Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brisbane and Canterbury-Bankstown

For one person, living is cheaper in Brisbane: $2,630 a month against $2,714 in Canterbury-Bankstown, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. The total is higher in Canterbury-Bankstown despite lower rent and utilities.

126

Cost of Living Index in Brisbane
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Brisbane Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Canterbury-Bankstown
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Canterbury-Bankstown Living Index

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Brisbane

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,630

/mo nomad

Canterbury-Bankstown

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,714

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brisbane and in Canterbury-Bankstown

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 Canterbury-Bankstown actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,630 per month in Brisbane vs $2,714 in Canterbury-Bankstown, rent included.

Brisbane $2,630
Canterbury-Bankstown $2,714

A couple spends around $3,801 per month in Brisbane vs $3,798 in Canterbury-Bankstown, rent included.

Brisbane $3,801
Canterbury-Bankstown $3,798

A family of three spends $4,972 per month in Brisbane vs $4,882 in Canterbury-Bankstown, rent included.

Brisbane $4,972
Canterbury-Bankstown $4,882

Brisbane is about 3% cheaper than Canterbury-Bankstown, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Brisbane and Canterbury-Bankstown sit above the global median – Brisbane by 93%, Canterbury-Bankstown by 99%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.61 A$25.02

$17.21 A$24.46

2.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.0 A$114

$88.7 A$126

-9.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.43 A$16.24

$10.32 A$14.66

10.76%

Cappuccino

$4.51 A$6.41

$3.92 A$5.57

15.05%

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

$2.95 A$4.20

$2.79 A$3.97

5.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 A$3.40

$2.19 A$3.11

9.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.61 A$12.23

$8.25 A$11.73

4.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.36 A$11.88

$7.47 A$10.61

11.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 A$2.30

$1.72 A$2.44

-5.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 A$3.77

$3.16 A$4.49

-16.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.30

$2.50 A$3.55

-7.20%

Eggs

$4.94 A$7.02

$5.62 A$7.98

-12.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 A$12.90

$12.05 A$17.12

-24.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 A$12.96

$9.44 A$13.42

-3.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.34 A$20.37

$16.86 A$23.95

-14.95%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 A$5.88

$3.92 A$5.57

5.61%

Banana (1kg)

$3.07 A$4.36

$3.14 A$4.46

-2.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.33

$3.51 A$4.99

-13.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.89 A$6.94

$5.03 A$7.14

-2.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 A$3.99

$3.06 A$4.35

-8.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 A$3.52

$2.52 A$3.58

-1.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 A$3.42

$2.39 A$3.39

0.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 A$1.69

$1.16 A$1.65

2.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.54 A$54.8

$45.21 A$64.3

-14.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.65 A$17.97

$14.28 A$20.29

-11.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.22 A$7.41

$4.74 A$6.73

10.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.87 A$6.92

$5.53 A$7.85

-11.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 A$0.48

$3.05 A$4.33

-88.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.97 A$29.80

$88.7 A$126

-76.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 A$4.33

$3.42 A$4.86

-10.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 A$2.69

$1.63 A$2.31

15.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.76 A$57.9

$40.96 A$58.2

-0.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.06

$1.44 A$2.04

0.69%

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

$29.7K A$42.2K

$28.5K A$40.5K

4.20%

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

$25.6K A$36.4K

$26.2K A$37.2K

-2.12%

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

$158 A$224

$182 A$258

-13.21%

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

$26.05 A$37.02

$27.52 A$39.10

-5.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.1 A$86.9

$56.1 A$79.7

9.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 A$86.9

$55.9 A$79.4

9.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.36 A$31.77

$17.63 A$25.05

26.83%

Cinema Ticket

$13.95 A$19.82

$17.23 A$24.48

-19.04%

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

$2,044 A$2,905

$2,401 A$3,412

-14.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K A$18.3K

$20.0K A$28.4K

-35.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.4 A$117

$77.0 A$109

6.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.63 A$62.0

$70.8 A$101

-38.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 A$161

$111 A$158

1.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 A$158

$135 A$192

-17.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,944 A$2,762

$1,321 A$1,877

47.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 A$2,034

$1,383 A$1,965

3.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,484 A$4,951

$2,263 A$3,215

54.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,240 A$3,184

$1,840 A$2,614

21.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,322 A$13.2K

$5,114 A$7,267

82.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,003 A$9,951

$5,147 A$7,314

36.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,144 A$5,888

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.81

5.92

-1.86%

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

Last update for Brisbane: October 24, 2026

Last update for Canterbury-Bankstown: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brisbane

$1.4K 54.4%

Canterbury-Bankstown

$1.4K 51% 3.4% $49

Groceries & Markets

Brisbane

$362 13.8%

Canterbury-Bankstown

$394 14.5% 8.9% $32

Eating Out

Brisbane

$310 11.8%

Canterbury-Bankstown

$292 10.8% 6% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brisbane

$245 9.3%

Canterbury-Bankstown

$265 9.8% 8.3% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Brisbane

$158 6%

Canterbury-Bankstown

$177 6.5% 12.5% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Brisbane

$89 3.4%

Canterbury-Bankstown

$90 3.3% 1.4% $1.3

Getting Around

Brisbane

$35 1.3%

Canterbury-Bankstown

$112 4.1% 223% $78

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,944 in Brisbane versus $1,321 in Canterbury-Bankstown. 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 $89 in Canterbury-Bankstown. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $362 vs $394 – making Brisbane the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Brisbane

🇦🇺 Canterbury-Bankstown

🕒 Local time

08:30 8:30 AM

09:30 9:30 AM

1 h ahead of Brisbane

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,287,896

350,983

💱 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

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Brisbane Canterbury-Bankstown 740 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Brisbane
Canterbury-Bankstown

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 Canterbury-Bankstown: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Canterbury-Bankstown costs about 3% more than Brisbane, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $4,071 in Canterbury-Bankstown. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Canterbury-Bankstown, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,321 there versus $1,944 in Brisbane.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Canterbury-Bankstown, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80 in Brisbane and $89 in Canterbury-Bankstown. 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 $2,714 in Canterbury-Bankstown. 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 $2,630 in Brisbane to $2,714 in Canterbury-Bankstown. 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.