Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brisbane and Carlton

For one person, living is cheaper in Carlton: $2,328 a month against $2,630 in Brisbane, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 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
112

Cost of Living Index in Carlton
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Carlton Living Index

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Brisbane

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,630

/mo nomad

Carlton

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,328

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brisbane and in Carlton

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

A single person spends $2,630 per month in Brisbane vs $2,328 in Carlton, rent included.

Brisbane $2,630
Carlton $2,328

A couple spends around $3,801 per month in Brisbane vs $3,353 in Carlton, rent included.

Brisbane $3,801
Carlton $3,353

A family of three spends $4,972 per month in Brisbane vs $4,379 in Carlton, rent included.

Brisbane $4,972
Carlton $4,379

Brisbane costs about 13% more than Carlton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Brisbane and Carlton sit above the global median – Brisbane by 93%, Carlton by 71%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.61 A$25.02

$17.33 A$24.63

1.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.0 A$114

$69.1 A$98.2

15.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.43 A$16.24

$10.28 A$14.61

11.19%

Cappuccino

$4.51 A$6.41

$3.03 A$4.31

48.84%

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

$2.95 A$4.20

$2.70 A$3.84

9.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 A$3.40

$2.05 A$2.91

16.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.61 A$12.23

$6.69 A$9.50

28.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.36 A$11.88

$6.60 A$9.38

26.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 A$2.30

$1.30 A$1.84

24.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 A$3.77

$2.08 A$2.95

27.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.30

$1.39 A$1.98

66.91%

Eggs

$4.94 A$7.02

$3.41 A$4.84

44.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 A$12.90

$10.40 A$14.77

-12.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 A$12.96

$9.96 A$14.16

-8.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.34 A$20.37

$14.94 A$21.23

-4.02%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 A$5.88

$3.31 A$4.70

25.08%

Banana (1kg)

$3.07 A$4.36

$2.76 A$3.92

11.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.33

$3.27 A$4.65

-6.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.89 A$6.94

$4.77 A$6.78

2.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 A$3.99

$2.41 A$3.42

16.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 A$3.52

$2.17 A$3.09

14.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 A$3.42

$2.25 A$3.20

7.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 A$1.69

$0.90 A$1.28

32.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.54 A$54.8

$25.30 A$35.94

52.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.65 A$17.97

$10.61 A$15.08

19.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.22 A$7.41

$5.57 A$7.91

-6.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.87 A$6.92

$5.28 A$7.50

-7.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 A$0.48

$3.08 A$4.38

-88.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.97 A$29.80

$82.7 A$117

-74.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 A$4.33

$3.67 A$5.21

-16.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 A$2.69

$1.24 A$1.76

52.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.76 A$57.9

$26.46 A$37.60

54.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.06

$1.29 A$1.84

12.40%

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

$29.7K A$42.2K

$18.2K A$25.9K

62.89%

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

$25.6K A$36.4K

$14.0K A$20.0K

82.25%

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

$158 A$224

$93.2 A$132

69.34%

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

$26.05 A$37.02

$28.34 A$40.26

-8.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.1 A$86.9

$46.79 A$66.5

30.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 A$86.9

$31.85 A$45.26

91.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.36 A$31.77

$17.90 A$25.44

24.92%

Cinema Ticket

$13.95 A$19.82

$13.46 A$19.12

3.64%

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

$2,044 A$2,905

$2,108 A$2,995

-3.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K A$18.3K

$12.4K A$17.6K

3.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.4 A$117

$80.0 A$114

2.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.63 A$62.0

$51.0 A$72.4

-14.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 A$161

$69.7 A$99.0

62.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 A$158

$132 A$187

-15.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,944 A$2,762

$1,409 A$2,003

37.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 A$2,034

$1,235 A$1,754

15.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,484 A$4,951

$2,220 A$3,155

56.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,240 A$3,184

$1,837 A$2,610

21.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,322 A$13.2K

$5,665 A$8,049

64.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,003 A$9,951

$4,619 A$6,562

51.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,144 A$5,888

$5,904 A$8,389

-29.81%

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 Carlton: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brisbane

$1.4K 54.4%

Carlton

$1.2K 53.1% 13.7% $197

Groceries & Markets

Brisbane

$362 13.8%

Carlton

$340 14.6% 6.1% $22

Eating Out

Brisbane

$310 11.8%

Carlton

$272 11.7% 12.6% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brisbane

$245 9.3%

Carlton

$168 7.2% 31.3% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Brisbane

$158 6%

Carlton

$150 6.4% 5.2% $8.2

Sport & Entertainment

Brisbane

$89 3.4%

Carlton

$59 2.5% 34% $30

Getting Around

Brisbane

$35 1.3%

Carlton

$105 4.5% 201% $70

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,944 in Brisbane versus $1,409 in Carlton. 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 42% higher in Carlton, 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 $69 in Carlton. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $362 vs $340 – making Carlton the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Brisbane

🇦🇺 Carlton

🕒 Local time

04:47 4:47 AM

05:47 5:47 AM

1 h ahead of Brisbane

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,287,896

19,001

💱 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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Between locations

Brisbane Carlton 1,370 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Brisbane
Carlton

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 Carlton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brisbane costs about 13% more than Carlton, 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 $3,491 in Carlton. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Carlton, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,409 there versus $1,944 in Brisbane.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Brisbane, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80 in Brisbane and $69 in Carlton. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,630 in Brisbane and $2,328 in Carlton, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Brisbane has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,328 in Carlton to $2,630 in Brisbane. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.