Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brisbane and Manukau

For one person, living is cheaper in Manukau: $1,914 a month against $2,630 in Brisbane, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 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
91

Cost of Living Index in Manukau
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Manukau Living Index

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Brisbane

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,630

/mo nomad

Manukau

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,914

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brisbane and in Manukau

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

A single person spends $2,630 per month in Brisbane vs $1,914 in Manukau, rent included.

Brisbane $2,630
Manukau $1,914

A couple spends around $3,801 per month in Brisbane vs $2,853 in Manukau, rent included.

Brisbane $3,801
Manukau $2,853

A family of three spends $4,972 per month in Brisbane vs $3,792 in Manukau, rent included.

Brisbane $4,972
Manukau $3,792

Brisbane costs about 37% more than Manukau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Brisbane and Manukau sit above the global median – Brisbane by 93%, Manukau by 41%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.61 A$25.03

$12.06 NZ$21.42

46.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.0 A$114

$68.0 NZ$121

17.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.43 A$16.24

$8.28 NZ$14.71

38.04%

Cappuccino

$4.51 A$6.42

$3.48 NZ$6.19

29.60%

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

$2.95 A$4.20

$2.04 NZ$3.63

44.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 A$3.40

$1.74 NZ$3.08

37.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.61 A$12.24

$6.22 NZ$11.05

38.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.36 A$11.88

$5.62 NZ$9.98

48.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 A$2.30

$1.44 NZ$2.56

12.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 A$3.77

$1.30 NZ$2.31

103.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.30

$1.90 NZ$3.37

22.11%

Eggs

$4.94 A$7.02

$5.26 NZ$9.34

-6.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 A$12.90

$5.52 NZ$9.80

64.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 A$12.97

$7.46 NZ$13.24

22.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.34 A$20.38

$11.96 NZ$21.23

19.90%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 A$5.88

$2.57 NZ$4.55

61.09%

Banana (1kg)

$3.07 A$4.36

$2.16 NZ$3.84

42.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.33

$2.97 NZ$5.27

2.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.89 A$6.95

$5.72 NZ$10.16

-14.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 A$4.00

$2.09 NZ$3.70

34.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 A$3.52

$1.43 NZ$2.55

73.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 A$3.42

$2.01 NZ$3.57

19.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 A$1.69

$0.91 NZ$1.62

30.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.54 A$54.8

$25.51 NZ$45.30

51.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.65 A$17.98

$10.51 NZ$18.65

20.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.22 A$7.41

$2.84 NZ$5.04

83.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.87 A$6.92

$3.32 NZ$5.90

46.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 A$0.48

$1.85 NZ$3.29

-81.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.97 A$29.81

$111 NZ$197

-81.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 A$4.33

$2.28 NZ$4.05

33.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 A$2.69

$1.94 NZ$3.45

-2.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.76 A$57.9

$32.50 NZ$57.7

25.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.06

$1.72 NZ$3.06

-15.70%

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

$29.7K A$42.2K

$27.3K NZ$48.4K

8.93%

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

$25.6K A$36.4K

$21.8K NZ$38.8K

17.21%

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

$158 A$224

$58.0 NZ$103

172.06%

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

$26.05 A$37.03

$26.67 NZ$47.35

-2.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.1 A$86.9

$50.8 NZ$90.3

20.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 A$86.9

$43.35 NZ$77.0

41.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.36 A$31.78

Cinema Ticket

$13.95 A$19.83

$12.35 NZ$21.92

12.96%

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

$2,044 A$2,906

$687 NZ$1,220

197.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K A$18.3K

$19.5K NZ$34.5K

-33.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.4 A$117

$62.3 NZ$111

32.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.63 A$62.0

$38.79 NZ$68.9

12.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 A$161

$92.4 NZ$164

22.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 A$158

$112 NZ$198

-0.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,944 A$2,763

$1,036 NZ$1,840

87.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 A$2,035

$940 NZ$1,669

52.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,484 A$4,953

$1,640 NZ$2,912

112.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,240 A$3,185

$1,494 NZ$2,653

49.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,322 A$13.3K

$4,976 NZ$8,834

87.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,003 A$9,954

$3,073 NZ$5,457

127.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,144 A$5,890

$1,825 NZ$3,239

127.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.81

5.9

-1.53%

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

Last update for Brisbane: October 24, 2026

Last update for Manukau: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brisbane

$1.4K 54.4%

Manukau

$940 49.1% 34.3% $491

Groceries & Markets

Brisbane

$362 13.8%

Manukau

$282 14.7% 22% $80

Eating Out

Brisbane

$310 11.8%

Manukau

$221 11.5% 28.9% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brisbane

$245 9.3%

Manukau

$136 7.1% 44.7% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Brisbane

$158 6%

Manukau

$137 7.2% 12.9% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Brisbane

$89 3.4%

Manukau

$68 3.6% 23.6% $21

Getting Around

Brisbane

$35 1.3%

Manukau

$131 6.8% 275% $96

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,944 in Brisbane versus $1,036 in Manukau. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Brisbane are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80 in Brisbane versus $68 in Manukau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $362 vs $282 – making Manukau the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Brisbane

🇳🇿 Manukau

🕒 Local time

01:48 1:48 AM

04:48 4:48 AM

3 h ahead of Brisbane

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,287,896

362,000

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Brisbane Manukau 2,300 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Brisbane
Manukau

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 Manukau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brisbane costs about 37% more than Manukau, 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 $3,945 per month in Brisbane and $2,871 in Manukau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Manukau, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,036 there versus $1,944 in Brisbane.

Groceries cost about 28% more in Brisbane, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80 in Brisbane and $68 in Manukau. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,630 in Brisbane and $1,914 in Manukau, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Manukau – 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 Manukau. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Brisbane makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.