Cost of Living Comparison Between Brisbane and Melbourne Cost of Living Comparison Between Brisbane and Melbourne

๐Ÿ™‚ Solo nomad: Brisbane is 16.3% cheaper than Melbourne without rent, and 4.3% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Brisbane is 12% cheaper than Melbourne without rent, and 8.4% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Brisbane
Melbourne
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.24 A$24.88
$19.2 A$29.41
-15.42%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$71.2 A$109
$78.6 A$120
-9.35%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.6 A$14.7
$10.02 A$15.35
-4.19%
Cappuccino
$3.6 A$5.51
$3.67 A$5.62
-1.91%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.74 A$4.2
$2.54 A$3.89
7.87%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.15 A$3.29
$2.28 A$3.49
-5.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.36 A$9.75
$7.28 A$11.15
-12.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.97 A$12.2
$7.3 A$11.18
9.18%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Brisbane
Melbourne
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.6 A$2.45
$1.44 A$2.2
11.11%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 A$3.39
$2.63 A$4.02
-15.59%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.8 A$2.76
$2.27 A$3.48
-20.70%
Eggs
$4.47 A$6.85
$4.86 A$7.45
-8.02%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.05 A$12.33
$8.74 A$13.39
-7.89%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.09 A$12.4
$9.19 A$14.07
-11.97%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.4 A$20.53
$14.95 A$22.9
-10.37%
Apples (1kg)
$3.25 A$4.98
$3.33 A$5.1
-2.40%
Banana (1kg)
$2.75 A$4.21
$2.84 A$4.35
-3.17%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.66 A$4.07
$3 A$4.6
-11.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.23 A$6.48
$3.95 A$6.05
7.09%
Potato (1kg)
$2.41 A$3.69
$2.67 A$4.09
-9.74%
Onion (1kg)
$2.26 A$3.46
$2.34 A$3.58
-3.42%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.24 A$3.44
$2.15 A$3.3
4.19%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 A$1.89
$1.64 A$2.5
-24.39%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$32.96 A$50.5
$32.11 A$49.19
2.65%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.07 A$20.02
$13.13 A$20.11
-0.46%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.47 A$6.85
$4.54 A$6.96
-1.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.04 A$6.19
$5.05 A$7.74
-20.00%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Brisbane
Melbourne
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.34 A$0.53
$3.67 A$5.62
-90.74%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.98 A$41.33
$118 A$180
-77.09%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.23 A$3.41
$3.65 A$5.6
-38.90%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.56 A$2.4
$1.34 A$2.05
16.42%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.95 A$52
$27.26 A$41.77
24.54%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.23 A$1.89
$1.19 A$1.82
3.36%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.6K A$43.8K
$28.6K A$43.9K
-0.07%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.6K A$34.7K
$23.5K A$36K
-3.71%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Brisbane
Melbourne
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$144 A$221
$150 A$230
-4.12%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.53 A$39.11
$20.8 A$31.86
22.74%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.9 A$82.6
$51 A$78.2
5.68%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Brisbane
Melbourne
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.01 A$75.1
$48.23 A$73.9
1.62%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.02 A$26.07
$15.91 A$24.38
6.98%
Cinema Ticket
$13.17 A$20.18
$16.53 A$25.32
-20.33%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Brisbane
Melbourne
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,646 A$2,521
$1,730 A$2,651
-4.89%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,863 A$13.6K
$19.1K A$29.3K
-53.68%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Brisbane
Melbourne
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$72.8 A$111
$67.8 A$104
7.28%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.21 A$67.7
$53.7 A$82.2
-17.63%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.5 A$145
$108 A$165
-12.12%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$101 A$155
$106 A$162
-4.41%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Brisbane
Melbourne
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,588 A$2,433
$1,548 A$2,371
2.63%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,237 A$1,894
$1,228 A$1,881
0.71%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,568 A$3,935
$2,973 A$4,555
-13.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,885 A$2,888
$1,956 A$2,997
-3.62%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$8,805 A$13.5K
$7,110 A$10.9K
23.85%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,597 A$10.1K
$5,790 A$8,871
13.93%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Brisbane
Melbourne
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,896 A$5,968
$4,045 A$6,198
-3.71%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.24
6.19
0.81%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Brisbane: October 28, 2025

Last update for Melbourne: October 28, 2025

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