Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brisbane and Broken Hill

For one person, living is cheaper in Broken Hill: $2,371 a month against $2,630 in Brisbane, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 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
122

Cost of Living Index in Broken Hill
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Broken Hill Living Index

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Brisbane

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,630

/mo nomad

Broken Hill

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,371

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brisbane and in Broken Hill

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

A single person spends $2,630 per month in Brisbane vs $2,371 in Broken Hill, rent included.

Brisbane $2,630
Broken Hill $2,371

A couple spends around $3,801 per month in Brisbane vs $3,506 in Broken Hill, rent included.

Brisbane $3,801
Broken Hill $3,506

A family of three spends $4,972 per month in Brisbane vs $4,641 in Broken Hill, rent included.

Brisbane $4,972
Broken Hill $4,641

Brisbane costs about 11% more than Broken Hill, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Brisbane and Broken Hill sit above the global median – Brisbane by 93%, Broken Hill by 74%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.61 A$25.15

$16.76 A$23.94

5.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.0 A$114

$83.4 A$119

-4.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.43 A$16.32

$9.11 A$13.01

25.47%

Cappuccino

$4.51 A$6.45

$4.13 A$5.90

9.20%

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

$2.95 A$4.22

$2.79 A$3.99

5.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 A$3.42

$2.33 A$3.33

2.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.61 A$12.30

$7.47 A$10.66

15.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.36 A$11.94

$7.00 A$10.00

19.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 A$2.31

$1.76 A$2.52

-7.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 A$3.79

$2.80 A$4.00

-5.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.32

$2.04 A$2.91

13.73%

Eggs

$4.94 A$7.05

$5.54 A$7.91

-10.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 A$12.97

$9.62 A$13.74

-5.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 A$13.03

$10.18 A$14.54

-10.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.34 A$20.47

$16.35 A$23.35

-12.29%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 A$5.91

$4.25 A$6.07

-2.59%

Banana (1kg)

$3.07 A$4.38

$2.85 A$4.06

7.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.35

$2.98 A$4.26

2.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.89 A$6.98

$4.72 A$6.74

3.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 A$4.01

$3.03 A$4.32

-7.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 A$3.54

$2.34 A$3.34

5.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 A$3.44

$2.23 A$3.19

8.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 A$1.70

$1.56 A$2.22

-23.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.54 A$55.0

$48.29 A$69.0

-20.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.65 A$18.06

$15.24 A$21.76

-16.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.22 A$7.45

$4.21 A$6.01

23.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.87 A$6.95

$5.47 A$7.82

-10.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 A$0.48

$2.70 A$3.85

-87.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.97 A$29.95

$76.7 A$109

-72.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 A$4.35

$3.77 A$5.39

-19.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 A$2.70

$1.80 A$2.57

5.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.76 A$58.2

$44.58 A$63.7

-8.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.07

$1.52 A$2.17

-4.61%

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

$29.7K A$42.4K

$30.7K A$43.9K

-3.28%

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

$25.6K A$36.6K

$24.5K A$35.0K

4.47%

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

$158 A$225

$205 A$293

-23.05%

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

$26.05 A$37.21

$25.11 A$35.87

3.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.1 A$87.3

$57.2 A$81.6

6.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 A$87.3

$63.6 A$90.9

-3.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.36 A$31.93

$15.15 A$21.63

47.59%

Cinema Ticket

$13.95 A$19.93

$13.97 A$19.96

-0.14%

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

$2,044 A$2,919

$2,372 A$3,388

-13.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K A$18.4K

$21.7K A$30.9K

-40.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.4 A$118

$69.0 A$98.5

19.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.63 A$62.3

$48.07 A$68.7

-9.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 A$162

$106 A$151

7.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 A$158

$125 A$178

-11.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,944 A$2,776

$1,594 A$2,277

21.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 A$2,044

$1,070 A$1,528

33.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,484 A$4,976

$2,252 A$3,216

54.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,240 A$3,200

$1,720 A$2,457

30.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,322 A$13.3K

$5,079 A$7,253

83.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,003 A$10.0K

$4,926 A$7,035

42.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,144 A$5,918

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 24, 2026

Last update for Broken Hill: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brisbane

$1.4K 54.4%

Broken Hill

$1.1K 45.1% 25.3% $362

Groceries & Markets

Brisbane

$362 13.8%

Broken Hill

$383 16.1% 5.7% $21

Eating Out

Brisbane

$310 11.8%

Broken Hill

$283 11.9% 8.9% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brisbane

$245 9.3%

Broken Hill

$287 12.1% 17.3% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Brisbane

$158 6%

Broken Hill

$156 6.6% 0.8% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Brisbane

$89 3.4%

Broken Hill

$92 3.9% 2.8% $2.5

Getting Around

Brisbane

$35 1.3%

Broken Hill

$100 4.2% 188% $65

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,944 in Brisbane versus $1,594 in Broken Hill. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80 in Brisbane versus $83 in Broken Hill. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $362 vs $383 – making Brisbane the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Brisbane

🇦🇺 Broken Hill

🕒 Local time

19:57 7:57 PM

20:27 8:27 PM

30 min ahead of Brisbane

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,287,896

17,456

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Brisbane Broken Hill 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Brisbane
Broken Hill

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 Broken Hill: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brisbane costs about 11% more than Broken Hill, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,945 per month in Brisbane and $3,556 in Broken Hill. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Broken Hill, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,594 there versus $1,944 in Brisbane.

Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in Brisbane – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80 in Brisbane and $83 in Broken Hill. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Brisbane has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,371 in Broken Hill to $2,630 in Brisbane. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.