Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brisbane and Ballarat

For one person, living is cheaper in Ballarat: $1,907 a month against $2,630 in Brisbane, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Brisbane
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Brisbane Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Ballarat
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Ballarat Living Index

Jump to prices

Brisbane

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,630

/mo nomad

Ballarat

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,907

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brisbane and in Ballarat

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,630 in Brisbane versus $1,907 in Ballarat.

Brisbane $2,630
Ballarat $1,907

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,801 in Brisbane versus $3,040 in Ballarat.

Brisbane $3,801
Ballarat $3,040

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,972 in Brisbane versus $4,172 in Ballarat.

Brisbane $4,972
Ballarat $4,172

Living in Brisbane is roughly 38% more expensive than in Ballarat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brisbane 93% above, Ballarat 40% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.61 A$25.02

$17.26 A$24.53

2.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.0 A$114

$69.7 A$99.0

14.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.43 A$16.24

$10.44 A$14.83

9.48%

Cappuccino

$4.51 A$6.41

$3.72 A$5.28

21.24%

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

$2.95 A$4.20

$2.95 A$4.19

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 A$3.40

$1.73 A$2.46

38.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.61 A$12.23

$6.26 A$8.89

37.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.36 A$11.88

$6.18 A$8.79

35.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 A$2.30

$1.55 A$2.20

4.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 A$3.77

$2.81 A$3.99

-5.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.30

$2.23 A$3.17

4.04%

Eggs

$4.94 A$7.02

$4.17 A$5.92

18.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 A$12.90

$10.43 A$14.82

-12.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 A$12.96

$10.13 A$14.39

-9.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.34 A$20.37

$15.20 A$21.60

-5.66%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 A$5.88

$3.61 A$5.13

14.68%

Banana (1kg)

$3.07 A$4.36

$3.10 A$4.40

-0.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.33

$3.23 A$4.58

-5.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.89 A$6.94

$4.47 A$6.36

9.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 A$3.99

$3.10 A$4.40

-9.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 A$3.52

$2.46 A$3.50

0.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 A$3.42

$2.34 A$3.32

2.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 A$1.69

$1.50 A$2.14

-20.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.54 A$54.8

$35.41 A$50.3

8.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.65 A$17.97

$12.65 A$17.98

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.22 A$7.41

$2.33 A$3.30

124.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.87 A$6.92

$3.19 A$4.54

52.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 A$0.48

$2.76 A$3.92

-87.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.97 A$29.80

$71.1 A$101

-70.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 A$4.33

$2.58 A$3.67

18.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 A$2.69

$1.32 A$1.87

43.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.76 A$57.9

$26.48 A$37.62

53.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.06

$1.22 A$1.74

18.85%

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

$29.7K A$42.2K

0.05%

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

$25.6K A$36.4K

$25.4K A$36.1K

0.66%

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

$158 A$224

$207 A$294

-23.79%

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

$26.05 A$37.02

$27.77 A$39.46

-6.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.1 A$86.9

$57.1 A$81.2

7.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 A$86.9

$31.65 A$44.97

93.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.36 A$31.77

$11.37 A$16.15

96.66%

Cinema Ticket

$13.95 A$19.82

$15.14 A$21.51

-7.86%

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

$2,044 A$2,905

$2,198 A$3,123

-7.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K A$18.3K

$30.0K A$42.6K

-56.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.4 A$117

$70.6 A$100

16.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.63 A$62.0

$49.59 A$70.5

-12.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 A$161

$100 A$142

13.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 A$158

$134 A$190

-16.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,944 A$2,762

$903 A$1,283

115.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 A$2,034

$673 A$956

112.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,484 A$4,951

$1,290 A$1,834

170.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,240 A$3,184

$1,454 A$2,066

54.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,322 A$13.2K

$4,809 A$6,833

93.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,003 A$9,951

$3,452 A$4,905

102.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,144 A$5,888

$3,185 A$4,525

30.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.81

5.55

4.68%

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

Last update for Brisbane: October 24, 2026

Last update for Ballarat: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brisbane

$1.4K 54.4%

Ballarat

$673 35.3% 53% $758

Groceries & Markets

Brisbane

$362 13.8%

Ballarat

$354 18.5% 2.3% $8.3

Eating Out

Brisbane

$310 11.8%

Ballarat

$276 14.5% 11% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brisbane

$245 9.3%

Ballarat

$292 15.3% 19.2% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Brisbane

$158 6%

Ballarat

$159 8.4% 1% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Brisbane

$89 3.4%

Ballarat

$62 3.3% 30.5% $27

Getting Around

Brisbane

$35 1.3%

Ballarat

$91 4.8% 162% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,944 in Brisbane and $903 in Ballarat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brisbane pays 30% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $80 in Brisbane vs $70 in Ballarat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $362 vs $354 per month, with Ballarat cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Brisbane

🇦🇺 Ballarat

🕒 Local time

11:02 11:02 AM

12:02 12:02 PM

1 h ahead of Brisbane

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,287,896

105,348

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Brisbane Ballarat 1,410 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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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 Ballarat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ballarat wins on cost – living expenses run 27% lower than in Brisbane. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ballarat the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 30% 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: $1,944 in Brisbane versus $903 in Ballarat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Brisbane runs roughly 70% less than in Ballarat. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $2,630 per month in Brisbane versus $1,907 in Ballarat – Ballarat is about 27% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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 Ballarat are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Ballarat wins on affordability, Brisbane on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.