Cost of Living Comparison Between Brisbane and Lake Macquarie Cost of Living Comparison Between Brisbane and Lake Macquarie

😐 Solo nomad: Brisbane is 6.1% more expensive than Lake Macquarie without rent, and 12.9% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Brisbane is 6.4% more expensive than Lake Macquarie without rent, and 1.3% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.55 A$25.35

$12.96 A$19.85

27.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.5 A$110

$79.1 A$121

-9.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.55 A$14.64

$9.67 A$14.81

-1.24%

Cappuccino

$3.66 A$5.6

$3.39 A$5.19

7.96%

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

$2.77 A$4.25

$2.35 A$3.6

17.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 A$3.32

$1.93 A$2.95

12.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.56 A$10.05

$6.64 A$10.18

-1.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.68 A$11.77

$7.05 A$10.8

8.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 A$2.46

$1.42 A$2.18

13.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.2 A$3.37

$1.43 A$2.19

53.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 A$2.78

$1.22 A$1.87

49.18%

Eggs

$4.47 A$6.84

$3.31 A$5.07

35.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.31 A$12.73

$7.6 A$11.64

9.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.37 A$12.83

$6.4 A$9.8

30.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.55 A$20.75

$11.83 A$18.12

14.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 A$5.09

$2.98 A$4.56

11.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.77 A$4.25

$2.74 A$4.19

1.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.7 A$4.13

$3.14 A$4.81

-14.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.2 A$6.43

$4.52 A$6.92

-7.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 A$3.88

$2.01 A$3.08

25.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 A$3.59

$1.72 A$2.64

36.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 A$3.32

$1.42 A$2.17

52.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 A$1.92

$1.17 A$1.8

6.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$31.92 A$48.9

$28.44 A$43.57

12.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.04 A$19.98

$7.05 A$10.81

84.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.67 A$7.15

$2.66 A$4.07

75.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 A$6.38

$2.14 A$3.27

94.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 A$0.53

$2 A$3.07

-82.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.69 A$40.89

$88.9 A$136

-69.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.3 A$3.53

$1.87 A$2.87

22.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 A$2.41

$1.56 A$2.39

0.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.44 A$51.2

$46.4 A$71.1

-27.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 A$1.89

$1.21 A$1.85

1.65%

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

$29.2K A$44.8K

$25.7K A$39.4K

13.83%

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

$22.6K A$34.6K

$20.2K A$30.9K

11.91%

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

$144 A$221

$205 A$313

-29.66%

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

$25.4 A$38.91

$10.57 A$16.2

140.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.3 A$81.6

$42.8 A$65.6

24.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.95 A$73.5

$49.18 A$75.4

-2.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.5 A$26.8

$15.4 A$23.6

13.64%

Cinema Ticket

$12.84 A$19.68

$9.31 A$14.27

37.92%

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

$1,587 A$2,431

$1,477 A$2,264

7.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,686 A$13.3K

$9,888 A$15.1K

-12.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.3 A$109

$73.3 A$112

-2.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.88 A$67.2

$33.69 A$51.6

30.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 A$140

$76.4 A$117

19.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 A$155

$133 A$203

-23.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,630 A$2,498

$1,283 A$1,965

27.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,253 A$1,919

$980 A$1,502

27.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,587 A$3,964

$2,017 A$3,090

28.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,883 A$2,885

$2,104 A$3,224

-10.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,788 A$13.5K

$5,420 A$8,304

62.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,489 A$9,942

$4,692 A$7,188

38.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,930 A$6,021

$4,646 A$7,118

-15.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.24

4.35

43.45%

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

Last update for Brisbane: November 5, 2025

Last update for Lake Macquarie: November 4, 2025

Similar cities

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

Rome

🇮🇹 Italy

Turin

🇮🇹 Italy

Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan

Abu Dhabi

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

Ljubljana

🇸🇮 Slovenia