Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brisbane and Burnie

For one person, living is cheaper in Burnie: $1,651 a month against $2,630 in Brisbane, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 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
79

Cost of Living Index in Burnie
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Burnie Living Index

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Brisbane

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,630

/mo nomad

Burnie

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,651

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brisbane and in Burnie

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

A single person spends $2,630 per month in Brisbane vs $1,651 in Burnie, rent included.

Brisbane $2,630
Burnie $1,651

A couple spends around $3,801 per month in Brisbane vs $2,475 in Burnie, rent included.

Brisbane $3,801
Burnie $2,475

A family of three spends $4,972 per month in Brisbane vs $3,298 in Burnie, rent included.

Brisbane $4,972
Burnie $3,298

Brisbane costs about 59% more than Burnie, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Brisbane and Burnie sit above the global median – Brisbane by 93%, Burnie by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.61 A$25.03

$18.39 A$26.14

-4.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.0 A$114

$91.0 A$129

-12.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.43 A$16.24

$5.74 A$8.15

99.13%

Cappuccino

$4.51 A$6.42

$3.95 A$5.62

14.18%

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

$2.95 A$4.20

$3.51 A$4.99

-15.95%

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$12.24

$4.10 A$5.83

110.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.36 A$11.88

$5.98 A$8.51

39.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 A$2.30

$1.79 A$2.54

-9.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 A$3.77

$2.42 A$3.44

9.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.30

$1.83 A$2.60

26.78%

Eggs

$4.94 A$7.02

$5.14 A$7.31

-3.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 A$12.90

$10.07 A$14.31

-9.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 A$12.97

$6.48 A$9.21

40.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.34 A$20.38

$17.21 A$24.46

-16.68%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 A$5.88

$2.81 A$4.00

47.33%

Banana (1kg)

$3.07 A$4.36

$2.87 A$4.08

6.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.33

$2.07 A$2.95

47.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.89 A$6.95

$2.87 A$4.08

70.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 A$4.00

$2.64 A$3.75

6.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 A$3.52

$2.13 A$3.03

16.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 A$3.42

$2.09 A$2.97

15.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 A$1.69

$1.63 A$2.32

-26.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.54 A$54.8

$36.32 A$51.6

6.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.65 A$17.98

$14.68 A$20.87

-13.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.22 A$7.41

$3.46 A$4.92

50.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.87 A$6.92

$5.44 A$7.73

-10.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 A$0.48

$1.99 A$2.83

-82.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.97 A$29.81

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 A$4.33

$2.68 A$3.80

13.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 A$2.69

$2.06 A$2.92

-8.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.76 A$57.9

$42.35 A$60.2

-3.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.06

$1.31 A$1.86

10.69%

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

$29.7K A$42.2K

$28.5K A$40.4K

4.39%

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

$25.6K A$36.4K

$31.6K A$44.9K

-19.04%

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

$158 A$224

$208 A$296

-24.28%

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

$26.05 A$37.03

$20.79 A$29.55

25.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.1 A$86.9

$49.42 A$70.2

23.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 A$86.9

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.36 A$31.78

Cinema Ticket

$13.95 A$19.83

$13.97 A$19.86

-0.14%

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

$2,044 A$2,906

$1,990 A$2,828

2.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K A$18.3K

$21.0K A$29.9K

-38.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.4 A$117

$78.4 A$111

5.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.63 A$62.0

$24.30 A$34.53

79.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 A$161

$108 A$154

4.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 A$158

$94.2 A$134

17.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,944 A$2,763

$815 A$1,158

138.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 A$2,035

$586 A$832

144.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,484 A$4,953

$1,157 A$1,644

201.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,240 A$3,185

$828 A$1,177

170.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,322 A$13.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,003 A$9,954

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,144 A$5,890

$5,173 A$7,353

-19.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.81

5.6

3.75%

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

Last update for Brisbane: October 24, 2026

Last update for Burnie: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brisbane

$1.4K 54.4%

Burnie

$586 35.5% 59.1% $846

Groceries & Markets

Brisbane

$362 13.8%

Burnie

$336 20.3% 7.2% $26

Eating Out

Brisbane

$310 11.8%

Burnie

$265 16.1% 14.6% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brisbane

$245 9.3%

Burnie

$279 16.9% 13.7% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Brisbane

$158 6%

Burnie

$137 8.3% 12.9% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Brisbane

$89 3.4%

Burnie

$28 * 1.7% 68.6% $61

Getting Around

Brisbane

$35 1.3%

Burnie

$21 * 1.3% 40% $14

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,944 in Brisbane versus $815 in Burnie. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 25% higher in Burnie, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80 in Brisbane versus $91 in Burnie. Groceries tell a different story – $362 in Brisbane vs $336 in Burnie – so Burnie wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Brisbane

🇦🇺 Burnie

🕒 Local time

00:53 12:53 AM

01:53 1:53 AM

1 h ahead of Brisbane

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,287,896

20,267

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Brisbane Burnie 1,640 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Brisbane
Burnie

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 Burnie: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brisbane costs about 59% more than Burnie, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. 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 $2,477 in Burnie. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Burnie, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $815 there versus $1,944 in Brisbane.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,630 in Brisbane and $1,651 in Burnie. That makes Burnie about 37% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $2,044 per month in Brisbane and $1,990 in Burnie. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Burnie, where all-in costs run around $1,651, than in Brisbane at $2,630. In Burnie it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brisbane it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Burnie – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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