Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brisbane and Doncaster

For one person, living is cheaper in Doncaster: $2,003 a month against $2,630 in Brisbane, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 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
97

Cost of Living Index in Doncaster
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Doncaster Living Index

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Brisbane

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,630

/mo nomad

Doncaster

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brisbane and in Doncaster

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

A single person spends $2,630 per month in Brisbane vs $2,003 in Doncaster, rent included.

Brisbane $2,630
Doncaster $2,003

A couple spends around $3,801 per month in Brisbane vs $3,030 in Doncaster, rent included.

Brisbane $3,801
Doncaster $3,030

A family of three spends $4,972 per month in Brisbane vs $4,057 in Doncaster, rent included.

Brisbane $4,972
Doncaster $4,057

Brisbane costs about 31% more than Doncaster, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Brisbane and Doncaster sit above the global median – Brisbane by 93%, Doncaster by 47%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.61 A$25.02

$22.87 £17.21

-23.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.0 A$114

$79.2 £59.6

1.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.43 A$16.24

$8.01 £6.03

42.70%

Cappuccino

$4.51 A$6.41

$4.96 £3.74

-9.07%

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

$2.95 A$4.20

$1.82 £1.37

62.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 A$3.40

$1.35 £1.02

77.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.61 A$12.23

$6.42 £4.83

34.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.36 A$11.88

$3.95 £2.97

111.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 A$2.30

$1.75 £1.32

-7.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 A$3.77

$2.03 £1.53

30.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.30

$2.62 £1.97

-11.45%

Eggs

$4.94 A$7.02

$3.10 £2.33

59.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 A$12.90

$8.97 £6.75

1.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 A$12.96

$9.30 £7.00

-1.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.34 A$20.37

$15.13 £11.39

-5.22%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 A$5.88

$3.45 £2.60

20.00%

Banana (1kg)

$3.07 A$4.36

$1.65 £1.24

86.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.33

$3.12 £2.35

-2.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.89 A$6.94

$2.50 £1.88

95.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 A$3.99

$1.42 £1.07

97.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 A$3.52

$1.52 £1.14

63.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 A$3.42

$1.25 £0.94

92.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 A$1.69

$1.30 £0.98

-8.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.54 A$54.8

$20.47 £15.40

88.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.65 A$17.97

$9.38 £7.06

34.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.22 A$7.41

$3.55 £2.67

47.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.87 A$6.92

$2.56 £1.93

90.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 A$0.48

$2.71 £2.04

-87.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.97 A$29.80

$70.4 £53.0

-70.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 A$4.33

$3.96 £2.98

-22.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 A$2.69

$3.26 £2.45

-42.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.76 A$57.9

$39.25 £29.54

3.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.06

$1.92 £1.44

-24.48%

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

$29.7K A$42.2K

$37.2K £28.0K

-20.07%

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

$25.6K A$36.4K

$40.1K £30.2K

-36.17%

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

$158 A$224

$359 £271

-56.11%

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

$26.05 A$37.02

$17.73 £13.34

46.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.1 A$86.9

$46.44 £34.95

31.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 A$86.9

$37.92 £28.54

61.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.36 A$31.77

$9.42 £7.09

137.37%

Cinema Ticket

$13.95 A$19.82

$9.70 £7.30

43.81%

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

$2,044 A$2,905

$1,241 £934

64.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K A$18.3K

$22.3K £16.8K

-42.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.4 A$117

$108 £81.2

-23.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.63 A$62.0

$41.08 £30.92

6.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 A$161

$121 £91.2

-6.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 A$158

$111 £83.3

0.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,944 A$2,762

$669 £503

190.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 A$2,034

$629 £474

127.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,484 A$4,951

$1,322 £995

163.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,240 A$3,184

$1,160 £873

93.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,322 A$13.2K

$5,044 £3,796

84.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,003 A$9,951

$3,893 £2,930

79.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,144 A$5,888

$2,520 £1,897

64.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.81

5.55

4.68%

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

Last update for Brisbane: October 24, 2026

Last update for Doncaster: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brisbane

$1.4K 54.4%

Doncaster

$629 31.4% 56% $802

Groceries & Markets

Brisbane

$362 13.8%

Doncaster

$301 15% 16.7% $61

Eating Out

Brisbane

$310 11.8%

Doncaster

$319 15.9% 2.8% $8.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brisbane

$245 9.3%

Doncaster

$424 21.2% 72.9% $179

Clothing & Footwear

Brisbane

$158 6%

Doncaster

$171 8.6% 8.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Brisbane

$89 3.4%

Doncaster

$57 2.9% 35.6% $32

Getting Around

Brisbane

$35 1.3%

Doncaster

$102 5.1% 191% $67

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,944 in Brisbane versus $669 in Doncaster. 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 64% higher in Brisbane. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80 in Brisbane versus $79 in Doncaster. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $362 vs $301 – making Doncaster the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Brisbane

🇬🇧 Doncaster

🕒 Local time

09:45 9:45 AM

23:45 11:45 PM

10 h behind Brisbane

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,287,896

165,468

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.753 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.838 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Brisbane Doncaster 16,430 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Brisbane
Doncaster

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 Doncaster: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brisbane costs about 31% more than Doncaster, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $3,005 in Doncaster. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Doncaster, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $669 there versus $1,944 in Brisbane.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,630 in Brisbane and $2,003 in Doncaster. That makes Doncaster about 24% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $2,044 per month in Brisbane and $1,241 in Doncaster. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,630 in Brisbane and $2,003 in Doncaster. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Doncaster – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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