Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brisbane and Darwin

For one person, living is cheaper in Brisbane: $2,630 a month against $3,073 in Darwin, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 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
148

Cost of Living Index in Darwin
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Darwin Living Index

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Brisbane

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,630

/mo nomad

Darwin

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,073

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brisbane and in Darwin

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

A single person spends $2,630 per month in Brisbane vs $3,073 in Darwin, rent included.

Brisbane $2,630
Darwin $3,073

A couple spends around $3,801 per month in Brisbane vs $4,118 in Darwin, rent included.

Brisbane $3,801
Darwin $4,118

A family of three spends $4,972 per month in Brisbane vs $5,163 in Darwin, rent included.

Brisbane $4,972
Darwin $5,163

Brisbane is about 14% cheaper than Darwin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Brisbane and Darwin sit above the global median – Brisbane by 93%, Darwin by 126%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.61 A$25.02

$22.40 A$31.83

-21.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.0 A$114

$90.7 A$129

-11.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.43 A$16.24

$11.36 A$16.14

0.62%

Cappuccino

$4.51 A$6.41

$4.23 A$6.01

6.62%

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

$2.95 A$4.20

$3.46 A$4.91

-14.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 A$3.40

$3.01 A$4.28

-20.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.61 A$12.23

$7.57 A$10.75

13.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.36 A$11.88

$7.57 A$10.76

10.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 A$2.30

$1.54 A$2.19

5.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 A$3.77

$3.04 A$4.32

-12.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.30

$2.20 A$3.13

5.45%

Eggs

$4.94 A$7.02

$4.47 A$6.35

10.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 A$12.90

$8.92 A$12.67

1.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 A$12.96

$8.31 A$11.81

9.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.34 A$20.37

$8.85 A$12.57

62.03%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 A$5.88

$3.85 A$5.46

7.53%

Banana (1kg)

$3.07 A$4.36

$2.88 A$4.09

6.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.33

$2.80 A$3.98

8.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.89 A$6.94

$5.03 A$7.14

-2.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 A$3.99

$2.55 A$3.62

10.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 A$3.52

$2.30 A$3.27

7.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 A$3.42

$2.06 A$2.92

16.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 A$1.69

$2.17 A$3.09

-45.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.54 A$54.8

$45.35 A$64.4

-15.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.65 A$17.97

$12.15 A$17.27

4.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.22 A$7.41

$10.13 A$14.39

-48.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.87 A$6.92

$7.87 A$11.18

-38.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 A$0.48

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.97 A$29.80

$48.37 A$68.7

-56.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 A$4.33

$3.69 A$5.25

-17.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 A$2.69

$1.35 A$1.91

40.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.76 A$57.9

$48.52 A$68.9

-15.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.06

$1.33 A$1.89

9.02%

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

$29.7K A$42.2K

$30.0K A$42.6K

-0.85%

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

$25.6K A$36.4K

$33.4K A$47.4K

-23.31%

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

$158 A$224

$215 A$305

-26.46%

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

$26.05 A$37.02

$33.49 A$47.58

-22.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.1 A$86.9

$60.9 A$86.6

0.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 A$86.9

$73.0 A$104

-16.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.36 A$31.77

$28.22 A$40.10

-20.77%

Cinema Ticket

$13.95 A$19.82

$16.99 A$24.14

-17.89%

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

$2,044 A$2,905

$1,939 A$2,755

5.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K A$18.3K

$8,442 A$12.0K

52.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.4 A$117

$85.2 A$121

-3.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.63 A$62.0

$46.52 A$66.1

-6.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 A$161

$106 A$150

7.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 A$158

$138 A$196

-19.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,944 A$2,762

$1,719 A$2,442

13.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 A$2,034

$1,709 A$2,428

-16.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,484 A$4,951

$2,803 A$3,982

24.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,240 A$3,184

$2,124 A$3,019

5.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,322 A$13.2K

$3,771 A$5,359

147.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,003 A$9,951

$3,536 A$5,024

98.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,144 A$5,888

$4,223 A$6,001

-1.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.81

6.14

-5.37%

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

Last update for Brisbane: October 24, 2026

Last update for Darwin: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brisbane

$1.4K 54.4%

Darwin

$1.7K 55.6% 19.4% $278

Groceries & Markets

Brisbane

$362 13.8%

Darwin

$377 12.3% 4.3% $16

Eating Out

Brisbane

$310 11.8%

Darwin

$343 11.2% 10.4% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brisbane

$245 9.3%

Darwin

$309 10.1% 26.1% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Brisbane

$158 6%

Darwin

$169 5.5% 7.1% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Brisbane

$89 3.4%

Darwin

$107 3.5% 20.1% $18

Getting Around

Brisbane

$35 1.3%

Darwin

$59 * 1.9% 68.8% $24

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 $1,719 in Darwin. 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 $91 in Darwin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $362 vs $377 – making Brisbane the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Brisbane

🇦🇺 Darwin

🕒 Local time

08:04 8:04 AM

07:34 7:34 AM

30 min behind Brisbane

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,287,896

122,207

💱 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 Darwin 2,850 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Brisbane
Darwin

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 Darwin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Darwin costs about 17% more than Brisbane, 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 $4,609 in Darwin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Darwin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,719 there versus $1,944 in Brisbane.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Darwin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80 in Brisbane and $91 in Darwin. 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 $3,073 in Darwin. 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 $3,073 in Darwin. 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.