Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brisbane and Goulburn

For one person, living is cheaper in Goulburn: $2,369 a month against $2,630 in Brisbane, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Brisbane, Australia
Goulburn, Australia
Brisbane
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,630
/mo nomad
Goulburn
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,369
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brisbane and in Goulburn

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

A single person spends $2,630 per month in Brisbane vs $2,369 in Goulburn, rent included.

  • Brisbane $2,630
  • Goulburn $2,369

A couple spends around $3,801 per month in Brisbane vs $3,337 in Goulburn, rent included.

  • Brisbane $3,801
  • Goulburn $3,337

A family of three spends $4,972 per month in Brisbane vs $4,306 in Goulburn, rent included.

  • Brisbane $4,972
  • Goulburn $4,306

Brisbane costs about 11% more than Goulburn, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Brisbane and Goulburn sit above the global median – Brisbane by 93%, Goulburn by 74%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Brisbane
Goulburn
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.61 A$25.04
$17.52 A$24.92
0.51%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$80.0 A$114
$89.7 A$128
-10.82%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.43 A$16.25
$8.61 A$12.25
32.75%
Cappuccino
$4.51 A$6.42
$3.20 A$4.56
40.94%
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
$2.22 A$3.15
7.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.61 A$12.25
$8.03 A$11.42
7.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.36 A$11.89
$7.46 A$10.62
12.06%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Brisbane
Goulburn
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.62 A$2.30
$0.95 A$1.35
70.53%
White Bread (500g)
$2.65 A$3.77
$1.74 A$2.47
52.30%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.32 A$3.30
$2.30 A$3.28
0.87%
Eggs
$4.94 A$7.03
$4.99 A$7.09
-1.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.08 A$12.91
$12.11 A$17.22
-25.02%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.12 A$12.98
$9.42 A$13.39
-3.18%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.34 A$20.39
$16.76 A$23.84
-14.44%
Apples (1kg)
$4.14 A$5.89
$3.18 A$4.53
30.19%
Banana (1kg)
$3.07 A$4.36
$1.79 A$2.54
71.51%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.05 A$4.33
$1.78 A$2.52
71.35%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.89 A$6.95
$3.54 A$5.04
38.14%
Potato (1kg)
$2.81 A$4.00
$2.42 A$3.44
16.12%
Onion (1kg)
$2.48 A$3.53
$1.35 A$1.92
83.70%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.41 A$3.43
$1.39 A$1.98
73.38%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.19 A$1.69
$1.04 A$1.47
14.42%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$38.54 A$54.8
$45.00 A$64.0
-14.36%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.65 A$17.99
$8.20 A$11.67
54.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$5.22 A$7.42
$4.11 A$5.84
27.01%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.87 A$6.93
$4.21 A$5.99
15.68%
🚌 Getting Around
Brisbane
Goulburn
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.34 A$0.48
$2.85 A$4.05
-88.07%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$20.97 A$29.83
$82.9 A$118
-74.72%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.05 A$4.34
$2.85 A$4.06
7.02%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.89 A$2.69
$1.64 A$2.34
15.24%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$40.76 A$58.0
$39.71 A$56.5
2.64%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 A$2.06
$1.49 A$2.12
-2.68%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.7K A$42.3K
$29.8K A$42.3K
-0.21%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.6K A$36.4K
$27.6K A$39.3K
-7.25%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Brisbane
Goulburn
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$158 A$224
$105 A$149
50.20%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.05 A$37.06
$27.97 A$39.79
-6.86%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$61.1 A$87.0
$56.8 A$80.8
7.60%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Brisbane
Goulburn
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$61.2 A$87.0
$60.9 A$86.6
0.46%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.36 A$31.80
$17.12 A$24.34
30.61%
Cinema Ticket
$13.95 A$19.84
$8.35 A$11.87
67.07%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Brisbane
Goulburn
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,044 A$2,908
$2,393 A$3,404
-14.59%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.9K A$18.3K
$27.8K A$39.5K
-53.59%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Brisbane
Goulburn
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$82.4 A$117
$80.0 A$114
2.92%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.63 A$62.1
$70.0 A$99.5
-37.63%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$113 A$161
$112 A$160
0.93%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$111 A$158
$129 A$183
-13.83%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Brisbane
Goulburn
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,944 A$2,765
$1,398 A$1,988
39.08%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 A$2,036
$1,226 A$1,744
16.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,484 A$4,956
$2,339 A$3,326
48.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,240 A$3,187
$1,575 A$2,240
42.27%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$9,322 A$13.3K
$6,008 A$8,545
55.17%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,003 A$9,961
$5,683 A$8,084
23.22%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Brisbane
Goulburn
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,144 A$5,894
$4,079 A$5,802
1.59%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.81
5.92
-1.86%

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

Last update for Brisbane: October 24, 2026

Last update for Goulburn: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Brisbane
$1.4K
Goulburn
$1.2K 14.3% $205
Groceries & Markets
Brisbane
$362
Goulburn
$314 13.1% $47
Eating Out
Brisbane
$310
Goulburn
$280 9.9% $31
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Brisbane
$245
Goulburn
$190 22.5% $55
Clothing & Footwear
Brisbane
$158
Goulburn
$176 11.6% $18
Sport & Entertainment
Brisbane
$89
Goulburn
$78 12.9% $11
Getting Around
Brisbane
$35
Goulburn
$105 203% $71

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,944 in Brisbane versus $1,398 in Goulburn. 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 $90 in Goulburn. Groceries tell a different story – $362 in Brisbane vs $314 in Goulburn – so Goulburn wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇦🇺 Brisbane
🇦🇺 Goulburn
🕒 Local time
16:13 4:13 PM
17:13 5:13 PM
1 h ahead of Brisbane
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,287,896
23,963
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Brisbane Goulburn 870 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Brisbane
  • Goulburn

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 Goulburn: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Brisbane or Goulburn?
Brisbane costs about 11% more than Goulburn, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Brisbane and in Goulburn?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,945 per month in Brisbane and $3,554 in Goulburn. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Brisbane or Goulburn?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Goulburn, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,398 there versus $1,944 in Brisbane.
Are groceries more expensive in Brisbane or in Goulburn?
Groceries cost about 15% more in Brisbane, though the gap depends on what you buy.
How do dining costs compare in Brisbane and in Goulburn?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $80 in Brisbane and $90 in Goulburn. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Brisbane or Goulburn?
It depends on your priorities. Brisbane has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,369 in Goulburn to $2,630 in Brisbane. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How safe is Brisbane compared to Goulburn?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

Brisbane vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?