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.29 A$1.83
$1.00 A$1.43
29.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$33.08 A$46.98
$31.16 A$44.25
6.16%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.89 A$18.31
$14.21 A$20.18
-9.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.53 A$6.43
$2.15 A$3.05
110.70%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.14 A$5.88
$2.85 A$4.04
45.26%
🚌 Getting Around
Brisbane
Ballarat
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.35 A$0.49
$1.71 A$2.43
-79.53%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.34 A$38.83
$65.6 A$93.1
-58.32%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.29 A$3.25
$2.35 A$3.34
-2.55%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.58 A$2.25
$1.21 A$1.71
30.58%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.51 A$47.58
$24.87 A$35.31
34.74%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.20 A$1.70
$1.11 A$1.58
8.11%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.0K A$41.2K
$27.4K A$38.9K
5.74%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.3K A$31.7K
$23.0K A$32.7K
-3.01%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Brisbane
Ballarat
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$144 A$205
$149 A$211
-3.22%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.80 A$36.63
$20.85 A$29.61
23.74%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.4 A$74.4
$51.9 A$73.7
1.04%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Brisbane
Ballarat
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.56 A$69.0
$32.26 A$45.81
50.53%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.90 A$24.00
$15.76 A$22.37
7.23%
Cinema Ticket
$13.17 A$18.70
$11.07 A$15.72
18.97%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Brisbane
Ballarat
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,622 A$2,303
$325 A$462
398.90%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,690 A$12.3K
$19.1K A$27.1K
-54.54%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Brisbane
Ballarat
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$71.6 A$102
$66.5 A$94.5
7.67%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.89 A$60.9
$52.5 A$74.6
-18.30%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$93.2 A$132
$87.0 A$124
7.12%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$100 A$143
$92.2 A$131
8.96%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Brisbane
Ballarat
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,588 A$2,254
$857 A$1,217
85.26%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,247 A$1,771
$628 A$892
98.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,601 A$3,694
$2,019 A$2,867
28.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,923 A$2,730
$1,349 A$1,915
42.55%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$8,024 A$11.4K
$4,767 A$6,769
68.35%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,269 A$7,481
$3,523 A$5,002
49.57%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Brisbane
Ballarat
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,397 A$6,243
$3,333 A$4,732
31.93%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.24
6.07
2.80%

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

Last update for Brisbane: February 28, 2026

Last update for Ballarat: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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