Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brisbane and Cairns

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairns: $2,531 a month against $2,630 in Brisbane, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 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
121

Cost of Living Index in Cairns
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Cairns Living Index

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Brisbane

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,630

/mo nomad

Cairns

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,531

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brisbane and in Cairns

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

A single person spends $2,630 per month in Brisbane vs $2,531 in Cairns, rent included.

Brisbane $2,630
Cairns $2,531

A couple spends around $3,801 per month in Brisbane vs $3,753 in Cairns, rent included.

Brisbane $3,801
Cairns $3,753

A family of three spends $4,972 per month in Brisbane vs $4,975 in Cairns, rent included.

Brisbane $4,972
Cairns $4,975

Brisbane costs about 4% more than Cairns, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Brisbane and Cairns sit above the global median – Brisbane by 93%, Cairns by 86%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.61 A$25.04

$17.49 A$24.87

0.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.0 A$114

$97.5 A$139

-17.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.43 A$16.25

$12.68 A$18.03

-9.86%

Cappuccino

$4.51 A$6.42

$4.43 A$6.30

1.81%

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

$2.95 A$4.20

$3.22 A$4.58

-8.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 A$3.40

$2.74 A$3.89

-12.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.61 A$12.25

$7.21 A$10.26

19.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.36 A$11.89

$8.60 A$12.23

-2.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 A$2.30

$1.94 A$2.76

-16.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 A$3.77

$2.74 A$3.89

-3.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.30

$2.55 A$3.62

-9.02%

Eggs

$4.94 A$7.03

$5.13 A$7.29

-3.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 A$12.91

$9.50 A$13.51

-4.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 A$12.98

$13.77 A$19.59

-33.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.34 A$20.39

$15.24 A$21.68

-5.91%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 A$5.89

$4.09 A$5.81

1.22%

Banana (1kg)

$3.07 A$4.36

$2.85 A$4.05

7.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.33

$3.56 A$5.06

-14.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.89 A$6.95

$5.93 A$8.43

-17.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 A$4.00

$2.62 A$3.72

7.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 A$3.53

$2.53 A$3.59

-1.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 A$3.43

$2.73 A$3.89

-11.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 A$1.69

$2.63 A$3.74

-54.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.54 A$54.8

$45.75 A$65.1

-15.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.65 A$17.99

$13.94 A$19.82

-9.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.22 A$7.42

$3.48 A$4.95

50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.87 A$6.93

$5.37 A$7.64

-9.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 A$0.48

$2.43 A$3.46

-86.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.97 A$29.83

$15.73 A$22.38

33.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 A$4.34

$2.53 A$3.60

20.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 A$2.69

$1.94 A$2.76

-2.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.76 A$58.0

$42.49 A$60.4

-4.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.06

$1.24 A$1.76

16.94%

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

$29.7K A$42.3K

$29.8K A$42.4K

-0.38%

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

$25.6K A$36.4K

$31.3K A$44.5K

-18.21%

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

$158 A$224

$161 A$230

-2.23%

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

$26.05 A$37.06

$34.86 A$49.58

-25.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.1 A$87.0

$66.2 A$94.2

-7.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 A$87.0

$44.42 A$63.2

37.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.36 A$31.80

$27.62 A$39.29

-19.04%

Cinema Ticket

$13.95 A$19.84

$13.75 A$19.55

1.45%

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

$2,044 A$2,908

$2,058 A$2,927

-0.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K A$18.3K

$14.3K A$20.3K

-9.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.4 A$117

$89.4 A$127

-7.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.63 A$62.1

$73.3 A$104

-40.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 A$161

$126 A$179

-10.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 A$158

$133 A$190

-16.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,944 A$2,765

$1,491 A$2,121

30.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 A$2,036

$1,247 A$1,774

14.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,484 A$4,956

$2,408 A$3,424

44.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,240 A$3,187

$1,960 A$2,788

14.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,322 A$13.3K

$6,463 A$9,192

44.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,003 A$9,961

$5,002 A$7,114

40.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,144 A$5,894

$4,338 A$6,170

-4.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.81

6.32

-8.07%

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

Last update for Brisbane: October 24, 2026

Last update for Cairns: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brisbane

$1.4K 54.4%

Cairns

$1.2K 49.3% 12.9% $185

Groceries & Markets

Brisbane

$362 13.8%

Cairns

$413 16.3% 14.2% $52

Eating Out

Brisbane

$310 11.8%

Cairns

$308 12.2% 0.8% $2.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brisbane

$245 9.3%

Cairns

$262 10.4% 7.1% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Brisbane

$158 6%

Cairns

$190 7.5% 20.5% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Brisbane

$89 3.4%

Cairns

$72 2.8% 19.2% $17

Getting Around

Brisbane

$35 1.3%

Cairns

$38 1.5% 8.2% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,944 in Brisbane versus $1,491 in Cairns. 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 5% higher in Cairns, 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 $97 in Cairns. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $362 vs $413 – making Brisbane the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Brisbane

🇦🇺 Cairns

🕒 Local time

14:02 2:02 PM

Same time as Brisbane

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,287,896

153,181

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Brisbane Cairns 1,390 km ≈ 2 h 15 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 Cairns: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brisbane costs about 4% more than Cairns, 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 $3,796 in Cairns. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cairns, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,491 there versus $1,944 in Brisbane.

Interestingly, groceries are about 12% cheaper in Brisbane – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80 in Brisbane and $97 in Cairns. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,630 in Brisbane and $2,531 in Cairns. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Brisbane has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,531 in Cairns 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.