Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brisbane and Fujairah

For one person, living is cheaper in Fujairah: $1,440 a month against $2,518 in Brisbane, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Brisbane
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Brisbane Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Fujairah
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Fujairah Living Index

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Brisbane

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,518

/mo nomad

Fujairah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,440

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brisbane and in Fujairah

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

A single person spends $2,518 per month in Brisbane vs $1,440 in Fujairah, rent included.

Brisbane $2,518
Fujairah $1,440

A couple spends around $3,720 per month in Brisbane vs $4,010 in Fujairah, rent included.

Brisbane $3,720
Fujairah $4,010

A family of three spends $4,922 per month in Brisbane vs $6,579 in Fujairah, rent included.

Brisbane $4,922
Fujairah $6,579

Brisbane costs about 75% more than Fujairah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Brisbane and Fujairah sit above the global median – Brisbane by 86%, Fujairah by 6%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.39 A$25.02

$7.55 AED 27.74

130.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.9 A$102

$40.89 AED 150

73.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.09 A$15.95

$7.50 AED 27.54

47.87%

Cappuccino

$4.43 A$6.38

$5.68 AED 20.87

-22.01%

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

$2.90 A$4.17

$1.14 AED 4.20

154.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.49

$0.40 AED 1.47

507.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.42 A$12.12

$8.89 AED 32.63

-5.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.31 A$11.96

$9.28 AED 34.06

-10.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 A$2.40

$1.70 AED 6.24

-1.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.72 A$3.92

$1.39 AED 5.09

95.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.29 A$3.29

$1.86 AED 6.84

23.12%

Eggs

$4.82 A$6.94

$2.33 AED 8.56

106.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 A$13.03

$12.61 AED 46.30

-28.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.18 A$13.21

$9.48 AED 34.81

-3.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.21 A$20.45

$8.00 AED 29.37

77.63%

Apples (1kg)

$4.31 A$6.20

$1.82 AED 6.69

136.81%

Banana (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.38

$1.66 AED 6.10

83.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 A$4.32

$1.54 AED 5.65

94.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.75 A$6.84

$0.91 AED 3.34

421.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 A$3.92

$0.85 AED 3.10

220.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 A$3.37

$0.89 AED 3.26

162.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.42 A$3.48

$0.81 AED 2.96

198.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 A$1.71

$0.44 AED 1.61

170.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.67 A$55.7

$5.47 AED 20.11

606.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.66 A$18.21

$13.46 AED 49.43

-5.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.40 A$7.77

$2.12 AED 7.80

154.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.13 A$7.38

$2.38 AED 8.74

115.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 A$0.53

$3.37 AED 12.36

-89.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.72 A$29.81

$40.88 AED 150

-49.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 A$4.20

$2.80 AED 10.30

4.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 A$2.68

$0.53 AED 1.93

250.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.05 A$59.1

$7.97 AED 29.29

415.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.90 AED 3.31

55.56%

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

$29.7K A$42.8K

$25.9K AED 95.1K

14.89%

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

$26.0K A$37.4K

$20.2K AED 74.0K

28.79%

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

$159 A$229

$123 AED 450

29.82%

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

$26.52 A$38.16

$44.62 AED 164

-40.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 A$87.2

$76.7 AED 282

-21.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.9 A$87.6

$47.80 AED 176

27.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.22 A$31.97

$13.70 AED 50.3

62.19%

Cinema Ticket

$14.14 A$20.34

$11.04 AED 40.53

28.08%

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

$1,952 A$2,808

$261 AED 959

647.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K A$18.3K

$4,476 AED 16.4K

183.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.3 A$120

$21.89 AED 80.4

280.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.69 A$62.9

$13.77 AED 50.6

217.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 A$163

$76.0 AED 279

48.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 A$160

$62.0 AED 228

79.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,939 A$2,790

$584 AED 2,145

231.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,322 A$1,902

$527 AED 1,934

150.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,408 A$4,904

$5,276 AED 19.4K

-35.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,242 A$3,226

$4,659 AED 17.1K

-51.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,271 A$11.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,920 A$8,518

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,183 A$6,020

$3,751 AED 13.8K

11.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.81

2.5

132.40%

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

Last update for Brisbane: October 19, 2026

Last update for Fujairah: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brisbane

$1.3K 52.5%

Fujairah

$527 36.6% 60.2% $795

Groceries & Markets

Brisbane

$363 14.4%

Fujairah

$242 16.8% 33.4% $121

Eating Out

Brisbane

$306 12.1%

Fujairah

$220 15.3% 27.9% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brisbane

$246 9.8%

Fujairah

$244 16.9% 0.9% $2.3

Clothing & Footwear

Brisbane

$158 6.3%

Fujairah

$78 5.4% 50.5% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Brisbane

$89 3.5%

Fujairah

$70 4.9% 21.6% $19

Getting Around

Brisbane

$34 1.4%

Fujairah

$60 4.2% 73.7% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,939 in Brisbane versus $584 in Fujairah. 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 12% higher in Brisbane, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in Brisbane versus $41.00 in Fujairah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $363 vs $242 – making Fujairah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Brisbane

🇦🇪 Fujairah

🕒 Local time

21:39 9:39 PM

15:39 3:39 PM

6 h behind Brisbane

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,287,896

93,673

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Brisbane Fujairah 11,880 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Brisbane
Fujairah

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 Fujairah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brisbane costs about 75% more than Fujairah, 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 $3,777 per month in Brisbane and $2,161 in Fujairah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Fujairah, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 50% 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 $71.0 in Brisbane and $41.00 in Fujairah. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Fujairah, where all-in costs run around $1,440, than in Brisbane at $2,518. In Fujairah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brisbane it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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 Fujairah. 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.