Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brisbane and Esperance

For one person, living is cheaper in Esperance: $2,558 a month against $2,644 in Brisbane, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Brisbane outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

127

Cost of Living Index in Brisbane
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Brisbane Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Esperance
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Esperance Living Index

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Brisbane

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,644

/mo nomad

Esperance

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,558

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brisbane and in Esperance

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

A single person spends $2,644 per month in Brisbane vs $2,558 in Esperance, rent included.

Brisbane $2,644
Esperance $2,558

A couple spends around $3,821 per month in Brisbane vs $3,665 in Esperance, rent included.

Brisbane $3,821
Esperance $3,665

A family of three spends $4,999 per month in Brisbane vs $4,771 in Esperance, rent included.

Brisbane $4,999
Esperance $4,771

Brisbane costs about 3% more than Esperance, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Brisbane and Esperance sit above the global median – Brisbane by 96%, Esperance by 89%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.81 A$25.56

$17.24 A$24.73

3.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.4 A$123

$83.5 A$120

2.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.28 A$16.18

$10.46 A$15.01

7.84%

Cappuccino

$4.45 A$6.38

$4.03 A$5.78

10.42%

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

$2.80 A$4.02

$2.93 A$4.20

-4.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 A$3.51

$2.21 A$3.17

10.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.60 A$12.34

$7.74 A$11.10

11.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.36 A$12.00

$7.50 A$10.76

11.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 A$2.52

$1.57 A$2.26

12.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.57 A$3.68

$2.68 A$3.84

-4.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 A$3.13

$2.34 A$3.35

-6.84%

Eggs

$4.95 A$7.10

$5.00 A$7.17

-1.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.58 A$13.74

$9.52 A$13.65

0.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.01 A$12.93

$9.42 A$13.51

-4.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.00 A$20.09

$15.05 A$21.60

-6.98%

Apples (1kg)

$4.21 A$6.04

$3.84 A$5.51

9.64%

Banana (1kg)

$3.18 A$4.56

$3.03 A$4.34

4.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 A$4.01

$3.29 A$4.72

-15.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.83 A$6.93

$4.59 A$6.59

5.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.80 A$4.02

$2.74 A$3.93

2.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 A$3.38

$2.48 A$3.55

-4.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 A$3.38

$2.41 A$3.46

-2.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 A$1.70

$1.56 A$2.24

-23.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$39.08 A$56.1

$42.02 A$60.3

-7.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.84 A$18.41

$13.99 A$20.07

-8.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.27 A$7.57

$4.79 A$6.87

10.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.91 A$7.04

$5.14 A$7.38

-4.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 A$0.52

$2.78 A$4.00

-87.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.39 A$30.68

$83.9 A$120

-74.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.61 A$3.74

$3.56 A$5.11

-26.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 A$2.69

$1.59 A$2.28

18.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.67 A$59.8

$39.58 A$56.8

5.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.12

$1.36 A$1.95

8.82%

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

$29.0K A$41.6K

$29.4K A$42.1K

-1.19%

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

$25.9K A$37.2K

-0.13%

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

$160 A$229

$206 A$296

-22.59%

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

$26.65 A$38.24

$27.93 A$40.07

-4.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.2 A$87.9

$57.5 A$82.4

6.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.1 A$87.6

$56.1 A$80.4

8.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 A$32.50

$17.91 A$25.69

26.52%

Cinema Ticket

$14.15 A$20.30

$14.11 A$20.24

0.28%

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

$1,982 A$2,843

$2,167 A$3,108

-8.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.8K A$38.5K

$20.7K A$29.7K

29.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.1 A$122

$78.6 A$113

8.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.37 A$66.5

$53.9 A$77.3

-13.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$159

$108 A$155

2.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 A$157

$122 A$175

-10.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,957 A$2,808

$1,413 A$2,028

38.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,441 A$2,068

$1,251 A$1,795

15.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,481 A$4,994

$2,252 A$3,231

54.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,234 A$3,205

$1,844 A$2,646

21.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,571 A$13.7K

$5,806 A$8,330

64.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,938 A$9,954

$4,967 A$7,127

39.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,134 A$5,932

$3,547 A$5,089

16.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

5.9

-1.02%

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

Last update for Brisbane: November 3, 2026

Last update for Esperance: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brisbane

$1.4K 54.5%

Esperance

$1.3K 48.9% 13.2% $190

Groceries & Markets

Brisbane

$362 13.7%

Esperance

$370 14.5% 2.3% $8.2

Eating Out

Brisbane

$310 11.7%

Esperance

$292 11.4% 6% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brisbane

$248 9.4%

Esperance

$292 11.4% 17.8% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Brisbane

$158 6%

Esperance

$163 6.4% 3% $4.7

Sport & Entertainment

Brisbane

$89 3.4%

Esperance

$84 3.3% 5.7% $5.1

Getting Around

Brisbane

$35 1.3%

Esperance

$107 4.2% 206% $72

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,957 in Brisbane versus $1,413 in Esperance. 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 17% higher in Brisbane. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85 in Brisbane versus $84 in Esperance. Groceries tell a different story – $362 in Brisbane vs $370 in Esperance – so Brisbane wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Brisbane

🇦🇺 Esperance

🕒 Local time

20:41 8:41 PM

18:41 6:41 PM

2 h behind Brisbane

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,287,896

10,218

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.697 USD

1 AUD = 0.622 EUR

1 AUD = 0.697 USD

1 AUD = 0.622 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Brisbane Esperance 3,050 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Brisbane
Esperance

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 Esperance: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brisbane costs about 3% more than Esperance, 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 $3,965 per month in Brisbane and $3,838 in Esperance. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Esperance, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,413 there versus $1,957 in Brisbane.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,644 in Brisbane and $2,558 in Esperance. That makes Esperance about 3% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 74% less in Brisbane. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,644 in Brisbane and $2,558 in Esperance, 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 $2,558 in Esperance to $2,644 in Brisbane. 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.

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