Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brisbane and Coffs Harbour

For one person, living is cheaper in Coffs Harbour: $2,468 a month against $2,630 in Brisbane, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 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
118

Cost of Living Index in Coffs Harbour
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Coffs Harbour Living Index

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Brisbane

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,630

/mo nomad

Coffs Harbour

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,468

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brisbane and in Coffs Harbour

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

A single person spends $2,630 per month in Brisbane vs $2,468 in Coffs Harbour, rent included.

Brisbane $2,630
Coffs Harbour $2,468

A couple spends around $3,801 per month in Brisbane vs $3,579 in Coffs Harbour, rent included.

Brisbane $3,801
Coffs Harbour $3,579

A family of three spends $4,972 per month in Brisbane vs $4,690 in Coffs Harbour, rent included.

Brisbane $4,972
Coffs Harbour $4,690

Brisbane costs about 7% more than Coffs Harbour, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Brisbane and Coffs Harbour sit above the global median – Brisbane by 93%, Coffs Harbour by 81%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.61 A$25.02

$14.25 A$20.25

23.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.0 A$114

$104 A$147

-22.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.43 A$16.24

$8.87 A$12.61

28.86%

Cappuccino

$4.51 A$6.41

$3.77 A$5.36

19.63%

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

$2.95 A$4.20

$2.86 A$4.07

3.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 A$3.40

$1.95 A$2.77

22.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.61 A$12.23

$5.37 A$7.64

60.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.36 A$11.88

$5.48 A$7.79

52.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 A$2.30

$1.52 A$2.16

6.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 A$3.77

$2.64 A$3.74

0.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.30

$2.40 A$3.41

-3.33%

Eggs

$4.94 A$7.02

$3.36 A$4.77

47.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 A$12.90

$8.69 A$12.35

4.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 A$12.96

$7.11 A$10.11

28.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.34 A$20.37

$13.76 A$19.56

4.22%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 A$5.88

$3.98 A$5.65

4.02%

Banana (1kg)

$3.07 A$4.36

$3.09 A$4.39

-0.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.33

$3.47 A$4.93

-12.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.89 A$6.94

$4.16 A$5.91

17.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 A$3.99

$1.43 A$2.03

96.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 A$3.52

$2.44 A$3.47

1.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 A$3.42

$2.52 A$3.58

-4.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 A$1.69

$2.37 A$3.37

-49.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.54 A$54.8

$32.01 A$45.48

20.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.65 A$17.97

$14.22 A$20.20

-11.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.22 A$7.41

$6.05 A$8.59

-13.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.87 A$6.92

$6.63 A$9.41

-26.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 A$0.48

$4.72 A$6.71

-92.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.97 A$29.80

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 A$4.33

$2.11 A$3.00

44.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 A$2.69

$1.59 A$2.26

18.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.76 A$57.9

$35.69 A$50.7

14.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.06

$1.32 A$1.87

9.85%

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

$29.7K A$42.2K

$28.9K A$41.1K

2.63%

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

$25.6K A$36.4K

$26.7K A$37.9K

-4.10%

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

$158 A$224

$175 A$248

-9.71%

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

$26.05 A$37.02

$10.59 A$15.05

145.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.1 A$86.9

$53.9 A$76.6

13.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 A$86.9

$108 A$153

-43.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.36 A$31.77

Cinema Ticket

$13.95 A$19.82

$13.45 A$19.11

3.72%

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

$2,044 A$2,905

$2,183 A$3,102

-6.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K A$18.3K

$11.8K A$16.7K

9.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.4 A$117

$77.2 A$110

6.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.63 A$62.0

$53.5 A$76.1

-18.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 A$161

$103 A$146

10.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 A$158

$124 A$176

-10.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,944 A$2,762

$1,399 A$1,988

38.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 A$2,034

$1,302 A$1,850

9.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,484 A$4,951

$2,111 A$2,999

65.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,240 A$3,184

$1,945 A$2,764

15.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,322 A$13.2K

$3,566 A$5,066

161.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,003 A$9,951

$3,623 A$5,149

93.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,144 A$5,888

$3,275 A$4,653

26.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.81

5.69

2.11%

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

Last update for Brisbane: October 24, 2026

Last update for Coffs Harbour: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brisbane

$1.4K 54.4%

Coffs Harbour

$1.3K 52.7% 9.1% $130

Groceries & Markets

Brisbane

$362 13.8%

Coffs Harbour

$360 14.6% 0.4% $1.5

Eating Out

Brisbane

$310 11.8%

Coffs Harbour

$243 9.8% 21.7% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brisbane

$245 9.3%

Coffs Harbour

$239 9.7% 2.4% $5.8

Clothing & Footwear

Brisbane

$158 6%

Coffs Harbour

$161 6.5% 1.8% $2.9

Sport & Entertainment

Brisbane

$89 3.4%

Coffs Harbour

$135 5.5% 51.2% $46

Getting Around

Brisbane

$35 1.3%

Coffs Harbour

$29 * 1.2% 16.9% $5.9

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 $1,399 in Coffs Harbour. 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 27% higher in Brisbane. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80 in Brisbane versus $104 in Coffs Harbour. Groceries tell a different story – $362 in Brisbane vs $360 in Coffs Harbour – so Coffs Harbour wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Brisbane

🇦🇺 Coffs Harbour

🕒 Local time

04:49 4:49 AM

05:49 5:49 AM

1 h ahead of Brisbane

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,287,896

78,759

💱 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

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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 Coffs Harbour: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brisbane costs about 7% more than Coffs Harbour, 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 $3,703 in Coffs Harbour. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Coffs Harbour, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,399 there versus $1,944 in Brisbane.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,630 in Brisbane and $2,468 in Coffs Harbour. That’s a gap of about 7%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80 in Brisbane and $104 in Coffs Harbour. 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 $2,468 in Coffs Harbour 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.

If budget matters most, go with Coffs Harbour. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Brisbane makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.